RLS provides training to Khora Asylum Support Team (KAST)
RLS' legal coordinator Lucy Alper has provided training sessions to fellow NGOs working with refugees in Athens, including the Khora Asylum Support Team.
Lucy provides KAST with regular trainings, helping new volunteers understand the legal definition of a refugee according to the Refugee Convention 1951, the Dublin Regulation including family reunification possibilities as well as the Greek asylum procedure.
KAST's administrator, Chryssa, explains more:
"Khora Asylum Support Team (KAST) is a self-organised, volunteer-run collective of caseworkers, lawyers, and interpreters who aim to fill the gap in information sharing and advocacy in Athens. KAST is a project of Khora, which is a humanitarian cooperative foundation in Athens providing services to asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants. It is where the RLS clinic first started, before moving on to work within the Athens Solidarity Centre. Because of the nature of our team it's important to give our new volunteers trainings by qualified professionals and access to resources and accurate information. We see that these trainings help our new volunteers have a solid background knowledge based on which they can further learn and develop. Ultimately they can share this information with the communities we work with by helping them navigate the Greek Asylum system. RLS continues to be an invaluable support to the Khora Asylum Support Team. RLS provides our new volunteers monthly trainings on the legal definition of a refugee, which is the very foundation of our work. Together with the definition of refugee, RLS has helped us understand how the new online self-registration platform works, which is the first step to register as an asylum seeker before the Greek Asylum Service. On top of that, RLS shares its expertise on the asylum and family reunification procedures not only with trainings but also with regular information sharing, advice, and support to our team. Overall, RLS and its members are invaluable partners without which our work would not be as effective."
