CARAS

16/04/2026

It can be hard to make space for yourself when everything else comes first.

Travel. Appointments. Paperwork. Navigating systems that aren’t always easy.

In the middle of all that, a yoga session offered something simple.

A chance to pause, to move and to feel a bit more like yourself again.

We know how much a healthy body and mind can matter, especially when everything else feels full.

💬 “Thank you… all of you. It was very nice today. I’m happy - I hope we will do more.”

If you’d like to share a skill or help create moments like this, we’d love to hear from you. 📩

14/04/2026

Why does CARAS’s work matter so much to Yun?

💬 “As an immigrant family with young children, I understand the challenges of settling in a new country and trying to give your children the very best start in life.

Our own children are fortunate—they have access to school, stability, and enriching activities outside the classroom. But not every family has that opportunity.

CARAS is working to change this by ensuring that people from disadvantaged circumstances, including children and young people seeking asylum, can access education, social activities and trips, feel supported, and begin to build a brighter future.

Their work helps level the playing field, giving young people the chance to learn, grow, build friendships and thrive.”

If you’d like to support Yun’s London Marathon and help raise funds for CARAS:
🔗 https://www.gofundme.com/f/YunBigSchoolRun

11/04/2026

09/04/2026

We’ve been quietly working on something special 👀

Together with HEAL Collective, we’ve been exploring this year’s Refugee Week theme of Courage with our community, what it means, how it’s lived, and how it’s shared.

With an incredible filmmaker capturing the process, and the first designs already taking shape…

Watch this space ✨

07/04/2026

Sitting at the same table ❤️

We were proud to attend The Suppliants of Syria at Hoxton Hall with young people and adults from our community. A performance by Border Crossings exploring the experiences of Syrian women seeking asylum.

Before it began, everyone sat around shared tables. People seeking safety alongside social workers and others working across the sector.

Different roles, different lived experiences, sharing food and conversation. Sitting side by side to witness stories that reflect the realities many in the room are living.

Thank you to Border Crossings for creating this space and bringing people together.

Want to see more of what our community gets up to? Join our mailing list via the link in our bio.
And for more from Border Crossings, see Border Crossings

31/03/2026

One of the strengths of our casework is that it’s rooted in relationships.

We take time with every person, showing warmth, kindness and genuine interest.

But time and time again, we see that this care doesn’t just come from our caseworkers.

It’s in the community members who come along to appointments with someone less confident in English.
It’s in those who help others navigate technology, downloading apps or filling out forms.
It’s in the quiet offers of a sofa for the night when someone is experiencing homelessness.

Our casework wouldn’t be what it is without this care and kindness running through the whole CARAS community, members, volunteers and staff. 🤝

💬 “It was my pleasure that we have CARAS whenever we are struggling”
💬 “They are friendly and support anytime”

26/03/2026

Volunteering should always be a free and positive choice. We stand with NCVO, AVM and our friends and colleagues in the migrant sector in opposition to the Government's making volunteering a requirement for asylum settlement.

Learn more via NCVO about why organisations across the sector are calling to

24/03/2026

What makes someone choose to run 26.2 miles for a charity?

Here’s what Yun shared with us about why she chose to support CARAS:

💬 “I first learned about CARAS through my close friend Su, who is the charity’s Head of Learning and Language Skills. Over the years, I’ve heard so much from her about the incredible work CARAS does to support refugees and people seeking asylum—helping them rebuild their lives, learn, connect, and feel a sense of belonging in a new community.

A particularly important part of Su's and CARAS' work focuses on helping young asylum seekers and refugees, providing them with much needed educational placements before they are offered a school place. Hearing how transformative this support can be, especially for young people navigating such uncertainty, made me deeply inspired to run for CARAS.”

🔗If you'd like to support Yun’s marathon challenge, click here: https://gofund.me/fd8e1fd94

19/03/2026

What helps you feel safe?

In a recent safeguarding training, CARAS volunteers shared what safety looks like to them:

✔️ clear boundaries
✔️ professionalism
✔️ a friendly face & positive energy
✔️ knowing people care what happens to me
✔️ trusting my team members
✔️ strong, supportive networks of friends and family
✔️ having the information I need to make a decision
✔️ being familiar with where I’m going and how I’ll get there

Everyone has the right to feel safe.
And we’re proud to be building that together.

Want to help create spaces where everyone feels safe?
Volunteer with us: https://caras.org.uk/support-us/volunteer/

17/03/2026

Support doesn’t mean taking the lead.
It doesn’t mean doing things for someone, but alongside them. 🤝

One of our teachers worked with a young community member to explore college options online and understand how to apply. He completed the application himself, and later went on to apply independently to another college after moving house.

He’s now started college one day a week, soon moving up to three! 🎓

Support rooted in trust, encouragement, and agency matters.

(✉️ We also support newly arrived children and young people to learn English in ways that centre dignity, inclusion, and wellbeing. If you’re a school in South London and want to learn from our experience, we’d really welcome a conversation. Send us a DM!)

12/03/2026

The government’s “earned settlement” proposals affect us all.

Under these plans, new asylum claimants from 2 March who are granted refugee status may only be allowed to stay in the UK for 30 months at a time, before their case is reviewed again. The time it takes to settle permanently in the UK could increase from 5 years to as long as 20 years.

At CARAS, we see every day how important stability is when someone is rebuilding their life.
When people feel secure, they can focus on learning English, finding work, volunteering, making friends and becoming part of their neighbourhoods. These things work best when they grow from stability and opportunity, not when they are forced.

If someone cannot safely return home, they should not be forced to keep proving they deserve to stay. Repeated reviews make it much harder for people to build stable lives, keep jobs, secure housing and form lasting relationships.

This kind of uncertainty weakens the connections that help communities function and thrive.

And it does not only affect individuals. It affects all of us.

It affects the communities we share.

Our classmates, colleagues, neighbours and friends may not know whether the people they care about will still be here in a few years’ time.

Safety and belonging should never be temporary for anyone.

🔁 Share this post and help people understand what these changes could mean for families, neighbours and communities across the UK.

12/03/2026

Volunteering at CARAS is a learning journey. 💛

Sometimes that learning happens through conversations with community members, staff, and other volunteers.

Sometimes it’s about trying something new or building skills you can take into other parts of your life.

As part of CARAS’ commitment to volunteer learning and to creating safer spaces, volunteers took part in first aid training. ❤️‍🩹

We’re so grateful to our volunteers for everything they bring to CARAS. Their care, curiosity, generosity, and commitment to welcoming people who have sought sanctuary.

Want to help create spaces where everyone feels safe?
Volunteer with us: https://caras.org.uk/support-us/volunteer/