Nelli Stavropoulou:
Trying to make a difference to the lived experience of refugees
Nelli Stavropoulou,
Migration Researcher and
Durham City of Sanctuary Trustee
Imagine living in limbo… Going through life not knowing if there’s going to be a knock on the door during the night, telling you you’re being deported back to a country where you fear persecution. This is the daily reality for many individuals that Nelli Stavropoulou works with.
Currently finishing her PHD in the discrepancies between the expectations of finding asylum, and the actual lived experience of refugees, Stavropoulou is a busy bee – In addition to her academic research she is involved in numerous community engagement projects and is a Trustee for Durham City of Sanctuary.
‘Many individuals arrive at the UK with the hope or expectation that they will find sanctuary. You know, we’re talking about people who might have been injured, tortured and physically and mentally abused; the last thing you want is to be treated as a threat or as a criminal.’
——Nelli Stavropoulou
Stavropoulou’s passion for schemes like the City of Sanctuary abundantly shines through, as she emphasises their vitalness in helping those from other cultures integrate. Wholeheartedly believing the City of Sanctuary is not merely symbolic, Stavropoulou highlights initiatives including introductory sessions to British legal procedures and why the United Kingdom is different, as key to making a refugee’s transition a little easier; despite there being both institutional and community hostility noticeable in Britain.