5 minute read
Alumni in the Spotlight - Katey Fisher
2015 alumna Katey Fisher is currently working for Natural Capital Research Limited, an environmental consultancy company. After work she is the Regional Care4Calais Lead for Croydon, distributing emergency aid to refugees and asylum seekers and coordinating 40 volunteers in her team.
Katey at the recent alumnae reunion
What does your community group currently do?
Our Care4Calais Community group supports around 1,000 people in Croydon. People who have fled war and persecution from countries, such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Albania, Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Eritrea, Somalia, El Salvador and Ukraine. Our aim is to help those most in need, providing some dignity and comfort in an otherwise new and overwhelming situation. This could include clothing, food parcels, phones and providing signposts to other support networks. We refer residents to local charities, food banks and let them know about free events on top of our support services. We also provide social support and interaction, including language lessons, sports, kids crafts and drop-in sessions providing a safe space to talk to us. We are not politicians; we are ordinary people who believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.
What led you to work with refugees?
I had previously been to Calais working with Care4Calais giving out emergency aid and with their admin team. During the lockdown summer of 2020, I received a call from a volunteer I had previously worked with saying that there was a mother and her baby in Wimbledon needing support. I saw that her accommodation was full of people with no clothes or support and set up a community group with Care4Calais in Wimbledon supporting residents there. In November 2020, I set up a group in Croydon which I currently lead.
Why do you currently volunteer with refugee and asylum seekers?
The world is full of amazing people each with their own skills, talents and cultures. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of chance which country you were born into. In the UK, everyone should have access to clean clothes, toiletries and access to help if they need it. Claiming asylum in a country is a human right and it is legal, which is portrayed negatively in the media. Here in Croydon, people who are claiming asylum due to persecution and torture, are not receiving enough help and support. I had a chance to change that and that’s what our group has started doing.
What challenges have you faced, and have you seen a positive impact from what you do?
I speak honestly about my experiences, but I also understand that there may be readers that may think differently. There are many misconceptions about refugees coming to the UK, which can be difficult when talking to friends about what I do. For example, “there is not enough space in the UK; the UK takes too many refugees; they are a burden on the economy; and they are illegal etc”. In fact, urban areas only cover roughly 10% of England and Wales and we only take in about 0.26% of the world’s refugees (Germany and France taking 4 times more refugees than the UK). In reality, refugees put more into the economy and are educated bringing a lot of skills. Also, people don’t need a visa to seek asylum, people can travel legally to the country by unconventional means.
I have seen an incredible amount of suffering, pain and heard heart-breaking stories but I have met amazing people seeking asylum who are hopeful that things can get better. Waiting for their asylum claim to be heard can be a long, scary and exhausting process for them and their children, especially when all they want to do is work and provide a service to this country. Most people only have the clothes they arrive in. As volunteers, we want to provide better care to support asylum seekers and let them know they are not alone. Kindness goes a long way, especially creating hope for people, I think that’s why our group is so special.
Do you have plans to do any more volunteering or have you had any involvement in the Ukrainian refugee crisis?
I currently lead a group of amazing volunteers who are reaching more and more people each day. I hope to build this group even more with new and supportive sessions involving the community. We also support people from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Yemen where war is currently taking place.
How did your time at Trinity prepare you for what you are doing now?
Trinity made me confident in reaching for my aspirations and goals. I also realised that life isn’t a competition, it’s about working together to get the best out of each other. I do have a career in the environmental sector which I love, but I also found my purpose in volunteering and a love for working with other amazing humanitarian aid organisations.
