campaigns > action matters!

Welcome to the latest edition of Action Matters. This online bulletin will keep you up to date with the ways in which Refugee Action and its supporters and volunteers, respond to and influence public debate, and ensure that refugees' voices are heard.

With your help, we do make a difference.

FACT OF THE MONTH

Over 3000 children came to the UK alone last year to seek asylum. Some of these 'unaccompanied minors' are children as young as 7 years old.

Most are refused refugee status, although they are given leave to stay until they are 18.

Funky 'fugee facts online

Independent Asylum Commission says "End destitution". Tell your MP!

'I'd make them a big cake'. Festival-goers get in touch with their creative side...

...and you can too!

Run for refugees

Funky 'fugee facts at your fingertips

RAP - our Refugee Awareness Project - is brilliant at telling people the facts about asylum in simple, straightforward ways.

And now it does so online!

As well as an infovault brimming with facts and figures, key pointers for being a mythbuster, and an online shop full of merchandise to help you spread the word, this new website also offers top tips on how to make newcomers welcome.

This interactive part of the site allows you to tell the world about the everyday actions you’ve taken to make your neighbourhood nicer for refugees. By making a noise about what we’re all doing, we hope to inspire others to join in. Then we can see how all this small-time niceness can add up to something much bigger.

So whether you're stuck for an answer when you're in a tricky conversation about asylum, have a tendency to muddle your stats, or want some ideas on how to stand up for refugees, this is the site for you. Forward it to your confused friends!

www.raproject.org.uk

Independent Asylum Commission says "End destitution".

The IAC spent 18 months gathering evidence about the asylum process. It was an impressive process, led by a distinguished panel of commissioners, including a former High Court judge, a former army general and Chief Inspector of Prisons, and others with backgrounds in human rights research, journalism, law and theology.

The Independent Asylum Commission

On 30 June 2008, this hard-working panel released a report which said that "destitution should not be used as a lever to compel refused asylum seekers to accept return".

The thorough process they went through gives the report great credibility - so we want to make sure that MPs get to hear about it. Our campaigners have already made sure over 200 MPs know about this recommendation - does yours?

Click here to quickly and easily contact your MP.

'I'd make them a big cake'.

'Give them a big hug'.

'Fish and chips would be just the ticket'.

'I'd share my umbrella'.

Just some of the ideas that ordinary Brits have come up with to answer the question "How would you welcome a refugee?".

In Refugee Week, and at the Rise festival in London, hundreds of people drew pictures, wrote poems and generally embraced their creative side.

We're going to make an exhibition of ideas like these to show to decision-makers at the House of Commons later this year, and in a mystery location next year.

We need lots more pictures! Please please do add to our collection by:

- ordering some postcards from us: call 020 7654 0683, or email campaigns@refugee-action.org.uk

- distributing them to your friends and family (if you're a member of a gym, church, pub quiz team, whatever, why not order enough for every one of them?)

STOP PRESS:

Big thanks to Year 5 pupils at Parkfield Primary School, Hendon, who've sent us the pictures they created as a class project.

Parkfield School's gallery

And what would you do?

Draw a picture online now!

It's very simple. And every picture is welcome.

Run for Refugees!

Join Refugee Action’s team for the Adidas Women’s 5km challenge, on Sunday 7th September 2008 in Birmingham, Liverpool and London. Run, jog or walk 5km and raise money for Refugee Action. Women runners. Refugee Action/Claudia Janke