Mahsa is an extremely talented young artist from Iran. She claimed asylum in the UK due to the persecution she and her fellow students faced after the Iranian authorities discovered some of their politically challenging artwork.

Mahsa at an exhibition of her work

She wasted no time however with developing her artistic talents whilst waiting for her decision from the Home Office regarding her case and enrolled on a course at Leeds College of Art and Design in 2009. Unfortunately she was refused refugee status in 2010 and faced a very difficult period of time destitute and without any income. Despite this she continued to work extremely hard at college and as a result excelled in her studies and made local news with her exceptional paintings in the end of term college exhibition. In addition, she organized an art exhibition at RETAS and also had a copy of her artwork published in the New Internationalist magazine in the December 2010 issue.

However one huge barrier to her successfully completing her studies remained. She did not have the funds available to pay for her tuition fees and despite her success she was on the verge of being told to leave her course. This is when she applied, in desperation, to the Lawrence Atwell charity for assistance.

Incredibly she received a grant for £1,100 from Lawrence Atwell which paid for all her outstanding fees and as a result she successfully completed her studies in August, just at the same time as her immigration case was reviewed by the Home Office and as a result was granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK.

Mahsa had an extremely busy summer following this as her goal was to go to university. She passed her IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam at level 6 and successfully enrolled at the University of the Arts London, Chelsea College, studying a BA in fine art starting this September.

Mahsa’s success story would again not have been possible without the financial support of the Lawrence Atwell Charity. RETAS is truly thankful for the way Lawrence Atwell has invested in our clients, especially those whose circumstances seemed dire and whose immigration status was uncertain and hopes of success limited.

When Raphael applied for funding in 2008 from Lawrence Atwell he was in a very difficult situation. He was an asylum seeker, had no right to work and was taking sole responsibility for bringing up and looking after a newly born son. Despite this he had managed to secure a place on an Electrical Engineering degree at Leeds Metropolitan University and after some negotiations with the University was granted home student fee status due to his exceptional circumstances. As Raphael was a qualified electrical engineer specializing in passenger aircraft back in his home country, Cameroon this course was relevant to his skills and expertise with the hope that one day he may be able to work again in his field.

Raphael’s application was successful and the grant awarded from Lawrence Atwell ensured that his course fees were paid for the duration of his degree. Without this it would have been impossible and was fantastic news for us all at RETAS.

Raphael, former RETAS client has now requalified as an electrical engineer

In 2010 Raphael received more good news and was granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK after waiting for almost 4 years for the decision. After completing a security guard course at RETAS he secured a part time job as a security officer which helped to contribute towards his living expenses whilst continuing with his studies.

In August 2011, after a lot of hard work, Raphael graduated!

In October 2011 Raphael’s dream came true as he went on to secure a job working with multinational firm Schneider Electric in Leeds as an electrical engineer.

Raphael’s journey has been extremely challenging which makes his success stories even more remarkable. He is now in a position to rebuild his life again and provide for his family, a position he only dreamed about two years ago.

The Lawrence Atwell grant towards his studies was a huge investment in his life and played a vital step in enabling him to start his life again.

New volunteers joined Lesley Dean-Stuart (second from right) for an introduction to volunteering.

A big part of the work RETAS does involves giving refugees the chance to prove themselves in the workplace by finding them voluntary posts both within RETAS itself and with other companies and organisations.
 
The half day induction was an informal training session with Lesley Dean-Stuart, volunteer coordinator for RETAS who outlined the best practices for volunteers, the value of donating time to a charity, along with what a volunteer should expect from their host organisation.
 
The morning began with an icebreaker reception, where everyone was introduced and got to know each other, coffee and juice were drank and as the ice was broken, Lesley took the fledgling volunteers through the reasons that people decide to volunteer, the group discussed their own motivation and learned that half the British population will at some point give their time for the benefit of others, rather than financial reward.
 
RETAS director Duncan Wells arrived to give a history of the charity, an introduction to the work, ethos and the services provided, along with some information about refugees in Yorkshire; Leeds receives more refugees than any other city other than London, and Harehills (the area of Leeds the charity is based) is one of the most diversely populated inner city wards in Britain.
 
After a break the session moved on to volunteering in RETAS. There are positions available for refugees to man the reception for the building we reside in, which houses several different organisations. The climate that Britain is currently in, with high unemployment and few jobs available makes this opportunity a valuable and worthwhile way to prove to employers a willingness to work and get a trusted reference, and can give people crucial skills required in a modern workplace, along with improving English communication skills.
 
Exploitation of volunteers is a shady and unfair practise that some people may find themselves in. People can be asked to do things that you should receive a wage for, for example cleaning or working full time 40 hour weeks. A comprehensive list was outlined of unacceptable conditions and it was explained that volunteering with an organisation should be mutually beneficial, not unpaid labour.
 
The positions RETAS provides helps with the integration and development of people arriving in Britain, people who want to work and contribute to life in this country. There is a network of places and people throughout Yorkshire we and our clients owe a debt of gratitude for providing the first steps to employment and a happy life in Leeds.
 
Volunteering at RETAS is not just for refugees, why not get in touch and see how your abilities could help?
 
If you run a company, why not try taking one of our highly skilled and motivated refugees on s a volunteer? They will be matched by us to you and comes with a guarantee to change your mind about refugees in the U.K!
 

 Imagine living in a country rated as having less freedom of the press than North Korea. A one party state holding a country in a continual repressive regime, using war as an excuse to rule by force.

 The State of Eritrea split away from Ethiopia in 1993, though its border is still disputed, leaving the country in a perpetual state of war. Ruled by the ironically titled People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, the government that was created to set up a democracy have repeatedly postponed and cancelled national legislative elections. Over the last ten years President Isayas Afewerki’s leadership has overseen a steady erosion of human rights, fair justice and press freedom.

 The population of Eritrea is the second most militarized in the world according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, both men and women are required to undertake in a minimum of 18 months national service, however this is often extended indefinitely. There are reports of army labour being used to maintain property owned by generals or government employees, and the pay for military service is a pittance.

 Most disturbingly of all, thousands of Eritreans are detained in known and secret detention centre’s, often without charge or trial, and no idea if they will ever be released.

People ‘disappear’ into these prisons for opposing the unelected leaders. Religion is also strictly controlled, people are only allowed to believe in approved faiths, and their place of worship must be registered and approved by the state.

 No record is released giving the number of Eritreans incarcerated, and many detention facilities are in secret locations. Exiled citizens have spoken about being held in underground bunkers, regular beatings, even being tied up under the blazing sun or hung by their arms from trees. There is a shoot to kill policy if people are seen escaping across the border.

 Leeds has a large Eritrean community, and various charities to help with asylum application, counseling and integrating into British life.

RETAS is based in Harehills and believes that every refugee that comes to West Yorkshire deserves help and support in finding training and employment, to begin a new life in the U.K

Article by Jake Davies, Journalism student and RETAS volunteer

For more information take a look at these sites

http://www.visiteritrea.org/intro.html 

http://www.hrw.org/africa/eritrea

A study, undertaken by Leeds University, King’s College London and RETAS aiming to better understand the English language requirements of migrant communities has been published.

By examining the Harehills region in Leeds between December 2010 and March 2011 the report compares the demographic structure of Hareills, compared to Leeds as a whole and interviews students and teachers involved in ESOL (English for Speakers of Another Language) learning.

The aim of the audit was to improve the planning and provision of ESOL, and to create a methodological toolkit which is intended to provide future researchers with the means to carry out similar work elsewhere.

Article by Jake Davies, RETAS volunteer and Journalism student

As part of celebrations for refugee week in Leeds, councillors, charities and refugees were invited to Civic Hall to celebrate the good work done in Leeds, for different people to meet and recognise the achievements of the great number of groups that provide support and guidance to refugees and asylum seekers, and raise awareness around Leeds.

Opening the evening, Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan and chair of Leeds Migration Partnership Bishop John Packer, followed by Roger Nyantou and Rachael Loftus, who outlined the ‘City Of Sanctuary’ scheme, and the progress Leeds has made towards formal recognition as an inclusive and welcoming city.

Awards followed. Three schools were awarded ‘Schools of Sanctuary’ status, Hovingham Primary School, Harehills, St Mary’s Primary in Horsforth and City of Leeds High school. The award is for schools who actively promote a welcoming and tolerant approach to all.

After a short break, during which a diverse group of people were encouraged to meet and talk over a very diverse buffet, followed by a short talk from Ali Magoub of Leeds refugee forum, who lead the organisation of Leeds Refugee week and Councillor Ghulam Hussain.

Charles Atangana

The final part of the evening was a talk from two exiled journalists, Charles Atangana and James Fallah, with an introduction from NUJ executive member Adam Christie. Charles fled Cameroon in 2004, after being arrested, beaten and detained for 40 days by President Biya’s security forces, he was actively exposing corruption within the government ran by the longest serving president in Sub-Saharan Africa. On arriving in the U.K to seek asylum, he was detained for 52 days but was eventually granted leave to remain with help from the National Union of Journalist’s.

James Fallah, has lived in Britain for 12 years. He fled Sierra Leon during the height of the civil war in 1995, after receiving threats following articles he wrote criticizing the government. James continued to campaign against the atrocities that civilians were exposed to from Britain, we were shown a slideshow of images taken during a visit back to the country to see his family. The images were a disturbing and harrowing insight into the suffering that civilians were exposed to, innocent people mutilated by the rebel factions.

Despite James living in Britain for 12 years, his work

James Fallah

permit was revoked, due to a bureaucratic error and his application for indefinite leave to remain was refused. It took involvement from the NUJ, local protests and a petition with 300 signatures for the home office to reverse the decision, and allow him to remain in the U.K

As an aspiring journalist it was amazing to see the difficulty reporters faced in other parts of the world. I chose to study journalism, but for them it was a vocation, a need for a voice of discontent, and one which they risked their lives to spread, the difficulty that they faced when seeking sanctuary in Britain was shameful.

A event ended with a rousing couple of song’s from Women Asylum Seekers Together, a brilliant end to what had been a truly remarkable and moving evening.

Retas specialises in the education, training and employment of refugees in the West Yorkshire area. Many asylum seekers are qualified professionals who want nothing more than to continue working in the U.K. Retas helps them to return to work.