How we work
Young Roots works to support young refugees through services and activities developed for and with young people. We celebrate and centre our work on young people's strengths and potential, we prioritise diversity, equity and inclusion, and we empower young people to share their unique voice, perception, and experiences.
Our vision leads us to collaborate with expert local organisations providing psychological support, counselling, housing and legal advice to young refugees, as well as playing an active role within the refugee sector.
Focused on young people's strengths
Young Roots recognises and values young people’s unique needs, skills, strengths, and dreams for the future. Most young people we work with speak multiple languages and have an impressive knowledge of geopolitics. We support them to advocate for themselves and build their own set of tools to achieve their goals and ultimately realise their dreams.
Human-rights based: dignity, respect & equity
Young Roots believes that everyone is entitled to the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other international agreements. We believe young people are entitled to dignity, respect and equity, and that our work is not an act of charity, but about ensuring young refugees can access and enjoy their rights and entitlements.
Youth participation: empowerment & development
Young refugees are often left out of decision-making processes on issues that affect their lives. The talent, energy, and potential of young refugees are all essential resources in responding to challenges affecting all refugees, and in developing services that are relevant, useful, and interesting to them.
Young Roots is committed to ensuring young people have a central voice in these conversations. Young people at Young Roots actively participate in the development, planning and delivery of our work, as well as in the recruitment of new staff and volunteers.
Members of our various youth groups choose activities and trips and help plan events, from identifying opportunities or budgeting travel costs. They are often supported to develop the skills to lead sessions and to share their feedback and ideas to inform new and current services.
Diversity, Equality, Inclusion
Our work is framed by our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, recognising the inherent inequity within our society and how that manifests itself within our organisation. Equally, we are focused on meaningfully including young refugees and asylum seekers, and others with lived experience of the asylum process, at all levels of Young Roots.
We continue to both build on the strengths we have and challenge ourselves to address the areas where we are weaker which includes developing our approach to equity throughout our work. This means that we will develop further targeted activities to address the specific needs of different groups of asylum seekers, including girls and women, LGBTQI and those at different stages of the asylum process. This is an ongoing, fundamental area of work that we continue to prioritise.