4 ways to support refugees and displaced children leaving Afghanistan
As Scouts, we always strive to leave the world a little better than we found it. That’s why our flagship community impact campaign, A Million Hands, has been so successful with young people across the UK. We’ve been able to roll up our sleeves – just as we’ve done for over a hundred years – and take action on the big issues facing our planet.
Like so many Scouts across the UK, we’ve been left wondering how we can play our part to support the refugees and displaced children who are leaving Afghanistan. This week, we met with our A Million Hands partners Save the Children and the British Red Cross to see what we can do to play our part.
As Scouts, we took a promise to help other people. It’s in our DNA, whether you’re a Beaver, Cub, Scout, Explorer, Network or volunteer – we all want to help make sure we live in a sustainable planet that protects our most vulnerable citizens’ human rights.
Here are four different ways volunteers can support young people to raise awareness, welcome new arrivals and get involved:
This activity provides an overview of why young people may flee their home.
- Help refugees and displaced children who come to the UK
The Governments of the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are asking people to help with donations of goods such as clothes and toys. By linking with your local authority you can also help to process donations – like Cowdenbeath Scouts have done so well.
These activities challenge our young people to think about what would make refugees and displaced people feel welcome, their feelings, and their impact on other people. This will help us become kinder to those in need.
This activity encourages our young people to think about developing a safe space within the local community for other young people to go and learn about refugees and displaced children while being outdoors. This is an awareness raising event.
We all have a responsibility to help each other. However, with the scenes on our television and social media, young people (and adults) may be feeling enormous pressure – especially with everything else going on in our own lives just now. It’s important to look after your own wellbeing and be kind to yourself, remembering the important rule that ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’. Do what you can, and do it safely – sustainability isn’t just great for our global resources but for our efforts to change the world too.