www.solidaritee.org.uk
ANNUAL REPORT Aug 2020 - July 2021
Report Finalised May 2022
Table of Contents
| Table of Contents |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Statement from the Board | 3 | ||
| Vision & Mission | 4 | ||
| Activities | 5-6 | ||
| Structure & Governance | 7 | ||
| Statement from Executive Director | 8-10 | ||
| NGO Impact | 11 | ||
| Impact Report | 12 | ||
| Annual Accounts | 38 |
The first section of this report covers broader context and strategy, whilst our Impact Report, published in January 2022, covers our activities and performance metrics in more detail for the period. It is included at the end of this document, and we encourage anyone who wishes to gain a fuller understanding of our work to view the two sections in conjunction.
It is also worth noting that our prior year reporting period covered 16 months from February 2019-20, spanning the better part of two academic years, as our first published report since charitable registration, whilst this period covers the standard 12 months.
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Vision,
Mission and
Activities
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STATEMENT FROM THE BOARD
Despite it being a year of huge turbulence globally, the SolidariTee academic and financial period July 20-21 was our most successful to date across a variety of indicators. In this annual report, we detail the ways in which we met our objectives, provide an evaluation of the context of our activities, and offer insight into our strategic priorities during this time.
OUR TEAM
During this period, SolidariTee was an entirely student-led team made up of 900 volunteers. Since its inception, we have continued to operate without paid staff. We would like to thank all of those who believed in and supported a group of young people in their determination to make change. It is the contributions of a collective which add up to real impact; from the speakers who shared their wisdom at events to the small businesses who donated to our work, and, of course, all the students and their communities who have chosen to stand in SolidariTee with forcibly displaced people worldwide. We hope that you find this report useful and informative.
To read more, visit www.solidaritee.org.uk or email boardoftrustees@solidaritee.org.uk with any feedback or questions.
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VISION
SolidariTee stands for real-world, lasting improvements in the treatment of asylum seekers, refugees, and other people in vulnerable migration contexts.
Our vision is a world in which people who are forced to flee their homes have access to services which will allow their fundamental legal and human rights to be upheld, and that the general public are informed and united in support of kinder, less hostile migratory structures.
MISSION
Our objectives are:
1) To support and amplify the work of grassroots organisations who provide legal aid to refugees and asylum seekers.
2) To raise awareness of global refugee issues and build public knowledge around the injustices perpetrated against forcibly displaced people globally, as well as the importance of legal aid in creating asylum systems that are just and dependable.
3) To provide students, as the next generation of voters, educators and policy-makers, with the opportunity to make meaningful change whilst also developing their own skills as activists and humanitarians who operate respectfully and ethically.
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ACTIVITIES
WHAT WE DO, AND WHY IT MATTERS
Grant Giving (objective 1)
In the 2020-21 academic year, we gave £103,500 in grants across six NGOs providing legal aid to refugees and asylum seekers in four regions of Greece: Thessaloniki in the northern mainland, and the islands of Lesvos, Samos, and Chios.
We are one of the increasingly rare grant-giving organisations who provide predominantly unrestricted funds, which means that we do not force organisations to use our funding on specific budget lines. Instead, by providing a stable, predictable amount of money, we allow them the flexibility to do what they do best. In addition to funding NGOs who wish to expand, we also help others to cover core operational costs. This enables them to focus on their key priority: providing a dependable service. It also allows them to develop a funding plan for the longer-term.
Our grants were able to fund the equivalent of a full-time Greek lawyer at each organisation, a key need in 2020. At the time, changing regulations meant that volunteer lawyers could no longer operate effectively without local Greek lawyers, especially when dealing with appeals for people whose applications had been unjustly rejected.
"Thank you to all of you for this great news! You gave me the hope that I can see my children again after 6 years. I’m so happy now! Today you gave me the happiest news I have ever heard!"
A Quote from a client of Mobile Info Team, who received their support for her family reunification case for over two years.
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ACTIVITIES continued...
Events (objectives 1, 2, and 3)
Our regional teams of students, based at over 60 universities, collectively organised more than 250 events and initiatives.
In addition, our central team organised 2 national conferences as well as panel discussions and a virtual art exhibition (see impact report for further details).
We believe that education should be accessible to all. For many events, participation was either free or on a 'pay what you can' basis. Nonetheless, we raised approximately £50,000 through events and donations in this year, amounting to approximately 25% of our income,
Every activity organised by our student volunteers gave the team members a chance to build a range of key experiences valued within the charity sector. In our volunteer survey, members reported developing skills in event organisation, leadership, confidence in having tricky conversations, marketing, and social media.
SolidariTee t-shirt sales (primarily objective 1, additionally 2 and 3)
A core part of the rep role has always centred around facilitating the sale of our custom-made SolidariTees. The 2020 collection was our first vegan & organic range. Not only do our t-shirts make up the majority of our fundraising for the year but, by featuring refugee artwork, they act as a conversation starter, opening the door to connection and education.
Social media infographics & podcast (objectives 2 and 3)
Our centrally managed social media pages and website provide up-to-date content, educating our followers on refugee issues through our mythbuster series, infographics, current affairs content, and podcast. This year, we placed a greater focus on international coverage of global displacement, and launched a 'History of Refugees' series to unpack the cyclical nature of forced migration across the centuries.
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Structure, governance and management
BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND LEADERSHIP
At the start of this reporting period, the charity had just three trustees: SolidariTee's founder Tiara, in addition to Mouki Kambouroglou and Madeleine Hancock, two of SolidariTee's earliest team members. The board was particularly small at the time of registration with the charity commission in 2019, reflecting the size of the student central team that was, at this point, only 6 members.
By early 2020, a delegation of responsibilities between the board and the central team had been achieved, with a non-trustee Executive Director leading the charity's activities and operations. Subsequently, 4 new trustees have joined the board, including the outgoing executive director Alexa. Trustees were recruited by a written application process, with a non-binding vote by central team members, followed by an official vote by the Board of Trustees.
ACCOUNTING, RESERVES AND GRANT-MAKING
At the end of SolidariTee's reporting period, we held approximately £89,000 in unrestricted reserves. We pay our grants in pre-agreed instalments throughout the academic year. At all times, we seek to have funds in excess of the instalments required for the coming 3 months, or £30,000, whichever is the greater, which would enable us to launch an emergency grant should the need arise. These reserves help us to mitigate risks and dependably meet our pre-existing grant requirements should any unforseen circumstances arise.
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STATEMENT FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 20-21
At the start of this reporting period, I was in the fifth year of a veterinary degree, and our charity was about to embark upon a new academic year during the COVID-19 pandemic, with little to no sense of whether any of our 900 student volunteers would ever get to meet each other in person, let alone sit in a lecture hall together.
In prior years, SolidariTee’s activities had mostly centred around fundraising and awareness raising through the sale of our custom-made SolidariTee shirts (through its subsidiary trading company), in addition to our regional teams organising mostly campus-based events.
Our model had previously been reliant on face-to-face interactions, such as a t-shirt sold over lunch in the students' union, or a bake sale outside the library. As a result of the pandemic, changes were crucial. Our volunteers at every level of the organisation rose to the occasion with agility, boldness, and determination, and we were able to pivot the organisation to meet and exceed many of our targets.
A side effect of the pandemic was an enormous collective will to make change. We saw a huge increase in support for online events and sponsored challenges - being a part of something together, even if behind our screens, was highly valued. This meant that it was perhaps easier to galvanise support for events and campaigns. It was a year where almost every initiative was being run in this way for the first time, creating a huge learning curve for everyone involved.
At the same time, we watched a rapidly changing context within refugee camps across Greece, where most of our grants reached. Moria, at the time Europe's largest refugee camp with 30,000 people, faced a devastating lack of provision for COVID-19 in early 2020, and was almost entirely destroyed by fire in September 2020. New camps were hastily created, and inadequate.
This was also the year where pushbacks - violent and illegal expulsions of people seeking safety at land and sea borders - became one of the dominant barriers to seeking asylum. In addition, severe restrictions placed on camps by Greek authorities in response to the pandemic meant that entry or exit was often prevented, making seeking legal counsel incredibly complex. These were all contextual changes which we sought to respond to through awareness-raising, in addition to delivering on our grant payments at a time when many areas of the charity sector faced huge financial challenge.
Executive Director 20-21
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Overall, the year was a big success for SolidariTee in many areas. We raised more money, held more events, and sold more t-shirts than in any other academic year. We also had the largest number of volunteers and campus teams SolidariTee has seen so far. l believe that several strategic shifts, made in conjunction with the central leadership team, contributed to this success, in addition to the pandemic context itself encouraging altruism and volunteering. These shifts, as detailed below, resulted in an increased sense of volunteer community, providing each person with the autonomy and mandate to make change in a way that felt right for them. My goal was for the teams' individual interests to harnessed in diversifying our impacts and activities. Some of those changes were:
1) To expand the SolidariTee representative ("rep") role to include events and campaigns in addition to t-shirt sales. Every team was responsible for working together to host events, and every volunteer took the lead on their own fundraising or awareness-raising initiative. This was a big difference compared to prior years, in which the only mandated activity for campus teams was to sell t-shirts, and led to increased room for creativity and flexibility within the rep role as well as increased presence on campus. Feedback from this change was overwhelmingly positive, with reps having a lot of fun with their activities, and increasing the amount raised through their regional teams.
2) To organise SolidariTee's first Week of Action and annual conference. In this year, our central team prioritised organising their own large-scale events which were open to the public over simply monitoring and supporting our regional teams. This was a first step in moving away from student-exclusivity, which was the start of a strategy to broaden our reach.
3) To shift to vegan, organic t-shirts, sold at £12 instead of £10. A 20% price hike seemed controversial, but in moving to more ethical, environmentally conscious t-shirts, it was necessary in order to maintain profit margins. Our supporter base generally share our values around sustainable fashion, which was part of the success of the range.
4) To create a SolidariTee welfare team which acted as a confidential listening service and a signpost to expert resources. Students, with or without a pandemic, often struggle to access mental healthcare. Leading from the front in terms of avoiding compassion fatigue, burnout, and the ill effects of second-hand trauma within the humanitarian sector was a priority.
5) To renew our focus on providing information about displacement contexts outside of the Mediterranean, where our grant recipients operated. This meant we worked to raise awareness around refugee issues within the UK, as well as Australia, Latin America, Bangladesh and more, in addition to launching a History of Refugees series.
Executive Director 20-21
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There is still a long way to go in perfecting our model; volunteering, especially at university, can be an inherently privileged and exclusive activity, and more needs to be done to bring people of all backgrounds into our movement, and into the humanitarian sector in general.
Additionally, whilst we recognise the importance of raising awareness of forced displacement globally, developing our contextual knowledge in order to do so impactfully has been an ongoing project. Our improvements in reach were noticeable throughout the year, with a Facebook reach of 227,000 (+94% from the previous year), and an Instagram reach of 33,000 (+852%), reflecting the relative immaturity of our accounts prior to this, but developing strategies to ensure that our infographics are reaching people on a wider scale and that the information is presented accessibly and shareably remains an area for development.
One final challenge which had not yet been effectively addressed at the time of this report was around sell-through of stock and scalability. Many reps did not sell all of the t-shirts assigned to them, and the logistics involved in product recall, in addition to the concern felt by reps who believed they had 'underperformed', caused huge issues both practically and for team morale. Additionally, our fundraising model was still operating on a very linear scale; every additional volunteer meant an additional pack of t-shirts could be distributed, with an additional increase in fundraising potential. Undeniably, this meant that the year was only as successful as it was because recruitment at the start of the year was so effective. Team size is neither reliable or necessarily controllable year-on-year, as student interests and media coverage wax and wane. Furthermore, if our ability to grow and expand is contingent on ever-growing team sizes, we will inevitably reach roadblocks, and a model based on driving sales inorganically does not sit well with us as a leadership team seeking to promote ethical fashion.
Whilst I was acutely aware of these challenges throughout the year, we did not yet have financial predictability through events or donations. Over the course of the year, SolidariTee was able to demonstrate the immense fundraising power that students can create independently of the t- shirts, in a way which can be orchestrated through relatively smaller groups of people, paving the way for future changes to team structure being implemented at the time of writing this report.
As I handed over to Anna Marshall and joined the board of trustees, we felt looking forward that the upcoming academic year would be one of stabilisation after enormous growth, and recalibration as our uni teams and local communities rediscovered events in-person.
The achievements of this year would have been wholly impossible without the unending commitment of the central team directors Sarah Davidson, Emma Penney, Rosie Richards, and Flic Kersting - I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude for all that you made happen. I'd also like to thank the board of trustees for entrusting me with this role - this has been the opportunity of a lifetime.
Yours, in SolidariTee, Alexa Netty Executive Director 20-21
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NGO ACTIVITIES
The activities of our partner NGOs supported refugees and asylum seekers at the individual and family level with information provision and direct representation. This looks like:
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1:1 sessions to support people in collecting evidence and being able to describe the fragmented memories that often make up experiences of persecution and other traumatic events
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legal representation for families seeking to be reunited across borders
How our partner organisations make change
- WhatsApp hotlines and information provision via social media
Many NGOs also work on advocacy reports and strategic litigation, where lawyers bring cases forwards to the Greek Government or European Court of Human Rights to stand up against procedural or human rights violations. Examples include people with severe medical conditions being forced to live in camps which don't meet their basic needs, or unaccompanied children being treated as adults within the asylum system. Here is a snapshot* of what they achieved...
181 legal consultations across
6000+ people assisted with individual info provision
650000+ interactions with social media information posts
86% user satisfaction
Mobile Info Team, annual report 2021
96 clients supported with family reunification
18 nationalities including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Eritrea and Mali
44% of clients victims of torture and violence
344 external humanitarian aid workers received training
20 successful appeals to unjust rejections A.Ss.I.S.T., annual report 2021
Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid, annual report 2021
*Further details of the work done by each of our NGOs are publicly available and can be found on each organisations' website, or are available upon request.
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IMPACT REPORT
A short summary of our activities and what we've achieved in the past academic year
www.solidaritee.org.uk
The 20-21 academic year has been our biggest yet 900 students 60+ universities 10 countries
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one movement
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SolidariTee is an international, student-led charity striving to uphold the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable migrants worldwide.
We’re a grant-giving charity, offering grants to NGOs which provide legal aid and other long-term, empowering forms of support to asylum seekers. We also work to raise awareness among the international community about the injustices perpetrated against refugees and asylum seekers worldwide.
Our supporters are people from all walks of life, with students and non students alike, united in solidarity with all those forced to flee their homes.
What We Do
At SolidariTee, we stand for equal legal and human rights for all, and seek to empower students to be the change they want to see.
The 4 pillars of our activities
In addition to providing grants to NGOs and our range of awarenessraising activities both on and off campus, we place a key focus on equipping students with the tools and confidence to be able to advocate sensitively and appropriately in the long-term for the rights of people who have been forced to flee their homes.
1. Grant-Giving
2. Education
£103,000
6 NGOs
250+ events and initiatives Multiple conferences Infographics + podcast
4 regions in Greece
3. Student Engagement rep initiatives whole-team events welfare support workshops & skill building
4. Modelling respectful, inclusive activism at every level of the charity's operations
Key Milestones
1st February 2021: Day of SolidariTee
Marking the start of the Week of Action, on this day students and those who support us from all corners of the globe wore their SolidariTees, changed their profile pictures, and told the world one reason why they chose to stand in solidarity with refugees and other forcibly displaced people
June 2020
Refugee Week Conference, themed 'Beyond the Mediterranean' (online)
March 2020 Final grant installment of £103,000 paid
November 2020
Launch of Right to Refuge: A SolidariTee Podcast Virtual art exhibition featuring artwork created by those with lived experience of displacement
July/August 2021 End of academic year 10,500 t-shirts sold £190,000 raised 171 events held 200 initiatives run
October 2020 SolidariTee x Elpida Home t-shirts launched
1st-7th February 2021 Week of Action
In addition to one centrally organised event per day of the week, more than 35 teams took action on campus by hosting their own events.
December 2020
Livestream Christmas piano concert 60+ events & initiatives organised by our regional teams by the end of term 1
Aleppo - Lesvos Challenge Symbolically covering the 1201km, the distance between Aleppo in Syria and the Greek island of Lesvos, teams of reps and other supporters raised more than £10,000 this week
6th-7th Feb
SolidariTee's first very Conference, themed 'Seeking Solutions to Injustices Against Refugees', with over 100 online attendees
August - October 2020 Central Team, Head Rep & Rep training sessions
Letter from Alexa Netty, SolidariTee's 20-21 Executive Director
Dear All,
Thank you for taking the time to read this impact report - after this letter it gets far less wordy I promise!
It has been a little over three years since I first began working with SolidariTee, and I have been lucky enough to have been executive director for almost 18 months of that time. In many ways, this academic year was a year of SolidariTee's reincarnation; no longer were we a brand-new charity, and no longer were we the 't-shirt charity'. It had been a long time
since the 2015 'refugee crisis' first began, and in order to stay relevant and impactful within an ever-changing context, we needed to make some changes to the ways in which we operated. Prior to taking on the ED role, I had identified a few key areas in which I wanted to take the charity forwards, and to see those changes come to fruition is a real testament to the incredible team members I have been able to work alongside.
Team training and culture
My approach to team management revolves around focussing on each person's own individual motivations. I view my job as a leader to be about setting the overall vision, protecting the wider team from uncertainty and instability, and then providing the resources, training and infrastructure in order for each person to achieve their individual and collective goals. People join SolidariTee for a variety of reasons; some wish to build skills within the charity sector, some have family members with lived experience of displacement, and others are simply appalled by the injustices they witness in the news. What binds all of us is a will to use our time and energy in a meaningful way, and to be part of a community of others fighting for positive change. For me, keeping that wider goal in mind has been central. Some of the steps we took to allow reps to participate in the team as fully as they wished included included running training workshops for those in each different role within the charity, setting up a designated welfare team, and developing a mental health-conscious culture which actively sought to combat burnout and compassion fatigue.
Reinventing the rep role
A challenge which I had identified from analysis of previous years' activities was that reps, up until this year, appeared to focus almost solely on t-shirt selling. This was certainly not helping to build our team's collective knowledge and skills within the sector, and meant that reps weren't feeling as personally connected to SolidariTee's mission, or to the rest of the team, as they could. Moreover, it placed a huge cap on the number of people we could reach outside of our team, limiting our educational and awareness-raising impact too.
For this reason, reconceptualising the regional roles to include a designated events-focussed component was perhaps the most notable success of the year. With teams being responsible for organising both fundraising and awarenessraising events, the number of opportunities for people to learn about legal aid and other sustainable solutions to the 'refugee crisis' shot up, and fundraising outside of shirt sales skyrocketed. Another step along this road was to allow regional teams, with proper training and editorial support, to run their own regional social media pages, enabling our teams to find their own voice within the space.
Each rep was also responsible for organising their own initiatives, either alone or in small groups, which could follow their own interests completely. Many reps organised panel discussions and quizzes, whilst others ran Instagram takeovers or bake sales. Some of the most memorable initiatives include the handmade earrings which were sold by one rep to raise money for SolidariTee, and another rep who made a Vietnamese cookbook together with her Mum. Overall, reps appear to be having more fun than ever before, despite many of our team members never having met anyone else from SolidariTee in person due to the pandemic.
The move to organic tees
I was clear from the start that SolidariTee would not be manufacturing any new clothing which was not made from organic cotton, which uses far less water and is much less environmentally harmful than non-organic cotton. To do this required us to increase the price of the new t-shirts from their well-known, and more convenient, £10 to a slightly more awkward £12. While this seemed bold at the time, the response to the organic collections (of both 2020 and 2021) has been overwhelmingly positive.
Broadening our fundraising. communications and outreach
As much as I am a believer in the power of our t-shirts, as a visual display of solidarity and a conversation starter, I was very conscious of the importance of placing a focus on the environmental sustainability of our operations. We felt strongly as a team that we only wanted people to purchase SolidariTees who really wanted and would wear them. What this meant is that we needed to expand the number of ways that people could contribute in other capacities, whilst being mindful of financial inclusivity. Additionally, we sought to ensure that our educational content was not solely limited to the Mediterranean, and adopted an intersectional approach to understanding forced displacement. The poor treatment refugees around the world face intersects with racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, misogyny, the climate crisis, and economic inequality to name but a few factors, none of which can be considered in isolation.
My visit to Greece
I recently spent some time volunteering with NGOs in Greece after graduation, and witnessing the context first-hand. Despite believing that I knew what to expect, it was unbelievably shocking; and yet, paradoxically, it was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Legal aid, something which had at times can feel so intangible, really can be lifechanging, and my conviction in its power was strengthened more than ever.
Thank you and next steps
To everyone who has been a part of the SolidariTee team this year, thank you - it has been an honour and an absolute pleasure to work alongside you, and I just know that whatever you each go on to do next, it's going to be amazing. To our supporters - thank you for keeping the SolidariTee world turning and enabling us, and in turn the NGOs we support, to continue their vital work. To Tiara, SolidariTee's founder - I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude for trusting me to lead this team - what has been achieved since the charity's conception is quite simply amazing. To Rosie, Emma, Sarah and Flic, the central team directors 2020-21 - thank you for being there for every 3 hour long meeting, for keeping me accountable, challenging the status quo, and bringing success, fun, and kindness to everything you touched.
It should be noted that many of the ideas I listed here would never have come to fruition without the gentle encouragement and nuanced suggestions of our newest executive director Anna Marshall. There is no one I would rather hand this role over to, and if you stay tuned this year I have no doubt you will witness some fantastic achievements through Anna and the new central team's leadership. Prior to handing over, I worked with the other outgoing central team directors to develop a steering committee within the board of trustees, with an aim of improving institutional memory and capacitybuilding future central teams. The director roles are huge, especially alongside degrees, and so in order to keep building on our success, I believe the key is to provide an additional resource as opposed to adding additional responsibilities to the existing roles.
I hope you enjoy reading this document even 1% as much as I have enjoyed this past year - if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Yours, in solidarity,
Alexa Netty
Executive Director 2020-21 Trustee & Head of Steering Committee (current) alexa@solidaritee.org.uk
About me:
I have a degree in psychology, neuroscience and behaviour, with a particular interest in trauma psychology, as well as a degree in veterinary medicine. Prior to leading SolidariTee, I was president of the organising committee for International Development and TEDx conferences, in addition to working with other student-led social impact initiatives. My other love in life is animal behaviour, and if I'm not at my desk it's very likely I'm teaching at puppy school!
I'm pictured above selling SolidariTees at a market stall in London, alongside my Mum and Grandma (in Greek we say Yiayia), two of the people who have taught me the most about standing up for what is right, each wearing their favourite SolidariTee.
Team Structure
Executive Director
Board of Trustees
Communications
Outreach
Team SolidariTee
SolidariTee Regional Teams (60+)
Our regional teams, based at individual universities, are composed of:
Fundraising
& Shop Managers, postal assistants, graphic, photography, strategy and data analysis officers
1-2 head reps publicity officer events officer 5-50 regional representatives
Our central team is divided into 4 core subteams (pink), each with a director and 3-8 members, in addition to several other standalone roles (turqoise). The members of 'Team SolidariTee', known as regional focal points, provide direct support to the head reps at SolidariTee's regional teams (gold).
Our Regional Teams
UK Universities
SOAS Sunderland Southampton Sussex St Andrews UCL St Georges Warwick Strathclyde York
Liverpool SOAS Sunderland London South Bank Southampton Sussex LSE St Andrews UCL Manchester St Georges Warwick Newcastle Strathclyde York Nottingham International Teams Nottingham Trent Oxford Italy: IULM Oxford Brookes Greece: numerous universities Queen Mary Switzerland: Graduate Institute Geneva Queens, Belfast Australia: Melbourne University Sheffield
Aberdeen East Anglia Bath Edinburgh Bath Spa Exeter Birmingham Glasgow Buckingham New Goldsmiths BPP Guildhall Brighton Heriot Watt Bristol Imperial Cambridge KCL Cardiff Kent Courtauld Lancaster Durham Leeds
Italy: IULM Greece: numerous universities Switzerland: Graduate Institute Geneva Australia: Melbourne University Germany: Munster University USA: Yale, UNC Chapel Hill Canada: Ontario University France: SciencesPo Menton & Paris Sri Lanka: numerous universities Republic of Ireland: Trinity College Dublin
& a Year Abroad team, and an Online team for those studying at wholly remote institutions
Left: in a 'normal' year, our SolidariTee teams get together to organise photoshoots. The pandemic made this impossible, but our St George's team were undeterred, and did a zoom photoshoot instead!
Rosie Richards, TeamSolidariTee director 2020-21
Being a part of SolidariTee has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. One of the most valuable things about being part of this charity is the level of investment in empowering young people to make a difference. Unlike at so many levels of the professional world, SolidariTee acknowledges both the passion and potential that young adults have and harnesses those qualities allowing them to translate into skill and productivity. Our focus is on providing volunteers with the training, knowledge and confidence they need to take the reins themselves. I have volunteered with many organisations and none of them have given me this opportunity to see my ideas through from conception to execution, with enough support to not feel overwhelmed, yet enough agency to to learn and progress as an activist. SolidariTee has equipped me to move into the professional world with a level of confidence and self respect to enact sustainable change in the humanitarian aid sector in which I now work.
changes to better support and empower our reps
1.Rep Initiatives & Team Events
For the first time this year, every member of the SolidariTee team was given the responsibility, support, and freedom to organise their own event or initiative, either alone or in small groups of 2-3.
In previous years, SolidariTee teams had been encouraged to organise events, including team photoshoots, and whilst some teams had organised fantastic events such as 'Dance 4 SolidariTee' or run panel discussions, uptake was not even or universal.
As such, this year we built the requirement for engaging with outreach and fundraising other than through t-shirt sales into the role itself. Each team was given the target of organising two outreach and two fundraising events as a group over the academic year, in addition to reps working on one of their own personal projects, known as 'rep initiatives'.
In doing so, reps are given the tools and confidence to take SolidariTee's mission forwards once they have left the team and are no longer selling 2. SolidariPedia tees, and were far more engaged and connected to the cause as a result.
2. Discussion Sessions
In Spring 2020, Team SolidariTee developed a new team structure to allow for remote activism and volunteering, at a time when universities were closed and meeting in-person was too unsafe. We began our very first series of discussion sessions during this period, in response to feelings of helplessness and restlessness among many of our volunteers. We decided that if we weren’t able to be out in the world acting, then we would use this time for education. The sessions proved so successful in providing a safe, engaging space to learn from and with each other, that we continued these into the following academic year.
Each session was conceived, researched, and facilitated by a different volunteer from across SolidariTee - many of our team members have worked with NGOs, written dissertations, or otherwise gained specialist experience across a range of topics including gendered experiences of exile, NGOization, hostile border policy, volunteering in Greece, Palestinian refugees, and climate refugees.
Background image: SolidariTee drawing event (pre-pandemic)
Changes to better empower and support our reps
4. Welfare Team
[3. SolidariPedia]
In response to the success of the discussion sessions, we also wanted to provide accessible, collated information about a range of displacement contexts outside of Greece, where our work has focussed in a written format. Central team members compiled resource packs covering contexts including Venezeula, Myanmar and Afghanistan, designed to act as a springboard for regional teams to facilitate their own discussion sessions. From there, 3 groups of regional teams embarked on research projects covering climate migration, the importance of language in experiences of migration, and refugee mental health, giving presentations alongside our other seakers at our Refugee Week Conference. Empowering reps to take agency over the ways in which they wish to make change is a cornerstone in our vision for the year, and this was one of our favourite examples of success.
The welfare of our volunteers has always been a top priority for TeamSolidariTee. We are acutely aware of the often distressing subject matter of our mission, the difficulties of maintaining stable mental health in a university setting, and the compounded challenges posed by successive lockdowns. As such, this year we sought to create an dedicated welfare team with official training and formalised mechanisms through which any volunteer could seek support, and be able to reach either a friendly listening ear, or be signposted to more appropriate professional resources. Our welfare team each had expertise in one or more specific fields such as gender, sexuality, physical and mental health, financial access, and diversity and ethnicity, and all received training from someone qualified as a mental health first aider. We also held weekly welfare drop ins for anyone to access if they wanted advice in an informal and confidential capacity.
Background image: SolidariTee team photoshoot (pre-pandemic)
Regional Team Highlights
We asked a few head reps to tell us about their SolidariTee year...
Newcastle - led by Head Rep Esther Price
The Newcastle SolidariTee team 2020-2021 had a wonderful year. We created, organised and delivered 9 events including an incredibly successful 9 hour DJ livestream raising £ 375 and a 555 challenge in which our team walked, ran, and cycled 555 miles- the distance many refugees are forced to travel, from Izmir to Dubrovnik. This event raised a huge £ 970, something we are so proud of. It wasn’t just about fundraising events though, we put on panel talks spotlighting incredibly knowledgeable and inspirational individuals from organisations such as the West End Refugee Service, N.E.S.T and ASSIST. Those who attended these events told us how much they had learnt from those with lived experience and how they had been moved by their stories of courage, tenacity and strength. Our team created some incredible and diverse initiatives from creating freshly made brownie and cookie delivery boxes, to an Instagram running challenge, to a week of blog posts all targeted at raising awareness of the refugee crisis. Last but not least our t-shirt sales were a triumph, and in total we raised over £ 6000!
12 collaborations with other organisations
eventsteam 30 debates, conferences + panel discussions 200+ team quizzes and rep 170+ art exhibitions 50+ initiatives
KCL- led by Head Rep Jessica Gjeloshi
KCL ran 12 events and initiatives in total including a freely accessible day long conference in collaboration with 6 KCL societies including Students for Justice for Palestine and charities like Safe Passage UK and The Learning Station Project. They had a variety of speakers including lawyers, psychiatrists, psychologists and various academics, where possible ensuring they platformed those with lived experiences of displacement. KCL also ran a month-long fundraiser, again in collaboration with various sports and academic socs at King's, which involved running/cycling/walking 50km for 500k refugees in Greece that raised over £ 700. Multiple volunteers wrote articles in different languages to highlight different issues relating to experiences of exile. Alongside this they ran a yoga class, political sketch class, and a virtual cooking class with Majeda Khouri, a Syrian chef and asylum seeker who runs the 'Syrian Sunflower' cooking school.
Our Communications
A policy was put in place early on by Tiara, SolidariTee's founder, to avoid showing refugee faces in our social media content, and we have stuck to this ever since. This is to avoid playing into tropes about what a 'good' or 'typical' refugee looks like, prevent feeding into exploitative or saviourist narratives, and to ensure there are no issues surrounding informed consent, especially in contexts with marked power asymmetries. In addition, we have sought this year to develop a range of educational content which is:
Accessible and inclusive - for a post to be educational, it needs to first be understandable! We avoid the use of jargon, seek to never assume prior knowledge, and provide alt text, content notes, and references as appropriate
Global and intersectional - we have chosen not to focus solely on the locations where we fund work, and strive to acknowledge the many factors which compound injustices against refugees, as well as the many vulnerable migrants and forcibly displaced people who are not covered under the refugee convention.
Bold - brave activism requires us to address the elephants in the room, approaching charged topics in a sensitive, nuanced way
In March 2020, we also released a concept video, with more information on what we stand for as well as messages from team members.
Watch it here!
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Social Media: taking a
global, connected approach
'Back to Basics'
series
Mythbusters New: history of
refugees series
Our Projects
Infographics
New: multilingual
&
content
Current Affairs
NGO Spotlights
Led by Sarah
Davidson, Comms
Director 20-21
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New for 2020-21: SolidariTee Conferences
One of our key goals for the year was to broaden the variety of educational and awareness-raising opportunities offered by our Central Team, and our two centrally organised conferences were highlights in the SolidariTee year. By bringing a range of speakers ranging from NGO workers and academics to journalists and psychiatrists, including those with lived experiences of forcible displacement themselves, our audience were able to meaningfully connect with new information and make links between various themes within the fight for refugee rights.
Tickets were available on a 'donate what you can' basis, with free tickets for anyone experiencing financial hardship - we believe that combining fundraising with outreach can be a great way for interested individuals to connect meaningfully with SolidariTee's mission whilst gaining something in return, but we don't ever want access to our educational resources to become financially exclusive. At both conferences, current SolidariTee volunteers were also given the opportunity to present their own ideas and research.
Led by Flic Kersting (L) and Emma Penney (R), Fundraising and Outreach directors 202-21
Other projects: fundraising & outreach
This year, we placed a big focus on diversifying the ways in which students and non-students alike can be a part of the SolidariTee movement. In order for supporting us financially be more accessible, we broadened the range of products we offer to include a long-sleeved option, and virtual non-consumer products, as well as 'donate what you can' events. To build upon our outreach and educational foundations, we hosted shorter panel discussions and launched a podcast in addition to running 2 conferences, leaving people free to engage in whichever manner suits them best.
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Launch of 'coffee
cup' monthly
donations & virtual
gifts
SolidariTee jumpers released
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Other projects Valentines card commissions by Judy Fishel
Panel discussion in collaboration with WWF Virtual Exhibition SolidariTee cookbook created by team Italy
SolidariTee's podcast, which ran for two seasons during the academic year, covering topics ranging from the use of language around forced migration to how to have tricky conversations.
Spotlight on: SolidariTee x Elpida Home 2020 t-shirt collection
For the first time ever, the 2020 SolidariTees were made from 100% organic cotton. The climate crisis already forcibly displaces people from their homes, and this is set to increase drastically if nothing is done. We know that in order to fight for human rights, we also need to fight for the planet. Our 2020 tees are also certified:
PETA-vegan approved Global Organic Textile Standard OKEO-TEX 100
Fair Wear
Our designs are printed using phthalate free, vegan, nontoxic, water-based inks by London Living Wage Employer Fifth Column
They are based on a design created by a group of 12 refugees and asylum seekers, who each stood against a piece of paper and traced each others outlines. It is displayed in the Elpida Home community centre, where the art was created, in Thessaloniki.
SolidariTee open letter to UK home office
You can read a copy of the letter here.
October 2020
August 2020
January 2021
March 2021
April 2021: open letter written by SolidariTee published, cosigned by over 50 organisations
Context in Greece: 2020-21
March 2020: The world locks down, whilst in some regions of Moria, Europe's largest refugee camp at the time, there was just one tap per 1200 people.
September 2020: Fires almost entirely destroy Moria camp, leaving its thousands of residents homeless, including those who had tested positive for covid-19. For several were stranded days, people between two police checkpoints on the roadside. A year on, research by Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid would find that many former residents did not have access to daily food provision during the fires.
June 2020: Joint Ministerial Decision - Greece unilaterally declares Turkey a 'safe' country for asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Anyone attempting to seek asylum in Greece from these countries who has passed through Turkey is assumed to be 'inadmissible' within the Greek asylum system unless proven otherwise, and can be forcibly returned.
This is despite the fact that Turkey is definitively unsafe for a variety of groups, and has recently withdrawn from the Istanbul Convention (Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence). This does not change when the Taliban gain control of Afghanistan.
Context in Greece: 2020-21
Autumn 2020: A new 'temporary' camp named Mavrovouni is assembled, consisting of open air tents which flooded at the first rains. Many refugees and asylum seekers are transferred off the island to mainland Greece, often with little knowledge of where they are being sent. For those midway through asylum procedures, this is devastating.
Spring 2021: Though still officially denied by Greece to this day, overwhelming evidence of Greek coastguard and authorities carrying out illegal 'pushbacks', forcibly preventing asylum seekers from entering the territory continues to come to light. In many cases, there are reports of vessels having been deliberately capsized, with those aboard violently attacked.
March 2021: EU Commissioner announces funding of 250 million euros to build 5 new 'closed' camps across Greece.
Autumn 2021: 'temporary' Mavrovouni camp has been formalised, with most of the accommodation now taking the form of large partitioned marquees or 'isoboxes' - plastic one-room cubes.
Arrivals are lower in 2020 & 2021 than in previous years despite humanitarian crises unfolding, likely linked to pushbacks and other deterrent policies. Plans for closed camps remain unclear.
Our Grants
In the 2020-21 academic year, we are honoured to have provided grants totalling £103,000 to 6 NGOs, working in 4 different regions of Greece.
Legal Centre Lesvos
"Since August 2016, we provide free and individual legal information and assistance to migrants who arrived by sea to Lesvos, where our office is based. Beyond this continuous and direct support, we work on documenting
violations of migrants’ rights and engage in advocacy and strategic litigation to hold the Greek government, Member States of the European Union, and European institutions to account. In addition, we advocate for equal access to safe and legal routes of migration in Greece, Europe and globally."
Above: Fenix Team
Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
"Fenix was founded in November of 2018 by 5 young professionals who believed that there was a need for a different, more holistic approach to legal aid in humanitarian contexts. Two years later Fenix celebrates having over 50 staff members and volunteers who provide what we have coined 'Holistic Legal Aid'.
This is a service that addresses the legal, protection, psychological, social and emotional needs of our clients through legal, protection and mental health services to the most vulnerable amongst the vulnerable: unaccompanied minors, survivors of torture and sexual gender based violence, and people with medical issues or disabilities.
In the last 32 months, Fenix has assisted over 3,700 asylum seekers and refugees from 25 countries in 11 different languages. Our multidimensional, survivor-led and trauma-informed approach to legal aid combines effective and skilled individual case work and emergency response with high quality evidence-based advocacy and strategic efforts at the local, national and European level. We strongly believe in the power of our work: in information, safety and empowerment as compelling tools for healing trauma and fostering integration, and in community engagement, advocacy and strategic litigation as means for structural change."
Dated: Autumn 2021
Our Grants 2020-21 (ctd)
Mobile Info Team
The Mobile Info Team (MIT) has supported over 700 asylum cases, representing over 1,500 refugees, and specialising in family reunification. An asylum claim cannot be straightforwardly transferred from one country to another, leaving many family members and unaccompanied minors stranded across several different countries, with the threat of deportation hanging over them.
Thus far, their advocacy has directly resulted in countless positive application decisions for those struggling to navigate the complex asylum process. MIT use a 3 tier system: their social media provides essential information to their followers, which includes many refugees; they have a WhatsApp hotline for asylum seekers’ concerns and enquiries; and hold in-person sessions, with group sessions to provide information and one-to-one casework sessions.
Asylum Seekers Information Services Team
A.Ss.I.S.T’s mission is to ensure all asylum seekers have access to fair process when their case is being assessed through the provision of information and legal aid, and that those ineligible for asylum still receive adequate information and support about their situations. They work with the core values of accountability, honesty, respect and responsibility, and impartiality.
From July to December 2019, they supported over 1000 asylum seekers through information Sessions and legal aid provision. There are few lawyers on Chios who are qualified to support refugees in their asylum applications, with A.Ss.I.S.T working to fill this gap.
Quantifying Impact
By nature, real-world impact is delicate and ever-changing. Asylum processes can take years, and success rates vary according to the complexity of someone's case, their country of origin, and the international political landscape to name just a few factors.
For this reason, we also consider the impact on an NGO's operating capacity when measuring the impact of our grants. Each grant given out enabled the NGO in question either to pay for a Greek lawyer for a year, or to implement a growth and sustainability strategy. Please note all grants were 'unearmarked'
Left: childrens' drawing in the A.Ss.I.S.T office Right: Alexa, 2020-21 executive director + current trustee, visiting MIT
Our Grants 2020-21 (ctd)
European Lawyers in Lesvos
ELIL believes that every asylum seeker should be able to receive free, high-quality assistance from an independent, experienced lawyer before their asylum interview. They provide legal assistance to asylum seekers on Lesvos and Samos. Of those they have assisted, 74.5% have been granted asylum, compared to an average of 46.5% in Greece, and have provided free legal assistance to over 11,000 people since 2016.
They provide one-to-one legal consultations, assistance with family reunification applications, and group legal information sessions. These help familiarise asylum seekers with the asylum process, help them understand their rights, and prepare fully for interview.
Avocats Sans Frontières
Avocats Sans Frontières is an international organisation that works to defend individuals’ fundamental rights through providing access to independent legal advice and ensuring the proper implementation of human rights. This year, SolidariTee are supporting their work at a legal aid centre on the island of Samos. The centre opened in January 2019, and in their first six months supported 387 individuals with their asylum applications.
ASF in Samos focus on providing support and information to asylum seekers prior to the initial asylum interview and throughout the appeals process where necessary. This includes activities such as translating medical documents, communicating with the Greek asylum service, working on family reunification cases, and identifying individuals who are classed as ‘vulnerable’ so able to access specific protections.
the results were better than we hoped
Thanks to the support of all those who stood in SolidariTee during that period, we were able to deliver all of our grants in just 7 months, 9 months ahead of schedule, and confidently increase the amount which we pledged in our next round of grants.In the 21-22 academic year, we have pledged £142,000 to 8 NGOs working across Greece, the Western Balkans and beyond - to here. read more about who we're currently supporting, click
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about our grant-giving
We believe our grant-giving model is the most impactful form of support we can offer. Defined sums of money enable NGOs to focus on doing the work that they do best, allowing them to plan ahead with financial certainty.
We carefully select each grant recipient to ensure that we are funding work where SolidariTee's support is able to make the biggest difference, through a combination of written application, budget review, and interview. We seek to provide grants where an injection of funding will enable an NGO to either ensure its long-term sustainability, or to expand, grow, and develop.
The NGO world is not straightforward; funding is scarce across the board, and tends to come and go along with media attention. Many NGOs doing vital work are forced to close simply through being unable to secure enough money to keep going. In many contexts, this has led to a continual turnover of new NGOs being set up and closed down, leading to less reliable services for the communities they seek to support, and no ability for organisations to plan ahead. At the same time, funding can sometimes be very 'donor-driven', meaning that NGOs have to focus on doing projects that donors want to fund, which can be at odds with where the greatest need is. This, amongst other factors, also results in refugees, asylum seekers, and other affected populations having little say in the services they receive, or ability to report any issues they experience in many cases.
That's why, at SolidariTee, we've tried to take a different approach. We focus on enabling NGOs to do what they do best.
We don't ask that NGOs set up specific new projects in order to get funding; we are just as happy to cover general operational costs as we are to support a specific project, so long as there will be a longterm benefit to the organisation. We also focus heavily on accountability to the affected population - we want to ensure that the NGOs we fund are involving those they seek to support in guiding strategy at every level. Beneficiaries must be able to express what kind of services they want, and how those services are best provided, protected from further harm through robust safeguarding procedures, and have the opportunity to provide feedback about their experiences. Above all, we want to know that the work we're funding provides tangible, lasting benefits to those forced to flee persecution and violence, and is provided in a respectful, inclusive way.
Mavrovouni camp, Lesvos: Right: Autumn 2021, Left: Autumn 2020
In Figures Measuring our growth per academic year
No. university teams
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60
40
20
0
18-19 19-20 20-21
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No. regional team events
(excluding rep initiatives)
200
150
100
50
0
18-19 19-20 20-21
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Money Raised Online Sales (no. products)
(1st Sep - 31st Aug) (1st Sep - 31st Aug)
200,000 4,000
150,000 3,000
100,000 2,000
50,000 1,000
0 0
18-19 20-21 21-22 18-19 20-21 21-22
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At our last financial review (Autumn 2021) we spent under 1% of our income on administrative costs such as our website and insurance. The rest either goes directly to our grants, or is used to manufacture products and ship orders to customers. By all working remotely, we have next to no overheads, making our work incredibly efficient.
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Thank You!
Everybody reading this has contributed to SolidariTee's mission in one way or another, be that by attending one of our events, purchasing a t-shirt, or simply taking an interest in our educational resources. SolidariTee is based upon the principle of united impact, so our work would, quite simply, not be possible without you. Thank you for helping us grow from a one-student initiative to where we are today. We would also like to extend a particular thanks to our partner organisations Judy Fishel Art, Jericho Coffee Traders, and NEMI Teas.
JCT is an Oxford-based roastery and coffee subscription service, who donate 15% of the price of all online orders to SolidariTee when the code JCTXSOLIDARITEE is used.
NEMI Teas are a London-based specialist tea company who employ refugees at every stage in their supply chain. They donate 15% of the price of all online orders to SolidariTee when the code SOLIDARITEE15 is used.
Judy Fishel is a watercolour artist who donates 100% of the proceeds from commissions made referencing SolidariTee.
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Looking Ahead
This report serves as a clear reminder of just how much has been achieved over the past 18 months and the sheer standard that has now been set. Internationally, the past year has seen a toughening of anti-refugee policy, making our charity’s growth not only remarkable but also crucial. As a volunteer-led organisation, we are a smooth machine only when every volunteer feels able to contribute to the best of their ability. The challenge now is to find ways to continue this drive and engagement across every campus.
- Anna Marshall, Executive Director for the 21-22 academic year
Whilst 4 of the 5 outgoing Central Team directors from the 20-21 academic year went on to join the board of trustees and form the new strategic steering committee, Anna has taken over as Executive Director, overseeing the day-to-day running of the charity alongside studying for a masters in Climate Change, and leading a fantastic new Central Team. We look forward to combining the collective knowledge and experience across all areas of SolidariTee to ensure that this coming year is just as impactful and true to our mission.
If you'd like to get involved, either through an event or partnership or as a volunteer, we'd love to hear from you!
To get in touch, please email:
teamsolidaritee@solidaritee.org.uk for volunteering queries boardoftrustees@solidaritee.org.uk for grant-making information fundraising@solidaritee.org.uk for partnerships and donation info outreach@solidaritee.org.uk for event & speaker enquiries
Document written January 2022 by Alexa Netty, with contributions from Rosie Richards. Both are current members of the board of trustees and steering committee at the time of writing.
SolidariTee
Trustees' report for the year ended 31 July 2021
The narrative report on pages 1 to 37 along with the formal details below form the trustees' annual report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 July 2021. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)
Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors
| The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date | The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date | the report was approved were: |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Dates | |
| Alexa Katerina Netty | appointed 8 April 2021 | |
| Madeleine Hancock | resigned 3 October 2022 | |
| Sarah Jasmine Davidson | appointed 1 August 2021 | |
| Mouki Kambouroglou | resigned 27 Feb 2022 | |
| Tiara Sahar Ataii | resigned 20th November | 2022 |
| Rebecca Katherine Young | appointed 1 September 2022 | |
| Isabella Emily India Ponsonby | appointed 1 September 2022 | |
| Louisa Helen Cowell | appointed 1 September 2022 | |
| Emma Penney | appointed 1 August 2021 | resigned 3rd October 2022 |
| Rosie Richards | appointed 1 August 2021 | resigned 3rd October 2022 |
| Charity number | 1182195 | Registered in England and Wales |
| Registered and principal address | Bankers | |
| 16 Lache Lane | The Co-Operative Bank Plc | |
| Chester | PO Box 250 | |
| CH4 7LR | Skelmerdale | |
| WN8 6WT |
Independent examiner
Rachel Cooper ACA Welbeck 29 Welbeck Avenue Southampton SO17 1ST
Structure, governance and management
Solidaritee is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, charity number 1182195, its members are its trustees. Its governing document is a constitution registered 25th February 2019, and amended 1 Aug 2021.
Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees
Trustees are appointed for a term of up to three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the existing trustees have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
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Public benefit statement
In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular the advancement of education and human rights, and relief of poverty. This is achieved through our awareness raising activities here in the UK, as well as our work to enable refugees and asylum seekers to access legal aid. In doing so, our work ensures that people are able to access their rights and are prevented from falling into destitution and poverty, by preventing those who have fled persection receiving unjust
Financial review
The net income for the year was £27,264 (2020: £63,718) all of which was unrestricted.
Reserves policy
The charity's free reserves, excluding fixed assets, at the year end were £90,882 (2020: £63,718).
Our reserves policy can be found on page 7 of this document.
Statement of trustees' responsibilities
The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial accounts for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the net income or expenditure of the charity for the year. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
prepare the accounts on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the constitution. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (Charities SORP (FRS102)).
Approved by the board of trustees on …………..……...…….27/01/2023
Signed: ………………..…………. (Trustee)
Name: ……………..…..………….Dr Alexa K Netty
39
SolidariTee
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Solidaritee
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 July 2021, which are set out on pages 41 to 46.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
1 the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130
-
2 the accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
3 the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
-
4 the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: …………………………………… Name: Rachel Cooper ACA
Date: …………………….27 January 2023
Welbeck 29 Welbeck Avenue Southampton SO17 1ST
40
SolidariTee
Statement of Financial Activities
for the year ended 31 July 2021
| SolidariTee Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 July 2021 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Notes Incoming Resources Income from: Donations and Legacies (2) Other trading activities (3) Total income Resources expended Expenditure on: Raising Funds Charitable activities - grants to NGOs (4) Other Total expenditure Net income Fund balances brought forward Fund balances carried forward |
2021 Unrestricted funds £ 119,419 13,413 - 132,832 1,233 103,500 835 105,568 27,264 63,718 90,982 |
2021 Total funds £ 119,419 13,413 - 132,832 1,233 103,500 835 105,568 27,264 63,718 90,982 |
17 months to 31st July 2020 Unrestricted funds £ 165,644 34,809 |
| 200,453 | |||
| 5,918 128,803 2,014 |
|||
| 136,735 | |||
| 63,718 - |
|||
| 63,718 |
All incoming resources and resources expended in the current financial year derive from continuing activities.
41
SolidariTee
Balance sheet
| SolidariTee Balance sheet |
||
|---|---|---|
| 2021 Unrestricted £ (5) 100 100 - (6) 70,563 (7) 21,369 91,932 (8) 1,050 1,050 90,882 90,982 90,982 as at 31 July 2021 Fixed assets Investments Total fixed assets Current assets Stock Debtors and prepayments Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets Current liabilities: amounts falling due within one year Creditors and accruals Total current liabilities Net current assets / (liabilities) Net assets Funds Unrestricted funds Total funds 90,982 |
2021 Total £ 100 100 - 70,563 21,369 91,932 1,050 1,050 90,882 90,982 90,982 90,982 |
2020 Total £ 100 |
| 100 | ||
| 53,455 10,763 |
||
| 64,218 | ||
| 600 | ||
| 600 | ||
| 63,618 | ||
| 63,718 | ||
| 63,718 | ||
| 63,718 |
The notes on pages 43 to 46 form part of these financial statements.
27/01/2023
The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on …………..……...…….
Signed: ……………...………….…. (Trustee)
Name: ……………..…..………….Dr Alexa K Netty
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SolidariTee
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31 July 2021
1 Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) and with the Charities Act 2011.
The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year. No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.
Going concern
The trustees are satisfied that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.
Incoming resources
All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the resources, it is more likely than not that the trustees will receive the resources and the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.
Grants and donations
Grants and donations are only included in the SOFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the resources.
Where grants are related to performance and specific deliverables, they are accounted for as the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance.
Investments
Investments are stated at market value at the balance sheet date. The SOFA includes the net gains and losses arising on revaluations and disposals throughout the year.
Expenditure and liabilities
Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out the resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty.
Grants payable with performance conditions
Where the charity gives a grant with conditions for its payment being a specific level of service or output to be provided, such grants are only recognised in the SoFA once the recipient of the grant has provided the specified service or output.
Grants payable without performance conditions
Where there are no conditions attaching to the grant that enables the donor charity to realistically avoid the commitment, a liability for the full funding obligation must be recognised.
Taxation
As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.
Volunteer help
The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trustees’ annual report.
Fund accounting
43 4445
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
At present the charity has no restricted or designated funds
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SolidariTee
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 31 July 2021
2 Donations
| General Donations Donations from Subsidiary 3 Other Trading Activities Events T shirt sales (prior to formation of subsidiary) |
2021 43,510 75,909 119,419 2021 13,413 - 13,413 |
17 months to 31st July 2020 51,707 113,937 |
|---|---|---|
| 165,644 | ||
| 17 months to 31st July 2020 12,191 22,618 |
||
| 34,809 |
4 Grant making
| Grants to NGOs Avocats Sans Frontieres Asylum Seekers Information Services Team European Lawyers in Lesvos Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid Stichting Mushkila Kabira (Mobile Info Team) Legal Centre Lesvos Kitrinos Healthcare Total 5 Fixed assets investments Investment in subsidiary £ Balance b/f 100 Additions - (Disposals) - Total 100 |
2021 Grants to institutions £ 18,000 15,000 20,000 20,000 10,500 20,000 103,500 2021 Total £ 100 - - 100 |
17 months to 31st July 2020 Grants to institutions £ 95,680 23,123 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 128,803 | ||
| 2020 Total £ 100 |
||
| 100 |
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The charity's investments at the balance sheet date are in its subsidiary undertaking SolidariTee Sales Company Limited of which it is the sole shareholder.
| 6 Debtors and prepayments Debtors - Gift Aid Amounts owed by subsidiary company Other debtors 7 Cash at bank and in hand Cash at bank 8 Creditors and accruals Accruals |
2021 £ 5,517 65,041 5 70,563 2021 £ 21,369 21,369 2021 £ 1,050 1,050 |
2020 £ 53,455 |
|---|---|---|
| 53,455 | ||
| 2020 £ 10,763 |
||
| 10,763 | ||
| 2020 £ 600 |
||
| 600 |
9 Related party transactions
Trustee expenses
No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.
Trustee remuneration and benefits
No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.
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