Supporting Tyneside refugees: Amnesty International Society partners with West End Refugee Service
Amnesty International Society makes significant progress towards its goal of supporting local refugees by securing a partnership with West End Refugee Service.
This academic year, Newcastle University’s Amnesty International Society decided to focus on supporting refugees by directing their resources towards a local charity. After a semester of efforts, the committee has finally formed a connection with West End Refugee Service.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to work together and do some special things,” said Peter Noble, Chief Executive of West End Refugee Service. “I do think that Amnesty will help us significantly.”
Members of the society now regularly participate in the charity’s recently introduced ‘Weekly Welcome’ sessions and take part in a range of activities that the particular week offers, such as playing games and making music.
“It’s a very different kind of work than we’re used to. It’s more personal and more individual,” said Isabella Castello-Cortes, Treasurer of Amnesty International Society.
The collaboration has already resulted in a number of events aiming to fundraise and raise awareness about the challenges that refugees and asylum seekers face. Notably, the ‘Jamnesty‘ event held on the 24th of April raised over £497 that went directly to the charity.
The partnership was met with enthusiasm from the members of Amnesty Society, as it showed to be beneficial for both parties involved.
“We have quite a large membership, but only a small number is actually regular in their engagement,” said Isabella Castello-Cortes. “This has encouraged more engagement from our members.”
While the society’s decision to focus on refugees was made unanimously at the very beginning of this academic year, first contact with the charity was initiated in January 2024. This was achieved by Darla Sullivan, Secretary of Amnesty International Society. She said:
“Because we’re such a small group, I think it’s really important for us to find a bigger organisation to work with so we can maximise the difference that we make.”
For the future, the committee hopes their society will serve as a volunteer base providing WERS with a committed and consistent group of student volunteers coming from Newcastle University.
“WERS is doing everything generally, but Amnesty springs from education,” said Aram Wasman Omar, an asylum seeker from Kurdistan. “That’s why they could make us feel better by doing things like make a presentation for the university or invite us to speak about who we are.”
West End Refugee Service, or WERS, is ‘a registered charity that provides support and opportunities to people seeking asylum and refugees on Tyneside’. This year marks its 25th anniversary.
Amnesty International Society is one of the student-led groups at Newcastle University focused on campaigning for human rights. The members are now in touch with the charity’s team and are continuously exploring possibilities for collaborative activities for the future.
“With uni life it’s obviously really hard to consistently dedicate yourself to something, but I think we’re building a lovely community and we’re trying to keep it as accessible as possible,” said Isabella Castello-Cortes, Treasurer of Amnesty International Society.
Watch a short video about the partnership here
Find out more about the proceedings of the partnership here
or visit directly @ncl.amnesty and WERS / @westendrefugeeservice
