Youth campaigning
Who are the Young Leaders?
The Safe Passage Young Leaders are a movement of young refugees and asylum seekers, campaigning for a future where no one is forced to risk their life for safety. Too many of us have faced hostility instead of compassion, isolation instead of support. But together, we are building something different. We’re not just survivors; we’re leaders, changemakers, and advocates for justice.
For many of us, arriving in a new country felt lonely and overwhelming. Through the Young Leaders group, we’ve found a family and a place to feel heard, valued, and empowered to make real change.
“It’s a place where you feel welcomed and part of a community. You can discover yourself, support other refugees, and build new skills while learning from people from diverse backgrounds.”
What we’re up to
Campaigning for change
We challenge cruel policies, and fight for a future where every young person can be safe. We take our voices straight to Parliament and hold politicians accountable.
Raising awareness
Through media interviews, or community events, we share our stories to inspire change and build public support for refugee rights.
Building community
We support each other, develop new skills to kickstart careers and studies, and create a network of young people who are passionate about change.
Young Leaders in action
Since coming to the UK as an asylum seeker, Fernando has been determined to change the system for good, and has been part of many campaigns for refugee rights.
Ilsa has waited over a decade for her refugee status. She’s now found in the Young Leaders a space to connect, grow, and campaign for change with other young people.
A leading voice of our No Afghan Left Behind campaign, Amir is now a consultant at Safe Passage International, using his experience to shape our work from the inside out.
What we’ve achieved
🎤 We took the stage at Glastonbury, speaking in front of thousands about refugee rights at Europe’s largest music festival!
🍦We teamed up with Ben & Jerry’s, and took to the streets of London with a giant billboard to demand safe routes.
✉️ We wrote to the Prime Minister to push for Afghan refugees’ rights and helped win a new safe route for separated families.
🏛️ We met with members of Parliament to fight for the rights of young refugees and their families.
📢 We were featured in UK press and media and marched with thousands of people against cruel policies.
🌟 We’ve held annual residential trips, where we created life-long friendships and memories.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Young people aged 16-25 from refugee or asylum-seeking backgrounds who want to make a difference. You must be based in the UK and able to attend some in-person meetings (mostly in London), as well as online. We usually meet on Wednesday or Thursday evenings.
We do not currently have a Young Leader established in France or Greece.
-
Yes! We welcome everyone and support each other to build confidence, including improving spoken and written English.
While the sessions are run in English, we make sure they are accessible for everyone, and most of us speak many other languages, such as Arabic, Dari, Pashto, French, Spanish or Somali.
-
Not at all. You can contribute in many ways that don’t involve public speaking, such as campaign planning, research, or creative projects.
-
The Young Leaders is a voluntary group, but we cover all travel and food expenses for in-person events and provide support to access online meetings.
For in-depth contributions, such as speaking opportunities, large-scale projects or helping shape decision-making within our organisation, we provide vouchers as compensation.
-
The Young Leaders group is currently at capacity and will not be taking any new members until next year.
We’ll update this page when we are ready to welcome new joiners, so please check again at a later date. Once the contact form is open again, just fill it in and we’ll be in touch shortly.
If you have any questions in the meantime, you can contact us at campaigns@ safepassage.org.uk.