During the last six years there has been an incredible increase in the number of organisations and volunteers supporting the work on the ground. As everyone is working across Europe, coming together in one venue to discuss how we can work closely together seemed more important than ever.
In 2019 a group of friends had the idea to bring all the organisations, volunteers, and people interested in learning more about the refugee crisis from all over Europe together for a full two day summit.
It has been two weeks since the first ever Refugee Solidarity Summit. Indigo was privileged to not only have a stall at the event, but also help with the recruitment and organisation of the event.
The summit would have not been possible, without all its amazing volunteers who contributed to the smooth running of the event. In total, we placed 39 volunteers who all together worked over 208 hours. Amongst those, we also placed Nicola, an incredible volunteer coordinator who exceptionally managed the volunteers on the day.
The volunteers successfully supported the event in ensuring the tight schedule was followed, attendees and speakers knew where they had to be, and ensured everyone involved had a great time. We also provided photographers who captured the day and a yoga teacher to bring a silent moment to anyone who wished to do so.
Between organising the event, the Indigo team also attended talks about bridging the gap between volunteers and NGO’s, working with refugee children along with a panel discussion with influential women in the field right now. Indigo also had its own workshop where we shared our knowledge about all the things we wished we knew before volunteering and how to create a positive volunteer placement.
The summit was a great occasion to see some of the old, and meet some of the new faces, who are working towards a more connected world. For many it was a trip down memory lane to exchange their stories whilst volunteering in Calais, Greece or even London. Lastly, it was a great opportunity to learn more about the inspiring projects that are currently happening, but also a way to find out how we can work together to create an even bigger impact.