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2022-07-31-accounts

WWW.SOLIDARITEE.ORG.UK

AUGUST 21- JULY 22

ANNUAL REPORT

UK REGISTERED CHARITY 1182195

YEAR AT A GLANCE

450 £142,000 student given in volunteers grants

8 50 NGOs supported uni teams

one movement for lasting, long-term change

Dear All,

Welcome to SolidariTee’s annual report for the 2021-22 academic and financial year.

The SolidariTee story is one which is best told in two parts. There’s the account of our volunteer movement, run by and for students and young people across the UK and beyond, and then there’s the story of the work done by humanitarian response professionals providing legal aid through our partner NGOs.

Neither, of course, could exist without the other. The grants which fund vital legal aid for refugees and asylum seekers would be impossible if it weren’t for the determined efforts and commitment of our student body.

Our volunteer movement, made up of university students and young people, works to raise awareness of the importance of refugee aid, combat harmful myths and stereotypes which are all too often perpetuated about forcibly displaced people here in the UK and beyond, and generate the very funds that make up the grants we give.

In parallel, our NGO partners, who receive SolidariTee grant funding, give purpose to everything we do.

Each and every person who has contributed to SolidariTee’s work can be assured that, in addition to supporting our efforts to shape a society that is more welcoming to refugees in the long-term, they’re also supporting tangible change that affects real people’s lives in the here and now.

Grant-giving transforms us from being solely an outreach and student-focussed charity to one which takes a global lens. The intangible benefits that come with youth empowerment and engagement with refugee issues are mirrored with the more direct impacts - legal aid, and access to justice - for individual people who have been forced to flee their homes.

In turn, the questions around the sustainability of humanitarian response, and the need for longer-term culture change, are mirrored in our focus on equipping the next generation of professionals with the tools and knowledge to stand up for refugee rights. Grant-giving is one part of our journey, but it's amplified through advocacy and education. It’s somewhere in the middle of this intersection that the uniquely SolidariTee energy and dynamism seems to come to life.

As I write this, I’m in my fourth year leading the charity, and SolidariTee is in its sixth year of life. This annual report marks the end of our first five years of existence, and our transition from being a newly set up charity to becoming an established, dependable presence, with the same vision, energy, and belief in the future.

All of us here at SolidariTee, and at our partner NGOs, extend an enormous thank you to all those who have supported us over the past year and beyond. As we look forward to a new strategic period, we will stay true to our core values of empowerment, innovation, and impact, finding new ways to create lasting change whilst keeping the youth-led dynamism and energy at the heart of what we do.

I hope in reading this report, you’ll get a glimpse of some of the magic that makes up SolidariTee.

Yours in SolidariTee,

Alexa Netty CEO & Trustee

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

Testimonials ................................4-5 Executive Summary ......................7

Theory of Change ........................8

Context of our Work ....................9-10

Our Activities................................11 Activity 1: Educational Resources..................................12 Activity 2: SolidariTee Shirts...........................................13-14 Activity 3: Events.................................................................15-16 Activity 4: Empowering Student Volunteering..........17 Activity 5: Grant-Giving.....................................................18-25 Strategic Priorities...........................26-28 Challenges and Responses................29-31 Looking Ahead................................32

TESTIMONIALS

"I joined SolidariTee because I wanted to be a part of changing the injustices facing refugees by supporting NGOs that provide legal longterm solutions. Leading SolidariTee’s NTU team, my highlights were a Christmas bake sale and an awareness online panel event involving NGOs, such as Equal Legal Aid, and refugee advocates."

Yasmin, Nottingham Trent Head Rep 21-22

‘Everything would be difficult without Fenix’s guidance. It will be like a person who is standing in front of an intersection and doesn’t know which way to go.’

– 26-year-old woman from Afghanistan and client of Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid. Fenix have been recipients of SolidariTee grant funding since 2019.

I've been volunteering for SolidariTee since October 2019. I joined the team because I have always been invested in the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers across the globe and saw SolidariTee as a sustainable and effective way to make an impact alongside my studies.

I enjoyed the role so much, especially the sales and fundraising aspect, that I decided to join the Central team as Shop Manager in June 2020 in order to maximise the impact I was having and to ensure that SolidariTee continued to raise money globally and provide legal aid to more and more people. In this role, I was lucky enough to deal with customers on a global scale as well as our worldwide teams and take a front seat in viewing the consequences of SolidariTee's work, while getting to work alongside some amazing and inspiring people!

While I have moved on from being a student, SolidariTee and its success will always be close to my heart.

Kyle, Shop Manager 20-22 & recent graduate, now working in the charity sector

Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity! This bring us a big step closer to securing the funds needed to implement our expansion plans for 2022. The whole team and I are deeply thankful for all the support SolidariTee has provided to us and it is amazing......... Please also send out a thank you from us to all your volunteers who help to raise all funds! I'm very hopeful that we will again put the grant to a good use and will be able to further assist all the people who are in deep need of help currently in Greece!

text: email from NGO partner following confirmation of grant funding image: artwork created by children of parents receiving services from one of SolidariTee's partner

NGOs

Our Mission

SolidariTee exists to create meaningful, lasting change in the way refugees and other people who are forced to flee their homes are treated.

We seek to unite local and student communities in support of fundamental rights for all forcibly displaced people. Our goal is to ensure that all forcibly displaced people have access to empowering, long-term forms of support.

Who we are

In the 2021-22 academic year, we had more than 450 student volunteers standing in SolidariTee across 50 universities, including SolidariTee teams in Milan (Italy), Melbourne (Australia), and Menton (France).

SolidariTee has no paid staff, and is led by and for students and young people. Our regional campus-based teams are supported and coordinated by a student-led central team, with additional strategic and operational capacity provided by the steering committee & trustee board, made up of previous student volunteers.

What we do

Executive Leadership 21/22

Anna Marshall

Alexa Netty

Our Theory of Change How our activities combine to create lasting change for refugees

Context of our Work

The number of forcibly displaced people worldwide is increasing*, whilst attitudes towards refugees continue to move towards hostility, intolerance, and exclusion.

In 2021-22, our work has become more important than ever. The need for education about refugee issues continues to increase. Over the past year, among other global crises, the world witnessed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, displacing more than 7 million people across Europe as refugees, the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, and continued border violence across the EU and beyond, leading to tragic loss of life.

The public response to events in Ukraine has been described by many within the NGO sector as 'once in a generation'. We have seen an overwhelming surge of support from those in power as well as local communities, and an enormous surge in funding for those affected by the conflict.

Sadly, we have also seen governments and states demonstrate increasingly asymmetric responses towards people fleeing persecution and experiencing humanitarian crises in other countries. Whilst EU institutions have to date provided 1.6 billion euros in humanitarian aid as part of its support to Ukraine, in March 2022, the UN announced that only 3.2% of the required funding for its humanitarian response plan in Somalia had been received.

In addition to global violence and persecution continuing to force people to flee their homes and seek asylum in Greece and other EU states, we are also operating in a context which increasingly views the European 'refugee crisis' as one that is in the past. Funding for legal aid and other forms of refugee aid in Greece and the Balkans continues to decline, with many major donors and other grant-giving bodies having shifted their attention elsewhere.

At SolidariTee, we are one of the very few charitable organisations providing funding specifically for legal-focussed aid in the Mediterranean. The timeline on the next page highlights just some of this year's key events affecting forcible displacement.

"The number of refugees worldwide increased from 20.7 in 2020 to 21.3 million at the end of 2021" - UNHCR

Context of our Work

AUGUST 2021

The Taliban take control of Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city.

As of January 2023:

NOVEMBER 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021

The first EU-funded Closed Control Access Centre (closed refugee camp) is opened on the Greek island of Samos. Refugees and asylum seekers live with heavy surveillance and control of their movements, as well as limited access to NGO services inside or outside of the camp.

Reports continue to emerge of prison-like conditions and human rights violations, with residents left without sufficient water access for two weeks. Despite this, a further 4 CCACs are either now operational or being built.

31 people drown in the English Channel

In December 2022, 4 more people died in the Channel whilst attempting to seek safety in the UK.

Violent pushbacks occur at the PolandBelarus border.

Vulnerable migrants attempting to reach the EU continue to be met with force and left in limbo at the border. Vulnerable migrants attempting to reach the EU continue to be met with documented sustained border violence and are left in limbo at the border.

JUNE 2022

European Court of Human Rights grants interim measures regarding a group of vulnerable migrants in Greece's Evros region, ordering them to be rescued and provided with food, water and medical care.

Just 3 of 14 cases of interim measures granted by the ECtHR from March-June were respected, with remaining individuals being pushed back to Turkey. Illegal pushbacks continue, with more than 92 people found naked in Evros in October 2022, allegedly pushed back from Turkey.

FEBRUARY 2022

Russia launches a large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As of January 2023, More than 7 million refugees from Ukraine have since been recorded across Europe (source: UNHCR).

APRIL 2022

Nationality and Borders Bill is passed, coming into force in June 2022. The Bill gives the UK government powers to offer a lower level of protection to those who have reached the UK via irregular routes.

In April 2022, the government also announced plans to forcibly send asylum seekers to Rwanda to lodge their asylum applications. If granted Refugee Status, the scheme intends for people to live permanently in Rwanda, with no option to return to the UK. So far, no deportation flights to Rwanda have taken place. Public pressure, in addition to a number of legal challenges, have led to several airlines pulling out of the scheme.

OUR ACTIVITIES

Educational Resources

SolidariTee Shirts

Events

Empowering Student Volunteering

Grant Giving

Activity 1: Educational Resources

Social Media & Podcast

This year, we published 48 infographics covering a range of topics including:

We also published 4 episodes of our podcast, 'Right to Refuge', focused on the intersection between sexual

orientation and gender identity, and forced migration.

Instagram reach: 19,698 Facebook reach: 248,634

Full text for our infographics is available on Instagram at @teesofsolidarity and on Facebook. All of our podcast episodes are available on Spotify.

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Activity 2: SolidariTee shirts
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In Autumn 2021, we launched our new collection....

by Algohra & Salam DREAM

Our tees are:

Made from 100% organic cotton Vegan CO2 neutral Fair Wear Cerfified

The designs are printed using vegan, non-toxic (plastisol-free) inks, by London Living Wage employer Fifth Column.

The designs featured on our Dream collection are inspired by artwork created by two artists from the refugee community, transformed into the t-shirt design we know and love by graphic designer Nazy Raouf.

Across all of our designs, more than 5,000 shirts were sold in the 2021-22 academic year.

photo by Anna Calder

Activity 2: SolidariTee shirts

Behind the Design

The artwork which inspired our 'Dream' collection was created by two artists named Algohra and Salam respectively. Images of the original artwork are shown below.

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Algohra
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Salam
instagram:
salam_11.6.5
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Algohra is a photo editor - the Arabic word superimposed on the suitcase above reads ‘Dream’ (with grammatical variations). There’s a slight irony in the fact that the photo chosen is a holiday suitcase - a commentary on journeys and borders, and who is allowed to make them.

Salam has painted the Kurdish mountains. The mountains are an integral part of Kurdish culture, and he spoke of the calm he and his family feel watching him paint them.

When we see this design, we can reflect on a few things: the fact that, whilst we often focus on the injustice and suffering that refugees face, we can also focus on the dreams and aspirations of each individual person, and the fact that we’re coming together in support of the safety and peace needed to pursue those dreams. We can also reflect on the fact that whilst persecution, oppression, and the cruelty of the asylum system itself take away so much, they cannot and will never be able to take away a person’s internal thoughts, dreams, and wishes.

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Activity 3: Events
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Annual Conference

Partnerships & Collaborations

Themed 'Then & Now: The 'Refugee Crisis' since 2015' , our 2022 conference was the first that we've been able to host in-person. The event brought together more than 100 people , both in-person and online, and covered themes including media depiction of refugees, mental health in refugee populations, and the concept of 'sustainable' aid in the humanitarian and development sectors.

Partnerships with university balls and events this year included Wadham Ball (Oxford) and King's Affair (Cambridge) in collaboration with What's A Pound, and the John Snow College Fashion Show (Durham). Together, these initiatives raised more than £10,000 for SolidariTee. Our CEO also traveled to Switzerland to deliver a workshop to 14-16 year old students participating in the innovative LAS Edge programme for young leaders, and we gave talks at law firm Osborne Clarke through their Refugee Aid Action Group.

The event-focussed pillar of our work has grown the most in recent years. It overlaps with almost every other aspect of our work: through events, we're creating opportunities for learning and outreach, as well as student volunteering and leadership opportunities, all of which ultimately helps to fundraise for our NGO grants.

Regional Events

In addition to our centrally organised conference, student groups at individual universities organised more than 80 events and initiatives , represented in the word cloud opposite. From panel discussions to documentary screenings, and dance events to distance challenges , our students have once again shown us that the best way to bring the conversation about refugees into student focus is to make it a part of everyday life.

Activity 3: Events

Developing the diversity of ways to be part of the SolidariTee movement and aiding inclusion of students of all backgrounds and circumstances has been a priority for us this year.

We're focusing strongly on ensuring that all volunteers who want to join us feel able to, and on ensuring equal value is placed on both fundraising and outreach when seeking to make change that lasts.

In the early days of SolidariTee's journey, t-shirts were the central focus of almost all of our volunteers' time with us. Though several fantastic student events took place, we knew that we could do more to create a support structure outreach and knowledge sharing within our regional university teams, instead of just our central team, to support events. We also wanted to ensure that volunteering was inclusive of people from diverse backgrounds, particularly economic backgrounds, and placing a heavy emphasis on fundraising within volunteer roles can run contra to this. Over the past few years, we have undergone a progressive strategic shift to ensure that education and outreach are front and centre in the work done by all of our volunteers.

We were encouraged by the success of the 20-21 move to offer designated events-focussed positions for the first time. In the 20-21 academic year, our student volunteers ran more than 250 events and initiatives as part of this shift, with huge improvements in our ability to raise funds outside of t-shirt sales.

In 21-22, our continued focus on supporting events-based activities continues to form part of our wider thinking around inclusion, both for our volunteers but also those who form part of the wider SoldiariTee community. We have worked hard on underlining our message that there is no one right way to stand up for refugee rights, and that all forms of solidarity make a difference, whether financial or not.

Activity 4: Empowering student volunteering

The events organised by our student teams for their university and local communities are just one part of the picture - the events organised for them are equally important.

Our volunteer training sessions and workshops, prepared by our student central team in collaboration with expert speakers and NGO partners, are crucial to what we do. Taking place during onboarding and throughout the year, these sessions complement the more practical, outward-facing parts of our volunteering roles, and ensure that all of our volunteers have access to opportunities to continue learning about a cause that they're passionate about.

We place a big focus on ensuring all of our volunteers are equipped to talk about the refugee crisis in a way which is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. We talk about the importance of avoiding victim/saviour narratives, and of being mindful of the fact that work to uphold refugee rights also needs to take an intersectional lens, since racism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and other forms of intolerance all play a part in anti-refugee rhetoric.

All of our central team members and team leads are invited to a 2-day training session, with all volunteers also having access to 'SolidariTee Sunday Sessions'. These sessions featured talks by NGO partners, in addition to training and discussions from previous volunteers across topics including fundraising, event organisation, publicity, and conflict management, mental health, and compassion fatigue

Activity 5: Grant-giving

In the 2021 - 22 academic year, we gave £142,000 in grants to 8 NGOs:

In addition, SolidariTee-funded implementation periods from the prior grant cycle, paid out in the 20-21 academic year, were still active during this year for European Lawyers in Lesvos (implementation period ended 31st Aug 2021) and Legal Centre Lesvos (implementation period ended 31st Dec 2021).

Activity 5: Grant-giving

We give grants to organisations providing legal aid and other lasting forms of support to displaced people.

6 of our grants went to legal aid NGOs operating in Greece. Why is legal aid so important in this context?

Greece receives refugees seeking safety from persecution who have fled countries all over the world.

Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, and Eritrea are just some of the places from which people are forced to flee.

This may be because they have experienced persecution because of their political opinions, or have been targeted by a regime because of their religion, ethnicity, or even job title. O, thers are forced to flee their homes because their lives are at risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, or because they are escaping forced conscription by militant groups.

In 2022, more than 18,000 people were reported to have arrived in Greece in search of safety. Due to violent 'pushbacks', whereby authorities illegally force people back across borders, the real number is likely to be far higher.

left: map of Greece; data: UNHCR

Activity 5: Grant-giving

We give grants to organisations providing legal aid and other lasting forms of support to displaced people.

What happens once someone has reached Greece?

Even after someone has made a journey lasting weeks, months, or even years in escape of persecution, safety is by no means guaranteed. Throughout 2021 and 2022, reports continued to emerge of violent pushbacks conducted by Greek authorities, border force agencies, and even extremist civilian groups, causing physical harm and preventing people from crossing or staying in Greek territory.

For those who manage to avoid pushbacks, living conditions are dire. Many are forced to live in camps made of little more than plastic shed-like rooms or marquees no matter the weather. These camps are often nowhere near local towns, and with individual asylum seekers receiving as little as 75 euros per month, it can be incredibly difficult to access services, even when leaving camps is permitted.

Others are forced to sleep in abandoned city buildings, as the only alternative to the conditions and restrictions on movement of camps.

left: Athens buildings right: Mavrovouni camp, Lesvos

Activity 5: Grant-giving

We give grants to organisations providing legal aid and other lasting forms of support to displaced people.

What does applying for Refugee Status in Greece involve?

The key step in the process of refugee status determination is a person's asylum interview. This interview is aimed at determining whether the persecution someone has experienced is 'credible', and generally consists of extremely detailed and invasive questions aimed at 'catching out' asylum seekers, by finding ways in which their story 'doesn't match up'.

Depending on location across a Greece, asylum interviews tend to happen in extremes: either within 2-3 days of a person's release from quarantine, leaving no time for preparation whatsoever, or months or even years after a person has arrived in Greece, due to severe barriers to being able to lodge an asylum claim on the mainland.

In all cases, asylum seekers are given effectively no information about the or their process rights. Any information published is generally only accessible in Greek, which is not a language that majority of asylum seekers speak or can understand.

In Greece, state-provided legal aid is effectively not available. When it is, it's normally after a person has already been rejected, and state lawyers frequently submit appeals without having had any contact whatsoever with the applicant themselves.

Activity 5: Grant-giving

We give grants to organisations providing legal aid and other lasting forms of support to displaced people.

What happens without legal aid?

Estimates from our partner NGOs in 2021 suggest that fewer than 3% of asylum seekers are able to access legal aid before their asylum interview. This lack of legal aid leads to dire outcomes for thousands of people each year who have experienced persecution. Despite meeting the UN Refugee Convention's definition of a refugee, a large proportion of asylum seekers without legal aid will be wrongly denied access to their rights under international law.

Some of the consequences of a lack of legal aid include:

Activity 5: Grant-giving

We give grants to organisations providing legal aid and other lasting forms of support to displaced people.

What happens with legal aid?

In short, people gain access to their rights.

People who have fled persecution and violence are given accurate information about the process of seeking asylum.

They understand what to expect within their interview and have received support in collecting necessary documents which may be needed as evidence.

They have the opportunity to be referred to doctors and psychologists for treatment and documentation of any physical or mental health concerns, and evidence of this is included within a person's asylum claim where relevant.

The asylum process is less traumatic, and people are equipped with the tools to advocate for themselves to the best of their ability.

Unjust rejections are prevented, and those who have fled persecution receive refugee status, as is their right. In turn, they gain access to the right to work in Greece, to send their children to school, and to receive medical care.

The population of people sleeping rough is reduced, as is the burden of needless appeals within the Greek asylum service from people who were wrongfully rejected the first time.

The asylum system becomes more functional, fairer, and less cruel. Solidarity with refugees is normalised, and their ability to contribute to Greek society is increased.

Activity 5: Grant-giving

working in Greece

806 information session attendees

Mobile Info Team, 2021

316 legal consultations

A.Ss.I.S.T. September 2021 - March 2022

122 interview preparations for clients visiting drop-in centre Elpida Home October 2021 - September 2022

96 clients supported with family reunification

Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid Jan - Dec 2021

375 individual consultations

214 people registered asylum claims in Lesvos

Equal Legal Aid January - June 2022

75,000 people reached per informational post

Mobile Info Team, run a Facebook page with posts providing key information regarding the asylum system and refugee issues in Greece. Average reach per post over 2021.

following legal assistance by Legal Centre Lesvos for newly arrived people to access asylum procedures, July - Sept 2022

344 humanitarian aid workers received training

training provided by Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid to NGO workers across Greece & beyond Jan - Dec 2021

A note on our NGO data:

Each of our partner NGOs agrees an implementation period (i.e the period of time during which SolidariTee funds will be spent) with us according to their own requirements. This rarely if ever correlates to the financial year of SolidariTee. Final reports for many of the grants provided in the 21-22 year are not due until 2023, so data shown here is taken from interim reports and/or calendar year annual reports produced by each NGO. We remain committed to strong monitoring and evaluation processes which are streamlined and avoid weighing down small organisations with inflexible bureaucracy, and which are useful for all parties. These statistics are intended as highlights only, and in no way reflect the full scope of their work.

Activity 5: Grant-giving

working in Greece

Two of our NGOs operated outside of Greece this year: Global Echo Law Center, non-profit law firm that works with affected communities and civil society organisations to end corporate human rights violations in areas of armed conflict and occupation; and Ethnovision, an NGO based in Bosnia and Serbia focussing on protection, information, and advocacy services.

Case study: Ethnovision

When reviewing applications from NGOs outside of Greece, we recognised the need for a flexible, needs-led approach to grant-giving. In the Western Balkans, where hypothermia & frostbite amongst vulnerable migrants are common, asylum services have incredibly low rates of recognition (granting refugee status), and the majority of those in the region are people on the move, attempting to reach a safe country in which to seek asylum and facing violent pushbacks at borders throughout the journey. NGO presence in refugee camps in Serbia and Bosnia is very limited, as the region receives very little funding.

SolidariTee's funding has been used to design, build, and fit out this container, pictured in various stages of development. The container can be transported into camps or to the border as needed, and the space can be used to run a range of protection and information services which would otherwise be impossible without a private, safe space which is protected from the elements.

Strategic priorities 2021-2022

At SolidariTee, we know that our words have power. At all times, we focus on not just what we're doing, but how we're going about doing it. Here are some of the core values which define our work this year, which aren't always easy to convey in short social media posts or at events, but which cut across all of our activities.

However, it's important to acknowledge that there are millions of people across the globe who are forced to leave their homes and begin all over again who aren't covered by this definition. This often includes:

Remaining mindful of the fact that not all forcibly displaced people are refugees.

The UN Refugee Convention's definition of a refugee is a specific legal definition, and refers to people who have been forced to flee their homes because they fear persecution:

“someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.” - 1951 Refugee Convention

Remaining mindful of the fact that not all forcibly displaced people are refugees. (ctd)

Survivors of trafficking - people who have crossed borders against their will, but not because they feared persecution in the country they left, are also not generally covered by the Refugee Convention

Unjustly rejected asylum seekers - in Greece, where SolidariTee funds most of its work, wrongful rejections are common. This means that people there are thousands of people who are not officially recognised as refugees, and therefore have no access to the international protections and right to work, healthcare and housing in the country they have fled to, despite having fled persecution. Often, this is as a result of lacking legal aid.

Whilst we often use 'refugees' in sentences where it isn't practical to say 'refugees, asylum seekers, and other people forced to flee their homes and migrate in vulnerable situations', this year we have focused on remaining mindful of the diversity of circumstances around forced migration, and the need to avoid playing into 'good and bad migrant' tropes.

Combining legal aid with other forms of related support to enable us to support displaced people in a wider range of contexts

Legal aid is crucial in preventing asylum seekers from receiving unjust rejections, and the devastating consequences that often follow, namely deportations to countries where a person's life and freedoms are in danger, or homelessness without access to basic services in Greece.

However, in 2020-21, we were increasingly aware that, with a rise in border violence and a changing global context, legal aid within the context of asylum law, wasn't always the most effective intervention. In many of the countries that neighbour Greece, or through which forcibly displaced people live in or travel, (such as Bosnia and Serbia) asylum services are even less functional, and many forcibly displaced people are trying to reach other countries where they can apply for refugee status.

In 2021-22, we gave the highest total amount of grant funding that we've ever given in a single year.

For the first time, we gave grants to two organisations based outside of Greece, where our partners usually work.

Therefore, in response to the rapidly changing context, this year, we decided to expand our grant-giving focus beyond Greece and direct legal aid. SolidariTee seeks to view legal aid holistically – as a form of lasting and empowering aid which operates in a complex and dynamic context. SolidariTee takes a needs-based and flexible approach which ensures that our mandate of lasting, empowering aid is at the heard of what we do.

CHALLENGES & RESPONSES

A summary of our evaluation of the current threats to SolidariTee's operations, both internally & externally to the charity, and our strategy in responding to these.

THREAT DETAIL MITIGATION
Reduction in
no. of
volunteers		 Continue to attract
engaged, committed
volunteers
Ensure that SolidariTee
can remain functional
and effective with
fluctuating team sizes
Post-Covid, like many other
organisations, we have
observed lower levels of
student volunteering. Our
priorities are to:		 We have moved away from an
individual, linear fundraising
model predicated on each
volunteer selling a certain no.
of t-shirts.
We continue to place
emphasis on events and group
campaigns and fundraisers
that can be carried out by uni
teams of any size.
We collect data on, and are
responsive to, the reasons
why people choose to
volunteer with us, and ensure
that we continue to offer
opportunities which meet
these objectives.
Challenges
fulfilling grant
payments		 Cost of living increases,
reduction in student
volunteer uptake, and/or
unforseen events which
force students off-campus
(c.f coronavirus) could
threaten fundraising for
grants.		 We operate a reserve policy
which ensures leeway within our
financial modelling. We go into
each grant cycle with a proportion
of the funds already raised, and
always pledge less than we expect
to raise in case of unforseen
circumstances. We pay grants in
installments to diffuse financial
risks.

CHALLENGES & RESPONSES

THREAT DETAIL MITIGATION
Access
challenges for
NGO partners		 As Greece, as well as other
EU and neighbouring
states, operate increasingly
hostile border and
migration policies, access
to refugee populations by
NGOs comes under threat.
This is evident in new
registration requirements
for NGOs in Greece, as
well as in new procedures
around Closed Control
Access Centres (closed
camps). Furthermore,
several humanitarian
workers across Greece and
beyond have recently been
implicated in criminal
cases.		 We continue to adopt a flexible
funding model - should an NGO
be unable to implement their
initially proposed project, we
remain ready to work with them
to deliver viable, impactful,
alternatives.
We continue to closely monitor
the Greek & EU migration
context, and conduct 8-weekly
updates focused on context
changes with our NGO partners.
Challenges
fulfilling
operational
capacity
requirements
using a solely
volunteer-led
model		 Being led by current
students as well as recent
graduates and young
professionals means that,
by nature, we do not have
full-time staff. Our
challenge is ensuring the
mental health and
wellbeing of our
volunteers, and ensuring
that productivity remains
high despite individual
people having a lower
capacity than full-time
team members would do.		 In 2021-22, we added a steering
subcommittee to the board of
trustees, with the aim of adding
additional institutional knowledge
and capacity to the student team.
Our dedicated welfare team helps
to ensure volunteers continue to
enjoy their roles and provides
support in balancing volunteering
with work/study. We also have a
planned meeting with a qualified
psychologist to advise on mental
health strategy.
In 2022-23, we have separated
the student president from the
CEO role, to reduce the burden
on individuals whilst providing
greater opportunities for student
autonomy.

CHALLENGES & RESPONSES

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THREAT DETAIL MITIGATION
It is natural, if unfortunate,
that media attention waxes We remain committed to funding
and wanes with each new contexts where we perceive our
passing global crisis. grants have the ability to make
However, the war in meaningful change, i.e., there is a need
Ukraine has dominated both for the work SolidariTee funds, there
the discourse and the are NGOs in the region with capacity
funding available for to respond, there is a funding gap for
Lack of media
humanitarian work on a such work, there is a functioning
coverage and
scale that has been asylum system which makes
political
described as a 'once in a intervention possible, and there is
attention on
generation'. As the 'refugee expertise regarding the context within
contexts in
crisis in Greece' is deemed our team. This means that we will not
which
by many in the mainstream move contexts in search of more
SolidariTee
media to have been a '2015 attention or funding, but will continue
operates
problem', communicating to advocate for support for
the ongoing need in Greece underfunded contexts.
and the Western Balkans to We continue to prioritise robust
volunteers & donors is an educational content published via
ongoing challenge, with social media, which keeps alive the
many large institutional conversation regarding the treatment
donors having pulled out of of refugees in Greece and beyond.
the region.
The experience a volunteer We continue to provide thorough
has on our team will differ training available to members of all
according to where, if teams to ensure that knowledge of
anywhere, they are available opportunities, and access to
studying, with their learning about our cause, is universal.
Challenges
experience being affected We commit to placing greater
ensuring
by their team leader, as well emphasis on ensuring centrally
uniformity of
as the university culture and organised events are held more widely
volunteer
ease with which events can across the UK, not just in London.
experience
be organised, and their own We place focus on building
time availability. This can relationships with local businesses and
lead some volunteers to venues, to make event organisation
gain more from their more feasible across a range of
experience than others. locations.
----- End of picture text -----

SolidariTee is a unusual charity: we’re made up entirely of students and young people, everyone is a volunteer who fits SolidariTee around their work or studies, and most of us are at the very start of our careers with no professional experience to fall back on. Despite this, we’re going strong into our sixth year, supporting NGOs doing essential work with refugees and asylum seekers. This year, I hope to see SolidariTee continue to work hard to uphold refugee rights: through fundraising across and beyond our university campuses, as well as by producing high-quality, farreaching education that will help to combat the myths about displaced people that are so prevalent. SolidariTee is made up of lots of people doing what they can, but together we’re able to have a real impact. The work that SolidariTee funds sadly continues to be extremely urgent, but change is possible, and I’m inspired every day by the students and young people who come together in solidarity with forcibly displaced people worldwide.

Looking ahead

A word from our Student President for 2022-23, Louisa Cowell

In 2022-23, Louisa works alongside Beth Molyneux, student Vice-President, and Alexa Netty, CEO, with priorities for the year including expanding our volunteer base to include non-students, and funding legal aid which is complemented by mental health and psychosocial support.

Our policy on reserves

Note: SolidariTee (CIO) also has a subsidiary trading company, wholly owned by the CIO, and which donates all of its proceeds to the CIO.

We seek to maintain either £30k, or enough funding for the next 3 months’ worth of grant installments, in reserves at any time. This is to enable us to be ‘ahead’ of our grant installment goals so that we are always comfortably able to meet our obligations to our NGO partners, and also so that we could launch a small emergency grant if necessary due to unforeseen changes to context (for example, the Covid-19 emergency grant cycle of £10.5k which was distributed in 2020). These reserves may be ‘split’ across the CIO bank and amounts owed by STC on occasion.

We seek to strike a balance between financial prudence and maximimsing our ability to provide grant funding in what is a rapidly changing context with an urgent need for funding, coupled with financial forecasting and grant cycles based around academic years. It’s important for our volunteers that their efforts directly contribute to the outcomes in a given year, and, given that we are cognisant of the usual peaks and troughs in income across the academic cycle, we seek to time our grant installments in accordance.

Our grant installment timelines are always generous to ensure that, were we to have unforeseen challenges or a less successful fundraising year than anticipated, we have an extra 3+ months’ of leeway against predicted fundraising goals. Where appropriate, we may sometimes therefore be in a position to provide grant funding before the final installment deadlines.

thank you

The board of trustees would like to extend our deepest thanks to all current and former volunteers for making SolidariTee possible; we would be nothing without your hard work, determination, and commitment to upholding refugee rights. We also express our gratitude to everyone who has supported our work this year, either financially, through attendance at one of our events, or by engaging with us online. Finally we would like to extend thanks to all those working at our partner NGOs: thank you for being, quite literally, the change we hope to see in the world.

With thanks to organisations and partners who have supported us:

Durham University John Snow Fashion Show Guild of Dough

Judy Fishel Watercolour commissions King's Affair (Cambridge) Oxford MedSoc Oxford Union Osborne Clarke The Climbing Lab Trinity College Commemoration Ball (Oxford) Wadham Ball (Oxford)

Annex 1: SolidariTee shirts

A big part of why our t-shirts are so central to SolidariTee's vision is because they act as a visual display of solidarity with refugees worldwide. They're often a conversation starter, opening the door to friendly, inclusive conversations about displacement.

That's why it's so important that the wider context behind each design is central at all times.

Wider Context

Though not an officially recognised state, the region of Kurdistan spans Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Armenia. Kurds make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in this region, though do not have a permanent nation-state, and Kurdish people are heavily persecuted in each of these states. There is a semiautonomous region of Iraq known as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and this region itself has received millions of refugees of several ethnicities.

Within the asylum process in countries like Greece, there is often a complete lack of sensitivity to the persecution that Kurdish people face. In addition to being forced to live in unsafe conditions within camps which leave them vulnerable to further attack, there are often problems within asylum interviews themselves.

One of our NGO partners recently reported a situation whereby a Kurdish asylum seeker was been forced to complete their interview in the next room, and in earshot of, non-Kurdish people from the same country as them, who they live with in refugee camps in Greece.

Nonetheless, Kurdish people make up a large number of the world’s refugees; in Iran, Kurds face oppression and discrimination, and in Turkey, laws attempting to crack down on Kurdish language and culture have been passed, with the government attempting to reduce Kurdish freedom of expression.

On this occasion, the asylum seeker in question was too scared to explain the reason why he had fled his country (he was being persecuted because of his political opinion - he had advocated for an autonomous Kurdish state) because he feared retribution in the camps. This would have effectively cost him his asylum application, and is just one more reason why legal aid and advocacy is so crucial within the process. It's also an example of the history, learning, and conversation that can be brought about by wearing a simple tee.

OLllDAflll TEE £, {.

Solidaritee

Trustees' report for the year ended 31 July 2022

The narrative report on pages 1 to 35 along with the formal details below form the trustees' annual report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 July 2022. 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

Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors 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 report was approved were:
Name Dates
Alexa Katerina Netty appointed 8 April 2021
Louisa Helen Cowell appointed 1 September 2022
Isabella Emily India Ponsonby appointed 1 September 2022
Rebecca Katherine Young appointed 1 September 2022
Sarah Jasmine Davidson appointed 1 August 2021
Tiara Sahar Ataii resigned 20th November 2022
Emma Penney appointed 1st August 2021 resigned 3rd October 2022
Rosie Richards appointed 1st August 2021 resigned 3rd October 2022
Madeleine Hancock resigned 3rd October 2022
Mouki Kambouroglou resigned 27 Feb 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 one 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.

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 refugees are able to access their rights and are prevented from

falling into destitution and poverty after receiving unjust rejections on their asylum claims or receiving inadequate mental health support following the persecution and trauma that a great many asylum seekers have faced. It also ensures that the public are informed about refugee issues in the UK and worldwide.

Financial review

The net income for the year was £-58,082 (2021: £27,264) all of which was unrestricted.

Reserves policy

The charity's free reserves, excluding fixed assets, at the year end were £32,800 (2021: £90,982).

Our reserves policy is set out on page 33 of this report, and our spending this year was in line with our reserves policy following a year of increased income in the 2020-21 (prior) financial year.

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)).

7th March 2023 Approved by the board of trustees on

…………..……...…….

Signed.............................................. (Trustee)

Name: Dr Alexa Netty VetMB

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 2022, which are set out on pages 39 to 44.

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:

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.

Solidaritee

Statement of Financial Activities

for the year ended 31 July 2022

Solidaritee
Statement of Financial Activities
for the year ended 31 July 2022
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		 2022
Unrestricted
funds
£
73,328
12,989
-
86,317
1,418
141,788
1,193
144,399
(58,082)
90,982
32,900		 2022
Total
funds
£
73,328
12,989
-
86,317
1,418
141,788
1,193
144,399
(58,082)
90,982
32,900		 2021
Unrestricted
funds
£
119,419
13,413
132,832
1,233
103,500
835
105,568
27,264
63,718
90,982

All incoming resources and resources expended in the current financial year derive from continuing activities.

Solidaritee

Balance sheet

Solidaritee
Balance sheet
2022
Unrestricted
£
(5)
100
100
(6)
30,577
(7)
3,723
34,300
(8)
1,500
1,500
32,800
32,900
32,900
as at 31 July 2022
Fixed assets
Investments
Total fixed assets
Current assets
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
32,900		 2022
Total
£
100
100
30,577
3,723
34,300
1,500
1,500
32,800
32,900
32,900
32,900		 2021
Total
£
100
100
70,563
21,369
91,932
1,050
1,050
90,882
90,982
90,982
90,982

7th March 2023

The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on …………..……...…….

Signed: ……………...………….…. (Trustee)

Name: Dr Alexa Netty VetMB

Solidaritee

Notes to the accounts

for the year ended 31 July 2022

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

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

Solidaritee

Notes to the accounts continued for the year ended 31 July 2022

2 Donations

General Donations
Donations from Subsidiary
3 Other Trading Activities
Events		 2022
42,557
22,819
65,376
2022
12,989
12,989		 2021
43,510
75,909
119,419
2021
13,413
13,413
4 Grant making
Grants to NGOs
Asylum Seekers Information Services Team
Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
Stichting Mushkila Kabira (Mobile Info Team)
Legal Centre Lesvos
Equal Legal Aid
Elpida Home
Ethnovision
Global Echo Litigation Center
Avocats Sans Frontieres
European Lawyers in Lesvos
Total
5 Fixed assets investments
Investment
in subsidiary
£
Balance b/f
100
Additions
-
(Disposals)
-
Total
100		 2022
Grants to
institutions
£
17,968
18,000
17,931
17,961
17,933
15,982
18,077
17,936
-
-		 2021
Grants to
institutions
£
15,000
20,000
10,500
20,000
-
-
-
-
18,000
20,000
141,788 103,500
2021
Total
£
100
-
-
100		 2020
Total
£
100
100

The company's investments at the balance sheet 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		 2022
£
534
28,033
2,010
30,577
2022
£
3,723
3,723
2022
£
1,500
1,500		 2021
£
5,517
65,041
5
70,563
2021
£
21,369
21,369
2021
£
1,050
1,050

9 Related party transactions

Trustee expenses

Two current trustees received reimbursement for expenses incurred during their voluntary service to SolidariTee during this year. Neither trustee (R Young or I Ponsonby) was a member of the board of trustees at the time of expense reimbursement, and the combined total of reimbursed expenses was under £30.

Trustee remuneration and benefits

No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.

OLllDAflll TEE A*.I stIllDARlf&S

Thank you for taking the time to read this document. If you have any questions about SolidariTee's work or would like more information, please contact alexa@solidaritee.org.uk via email.

SolidariTee is a UK Registered Charity 1182195. To read more, visit www.solidaritee.org.uk

Text for annual report produced by Alexa Netty.