TAKE ACTION
UPDATED March 2022-Our most urgent needs can be found on our get involved page
In general, you can always help by raising awareness on the needs of refugees within our local community, including any faith organisations, any political parties you may be affiliated to or educational institutions you might have contact with.
In general, you can always help by raising awareness on the needs of refugees within our local community, including any faith organisations, any political parties you may be affiliated to or educational institutions you might have contact with.
Become Informed:
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Grab a cup of tea or coffee, and if you haven't done so already, find out some well-sourced answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions about refugees and the various resettlement schemes available.
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Image: Pixabay
Sign petitions or write to our MP
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While we are a local organisation, there are various national campaigns that affect refugees coming to Elmbridge. Our priorities are to support those campaigns that
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Write to our MP Write To Them
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Have a film night in ...
Maybe invite some friends, grab some popcorn, and make the most of an evening with one of these highly recommended, thought provoking documentaries.
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FOR SAMA - 2019, IMDB rating 8.5, BAFTA Winner, Oscar nominated for best doc.
A self shot, intimate and visceral documentary, this multi-award-winning film is a journey though motherhood during th bombings of the Syrian Civil War. Waad al-Kateab's first feature documentary is a story of love, resilience and hope, but framed by suffering and harsh dilemmas. Click on the image for the trailer, full film available on Channel 4 |
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-HUMAN FLOW - 2017, IMDB rating 7.0
Why do we even have so much people displacement? If you want a whole world big picture perspective, not specific to the Middle East, this is the one. Filmed across 23 countries by international artist and filmmaker Ai Weiwei, this movie studies the global issue of migration with a completely apolitical approach. Rather, it aims to show the human side of the phenomenon, putting a face to the immense numbers involved in migration routes every year. Click on the image for a trailer. Film available here. |
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EXODUS - 2016, IMDB rating 7.9 BAFTA winner, EMMY Winner
BBC2 TV Series - we gave cameras to some of the people who smuggled themselves into Europe, to record where no-one else can go. The result is a terrifying, intimate, epic portrait of the migration crisis. Click on image for trailer. Series available on Vimeo. Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 EXODUS - Our Journey Continues (2017) is available on BBC iplayer |
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MIDNIGHT TRAVELER 2019, IMDB rating 7.4
You can’t help but get emotional watching this poignant family tale. Filmmaker Hassan Fazili documented his family’s journey to seek sanctuary in Europe after fleeing Afghanistan in 2015, using only smartphones. It is a deeply moving story showing how bravery, hope and family love can overcome violence and racism. Click on the image for a trailer. Film available on Amazon Prime Video. |
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ANOTHER NEWS STORY - 2019, IMDB rating 7.3
Directed by our friend Verity Wislowki Shot across nine countries from Greece to Germany, the film goes 'behind the scenes' of the news crews reporting the refugee story at the height of the European crisis. It takes the viewer to the other side of the camera and inspires us to re-evaluate our relationship with the global media and how we consume news. Click on image for the trailer or watch on Amazon Prime or vimeo. |
Read and share
Nothing like a good book to be transported into someone else's world and maybe have an opportunity to share & discuss with friends, family or book club.
Gray Bees by Andrey Kurkov, a famous Ukrainian novelist who, suffused with his trademark wry humour, dramatises the conflict raging in his country through the adventures of a beekeeper.
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini (author of the Kite Runner). A Syrian father’s reflection, whilst watching his sleeping son, as they await the perilous journey to cross the Mediterranean. Author proceeds are donated to UNHCR.
Shatila stories -published by Peirene who commissioned nine refugees to tell their ‘Shatila Stories’. The result is a piece of collaborative fiction unlike any other. Read if you want to understand the chaos of the Middle East, or you just want to follow the course of a beautiful love story.
No Friend but the mountains -by Behrouz Boochani, written by this Kurdish journalist who was illegally detained on Manus Island and was laboriously tapped out on a mobile phone and translated from the Farsi.
England - Poems from a school. has some incredibly moving short poems about the refugee experience, including the one that went viral on Facebook
In the Wars - by Dr. Waheed Arian , to get inspired by this incredible Afghan doctor's story
Hope Not Fear -by Hassan Akkad who's the same inspiring Syrian, who has often spoken in our events about his harrowing experience leaving Syria, how he experienced kindness in the UK to help him get back on his feet, re building a life here which even included a BAFTA winning film.