It says in my newspaper that almost a third of asylum seekers coming to the EU head for the UK. We must be a soft touch! Why not leave the Daily Mail and Migrationwatch UK to worry about that. New figures do show that the numbers of asylum seekers reaching the UK have risen steadily in the past few years. But the real question for service providers must be, what are the needs of the vulnerable young people who arrive?
How many is that then? The overall figure for asylum seekers in 2002 was 110,700. A significant percentage of these are unaccompanied children and young people: in December 2002, they accounted for 11 per cent of all asylum seekers in London. Under-18s also account for 55 per cent of individuals in families seeking asylum in London.
How are they coping? It's not easy, particularly for those who arrived on their own or with strangers. But the picture painted by The Prince's Trust report Starting Over is of positive, resourceful young people with strengths that have been forged in adversity.
Many live in cramped conditions with little privacy. While most speak good English, their lack of confidence in reading and writing is a barrier to accessing education. Many start families at an early age.
And how do they feel about Britain?
The best thing about Britain is "the people" - cited by 54 per cent. Education and freedom were close behind, things they had been denied in their own countries. Sport also scored very highly, food and culture rather lower while, somewhat incredibly, around five per cent said the weather was one of the best things about living here. Some 64 per cent want to settle in Britain and a further 21 per cent are waiting to see how they feel if, and when, things change back home.
And the moral of this story is? The Prince's Trust and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund undertook this research with a view to helping voluntary groups develop policies and service delivery. The key findings are that the top three forms of help required are help with English, opportunities to spend more time with British peers and help to access education.
So two of the main recommendations are to embed basic skills in all outreach work and to use enthusiasm for sports as a means of creating more opportunities to make contact with British youth. Other avenues to pursue are independent living skills training, grants to fill the gap left by ineligibility for educational maintenance allowances, mentoring programmes and tailored programmes of sex and relationships education.
But the report warns that as new accommodation centres for asylum seekers start to open, opportunities to mix with the diversity of British life could become more constrained. Groups wishing to work with refugees will have a new set of access issues to wade through.
FACT BOX
- In December 2002, in London alone, there were 4,836 unaccompanied young people and 17,685 young people in families seeking asylum
- Young refugees report a welcoming environment in schools and colleges
- They have a strong desire to spend more time with British young people
- Voluntary groups can provide opportunities to enrich the lives of isolated and vulnerable young refugees
- Starting Over - Young Refugees Talk about Life in Britain is available to download from www.princes-trust.org.uk.
