L6 Lecture Series #10: Reading Refugee Support Group

The Lower 6 were joined by Jonjo Warwick and Nick Harborne from Reading Refugee Support Group for a lecture on the important work they do.

Lower 6 student Emily has provided an insight into the lecture. "Jonjo started by testing our knowledge about Refugees and Asylum Seekers and we learnt about some famous people we know who are refugees, including Mo Farah and Freddie Mercury. He went on to bust some common myths about Refugees and Asylum Seekers. For example, while most of us expected there to be less than 1 million refugees worldwide, while the actual figure is an estimated 82.3 million. This, along with other statistics Jonjo shared, really opened our eyes. Nick then told us about some of the many challenges Refugees and Asylum Seekers currently face. He addressed some important topics such as mental health struggles among Refugees and Asylum seekers and how hard the team of the Reading Refugee Support Group often have to work to receive proper treatment that is desperately needed for many of the people they help. Nick and Jonjo also shared with us the story of one of their colleagues, Hussam Allahham, who is a refugee. It was amazing hearing about how far he has come, and heartbreaking to see all that he has faced. The L6 left this lecture with a new perspective and we learnt so much about the incredible work the RRSG are doing to help Refugees and Asylum Seekers locally."