AIBU to think that this is political and should not be supported by a state school

[FlamingoCroquet]

(I have name-changed as this is very identifiying to any other parents or teachers from the same school. But I've been on here for 8 years)

DC's primary school informed us in the newsletter that the school is supporting a scheme to provide aid - specifically a backpack of items - to unaccompanied boys age 11-17 at the Jungle camp at Calais, in partnership with an organisation called Calais Action. They are asking parents/children to donate. This is to coincide with Refugee Week.

I'm very uneasy about this. I don't want to get into an argument about the whole migrant/refugee debate, but I feel that this is a political action and should not be supported by a state school. I am not against helping refugees in general, and would not complain if they were raising money for the Red Cross or Medicins Sans Frontieres. But I have major misgivings about supporting a group called Calais Action.

I'm thinking about emailing the school governors to raise my complaint, but I'm reluctant to be seen as that person who is anti-charity, when my DD has several years left at this school. What do you think?

OP, you've got this the wrong way round.

Helping to feed, clothe and educate a needy child isn't political.

Not helping because you don't agree with the reason for them being needy in the first place is most definitely political.

I remember as a child there were clothes donation drives for Kosovar refugees. My family didn't have much but my brothers and I still donated some of our clothes.

Refugee week is always going to be political, most things in life are. I think the donation drive is the least political aspect of it.

Children are currently in Europe on their own after escaping dangerous situations in their home country, it's sad. What if it was your child?

I've asked already but can't see an answer. How do unaccompanied children physically get from Syria to Calais? It's not a snark, I just don't understand it.

There was a documentary a few months ago about children who were refugees. Many were often on their own. Some were often sent on their own as they have more chance of getting help from authorities if they are on their own. Others ended up separate from their family on the journey. Often the children would stick to people they began the journey with, whether they knew them or were strangers.

Imagine sending your child to make this journey on the own, that's desperation. They don't know whether they will see them again, they just know they have a slight better chance then being stuck in Syria.

I still don't get it. I have teenage nephews who can't get a train to Aberdeen. My own child is accompanied each day two hundred yards to school.

I can't picture children crossing countries without adults. Do they get trains? Buses? Do they carry cash to pay for it all?

How do they know where calais is?

MSF are impartial- in a conflict, they are neutral humanitarian actors, and this allows them to be able to negotiate access with both sides. Humanitarian aid should be impartial, however one of the things msf has spoken out about in the past is the erosion of the humanitarian principle, in part by governments like the uk trying to win'hearts and minds' and conflating the military and relief. This can be hugely dangerous for aid workers and limits access- and MSF have campaigned, lobbied and spoken about this, to governments and bodies like the UN. These actions are political, and also necessary for them to do their job. Most NGOs have a political branch these days: the only way to address the cause rather than symptoms of poverty, violence, etc is to bring about the necessary changes in policy and practice. The Red Cross also has a lobbying arm.

I know nothing about the Calais charity, and am generally a fan of people being wary of small charities set up by individuals. But the idea there is something political about giving aid to children because of where they are is ridiculous.

Yes, in some cases, refugees in Europe are better off than those in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. That is usually because the ones with the wherewithal to travel to Europe were better off to start with. It doesn't necessarily apply to the situation they're in as individuals, and I certainly doubt t applies to unaccompanied minors. To answer how they get here- sometimes their parents pay people everything they have to guarantee safe passage, maybe to a named relative, and that person takes a child to the border and leaves them. Sometimes they get separated from family on rough crossings. Sometimes the family members they are with die. Sometimes neighbours who agreed to care for them get tired of the responsibility. They are not in a good situation.

I've met Syrian refugees living in camps in the Middle East. Syria was a middle income country: some of the people there were dentists, engineers. They were a lot closer to the typical mumsnet poster than people might want to believe. Many more had very little but were surviving: some money in the bank, hope for the future. Others had almost nothing. All these people had to flee: the middle class ones could try and empty bank accounts, sell phones. Some have relatives abroad who will help. Could start privately renting when they arrived in countries like lebanon. But years and years have passed. Imagine you were in that situation and then couldn't get a job, had no ability to go home. Your kids couldn't attend school. The ones who were destitute to start with living in tents reliant on food parcels, the ones with more prospects soon winding up in the same situation.

I understand why people take risks to send children to family. These children have missed years of schooling, their futures are being taken away. There is no choice they could have made that would mean they deserve the life they are living now.

It's YOUR choice OP. Give or don't. Is there any possibility the school are doing this as part of a wider educational process? Perhaps becoming a school recognised by UNICEF as understanding the rights of a child?
I would also believe that the school gave this a great deal of consideration before starting the process off.
You are entitled to your own thoughts and opinions and can act accordingly about a donation. YABU to complain to school.

Do you have an objection to helping with things like children in need or I iv relief? The issues they support have also been debated in parliament but they are not supporting a political cause.

Quite frankly you are being completely unreasonable, utterly ridiculous and actually quite offensive.

But considering your posts you are going to be one of those posters where all repossess say yabu and yet you stamp your feet and say you aren't.

So why exactly have you posted on here?

But your children and your nephews have grown up in a safe country. Mindsets change depending on the situations, often it's about survival. Children in the 1800's were a lot different than children now.

They usually follow other refugees.

link This is quite an informative piece on how you can make the journey.

Sorry forgot to add MorrisZapp to my last post

They go on boats Morris follow the crowd other people take care of them also parents /families pay for the children these poor kids have to be resourceful and resiliant boys could be recruited or killed in syria these are extremely vulnerable . Op i have no clue what your problem is of course this is political but also humanitarian

MorrisZapp watch this - it's a video of a child describing his journey from Afganistan.

He wasn't unaccompanied but as he nearly died twice on the journey you could very easily imagine how he could become unaccompanied.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B8xiLP38zw&sns=fb

I'm not sure I would support the existence or growth of the Calais camp through a charity at all and if that was the point of the exercise I could understand the OP's view. There's no doubt that the presence of the camp is a big political issue.

But it's unreasonable to use that as an excuse to avoid helping the most vulnerable people who have found themselves there through someone else's choices, or to expect a school to. You can't tell an 11 year old they have a choice or 'you should have stopped in France, it's not a war zone, didn't you know?'

I actually think it's a very appropriate issue for schoolchildren of the same age because they're also vulnerable people. To a lot of kids it's going to be less 'there's a refugee camp in Calais, it's a real political issue, it's discussed in parliament and Calais Action are trying to change gov't policies' and more 'there are frightened and desperate kids there my age who don't even have their mum and dad around.'

OP go ahead and complain.

It won't make the school change, but when your DC start coming out with statements that lack any basic humanity or compassion, they'll know where they got them from.

Thanks all.

I haven't read the thread, so sorry if someone has already said this, but who are Calais Action? They don't appear to be a charity - not on the charities commission website. So they might do good work, but charities in the uk are regulated and have to submit accounts etc. If I was going to support refugees I would do it through a charity.

When you email the school to tell them they shouldn't be helping children who are traumatised, living in squalor, subject to sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking and on their own in a FOREIGN COUNTRY what do you imagine the reaction of the staff (who will all be told about your email) will be?

I'll give you a clue, it won't cover you in glory.

I'd just like to say that many of you on this thread have made me :) for knowing that this is a humanitarian effort and that no matter what the politics around the situation, at the heart of this are children whose needs transcend politics.

Is it because it is boys Op would you think differently if it was women and babies or lone girls ? Boys are just as vulnerable. Pp who mentioned the charity its not been going a year there will be no accounts yet. The wonderful woolly hugs has just got charitable status something doesnt need to be registered to be recognised imo t,he woman who started this charity is just an ordinary person wanting to give practical help

If you're worried about how complaining will make you look, it's for a reason

This really sums it up for me. If you had conviction that your view on this is correct you wouldn't be looking for validation on MN.
I think it's an indication that you are uncomfortable with your own objection.

Why just boys?

Bertrand because there are more unaccompanied boys than girls. Families pool their resources to send a boy ahead in the hope that he will make it and be able to send for his family

Yes, Boys tend to be stronger than the girls and also more street wise etc, less likely to get raped, and be able to navigate the dangers on such a perilous journey. I suspect girls are weaker, less streetwise and probably far more prone to abuse and attack on route.

Boys tend to be seen as stronger i think but they are a target for gangs and traffickers

A friend has been helping refugees on Kos. Many are fleeing Isis. One boy - about three years old - witnessed his mother being raped by them. Because he was screaming they cut his tongue out. He had at that point in his journey recieved no medical treatment, let alone psychological help for his trauma. He may well be one of those in a camp in Calais or Dunkirk now.

I am really glad that schools are doing something that will help children here to learn some compassion and empathy. There but for the grace of god...

Boys can still be attacked on route

It is a humanitarian issue but it is also a controversial political issue and I don't think schools should get involved in this sort of thing.

These children are in France, which is one of the safest countries in the world. Supporting so called Jungle charities is making the problems worse not better. The more charities help the Jungle grow the more danger we put theses children in. We should be supporting France in putting all these children into care, not keeping them in these squalid conditions until they can get trafficked somewhere else.

Perhaps suggest to the school to pick a different charity.