Anika Wadood, Advocacy and Campaigns Fellow (2024 – 2025)
It has been a year since I joined the Together With Refugees team as an Advocacy and Campaigns Fellow. As a newly graduate fuelled by passion and purpose, I was ecstatic to begin my career in a space I had long aspired to be part of. But what brought me here wasn’t just ambition; it began with a friendship. A friend who came to the UK carrying grief, but still smiling with hope. He opened my eyes to the cruelty of the system faced by those seeking safety. As a Muslim, I believe deeply in the values of kindness and compassion regardless of who you are and where you come from. This friendship reinforced a determination for change. I knew I wanted to play a role in changing a system that fails so many. I wanted to be part of a collective that shares this passion, making justice not just possible, but inevitable.
Over the past year, I’ve come to understand that change doesn’t come from individuals working alone, but from people coming together. I witnessed this daily through the coalition I worked within; Together With Refugees, a movement of over 600 organisations across the UK. From large national charities to local community groups, each one brings something different to the table: their own perspectives, strengths, and ways of working. What unites us is a shared vision of a fairer, more compassionate asylum system.
I joined the sector at a time of significant external shifts: a new government, the far-right riots, and the introduction of the Border Security, Immigration and Asylum Bill. These events were no longer just headlines read on the news, but moments that shaped the pace and pressure of my own work on a daily basis. Coming into this role, I thought campaigning just meant loud protests and bold messages; I now understand the quieter foundations that hold everything up, parliamentary monitoring, briefings, outreach, and centering lived experience. From working together with campaigning and policy experts across the sector, what struck me most was how collective the work truly is. These quieter contributions are not behind the scenes; they are the scene.
What made this experience unique was the deep emphasis on outreach and connection. I spent much of my fellowship building relationships with big charities, grassroots groups, faith networks, and ally groups, whose focus wasn’t the asylum system. Whether it was over email, online calls, or face-to-face meetings at events across the country, I was constantly learning how to engage with people from different contexts and capacities. These one-to-one connections are what gave our campaigning meaning. They reminded me that behind every organisation, policy ask, or action is a group of people, often working tirelessly and with care.
A key project I was involved in was the development of the Campaign Organising Network. I had the chance to be involved from its early stages, watching it grow from an idea into a vibrant space for organisers across the country. I saw how much thought and intention go into building something that is rooted in community and long-term impact. It reinforced for me the importance of sustained organising, not just reactive moments, but ongoing support for people doing this work on the ground.
One of my most memorable moments was leading the Valentine’s Day Action, an annual activation by Together with Refugees that uses creativity and compassion to challenge the hostile rhetoric around refugees. From planning and shaping the strategy, and coordinating communications with members, to encouraging groups to send messages of love and solidarity to those seeking safety and urging their MPs to sign the Fair Begins Here Parliamentary Promise, I was deeply involved in every stage. Valentine’s Day was a powerful reminder of how public action, when rooted in kindness and compassion, can shift the narrative.
In my role, I was grateful for the opportunity to work across different areas of the organisation, from fundraising and communications to social media and research. This allowed me to understand how various parts of a campaign ecosystem support one another. With guidance from consultants and team members, I developed skills in writing, communications, and digital strategy, learning how each role contributes to the wider goal of justice.
As a visibly Muslim woman in this space, I often reflected on my own position. Through the Aziz Foundation and this fellowship, I felt a growing sense of responsibility and belonging to bring my full self into this work. My faith isn’t something I set aside in advocacy; it deepens it. It connects me to the values that underpin this movement. And what inspired me most was seeing people of all faiths come together to defend the rights of those seeking sanctuary. There is something powerful about a movement built on shared values, where belief systems don’t divide us but strengthen our collective voice.
This year has reshaped my understanding of power, change, and movement building. It has shown me that advocacy is a long game, and that real impact doesn’t come from individual acts, but from persistent, collective effort. That the quiet work is just as vital as the loud. That grassroots knowledge is just as valuable as institutional expertise. And that collaboration is not just a strategy, it is the foundation.
If there’s one thing I’ll carry forward, it’s this: we are stronger together. And when we work in partnership, across sectors, faiths, communities, and experiences, we can build something truly transformative. This fellowship didn’t just teach me how to campaign. It taught me how to connect. How to collaborate. And how, together, we begin to create the future we believe in.