About Leeds Refugee Forum

Our Background

Leeds Refugee Forum is a refugee-led organisation that directly supports refugees and asylum seekers as they begin their new lives in Leeds. 

Our organisation was established in 2003 and became legally registered in 2006. We have been running and developing our activities ever since. 

Refugees and asylum seekers are socially and economically disadvantaged in many ways. But refugees also bring with them a huge wealth of experience, knowledge, expertise, and resourcefulness. At Leeds Refugee Forum, we aim to help refugees and asylum seekers harness these skills to benefit others in their position, their local communities and the wider city community.

Our Mission

At Leeds Refugee Forum we have two main missions. These are:

1. To provide refugees and asylum seekers with a voice.
2. To provide refugees and asylum seekers with resources.

We do this by:

Communicating the needs of refugees and asylum seekers to the local council, the government, and other relevant organisations. This gives decision makers clear aims and objectives so that they can help refugees and asylum seekers integrate more easily into their community.

Raising awareness of refugees and asylum seekers to help others understand the hardships they experience. This encourages empathy and better integration.

Providing a link to community leaders, so that refugees and asylum seekers can easily access spokespeople. This creates a better flow of information to and from refugee communities.

Providing information about refugees and asylum seekers so that the UK has a clearer understanding of the communities’ cultural differences.

Helping refugees and asylum seekers access services so that they receive appropriate support.

Equipping refugees and asylum seekers with appropriate facilities and skills. This helps them to integrate better into the community and improves their chances of finding meaningful employment.