Refugee Action Kingston was (RAK) established in 1991 to support refugees of all backgrounds living in Kingston upon Thames and the surrounding boroughs. We help refugees to fully integrate, live fulfilling and independent lives and become recognised and active participants in their local communities. Refugees face deprivation exacerbated by lack of social connections which can lead to isolation, barriers to English language skills, rights, and entitlements, and can face discrimination and stigma.
In 2021 RAK celebrated 30 years of supporting asylum seekers and refugees to integrate into the Kingston community. During 2021-22 the need to support these groups grew to unprecedented levels, with a series of international crises pushing the issue to centre stage. In August 2021 Afghanistan collapsed following the withdrawal of western troops and the takeover of the Taliban. Months later, at the start of 2022, the invasion and subsequent war in Ukraine fueled the greatest displacement of people in Europe since World War II.
In 2023, people seeking asylum have been forced to make a dangerous journey to the UK, fleeing war, oppressive regimes and natural disasters. RAK is committed to providing advice and well being support to single people, couples and families making an asylum claim, this is a period of great insecurity and hardship for many people and RAK continues to meet the needs of this vulnerable client community.
Our philosophy is that all refugees and asylum seekers deserve equal treatment, regardless of where they are from or how they arrived here.
Our Values:
• Empathy: We put ourselves in the shoes of those we work with
• Enterprise: We are resourceful and innovative
• Empower: We are aspirational
We support clients with:
• Advice and advocacy to ensure they are being well-represented and get the right outcomes, with legal advice, housing and welfare support
• Education and employment from ESOL classes, supplemental education for young people through to employment and vocational training
• Support with physical and mental health to ensure they are able to lead fulfilling lives and deal with the trauma they have been through
RAK delivers a holistic service including Community English Classes, therapeutic and wellbeing services, legal and welfare advice & advocacy and services for children and young people from community venues in Kingston upon Thames and surrounding boroughs.
Over the past year, more than 1500 clients benefited from at least one of our services, with many receiving multiple areas of support. This is delivered through our staff team, but also underpinned by our fantastic team of 145 active volunteers.
