STAR holds a weekly conversation club which \u201chelps local refugees and people seeking asylum to learn and practice their conversational English\u201d, according to their Student Representative Council (SRC) page<\/a>, but they also hold fundraisers throughout the year to cover the cost of travel for learners, as well as supporting local charities. The charity gig was one such event, successful because it brought together Glasgow\u2019s vibrant music scene and its \u2018friendly city\u2019 reputation. All ticket sales for the event went directly towards supporting people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds, showcasing art for a purpose.<\/p>\n The night began with Memento, consisting of lead singer Lucy, Declan on guitar, Madox on bass, and VV on drums. They thanked the audience for supporting their \u201cfirst proper gig\u201d, and what a successful first gig it was. They performed covers from Radiohead to Rihanna, with each musician bringing a unique energy to the stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n Next up was Grendel Shortcake, whose striking name suggests originality and character. Their sound is influenced by Brazilian Bossa Nova, and their witty originals included a song dedicated to \u201cthe train confectionery trolley lady\u201d, and another inspired by \u201cwhen people are telling you about their dreams\u201d. The audience was entranced by the joyous atmosphere of the performance and charmed by lead singer Victoria, who could be seen dancing around the stage.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to be here and support such a great cause,\u201d said the band Warm Reekin\u2019 Rich, and despite only having two of its members, they delivered a brilliant and timeless acoustic act. With bluesy originals and classics, they brought a warmer feel to the cold Glasgow night. They played an original song with Scottish elements called \u201cPouch of Hope\u201d. Eric Clapton\u2019s \u201cLayla\u201d and \u201cFree Fallin\u2019\u201d by Tom Petty begged for audience participation, and the crowd happily obliged by singing along. The band exhibited a clear passion for the music and the art of storytelling.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lastly, but definitely not least, the headliner, Solasta, took the stage. The band have made a name for themselves in the Glasgow music scene, and this is undoubtedly due to their youthful spirit and daring musicality. Their songs combine strains of punk with Scottish and UK influences, which make up their musical identity. This is testament to their robust basslines, electrifying distortion, catchy guitar riffs, and drums that power through the momentum. They describe themselves<\/a> as \u201ca young voice from an old city\u201d, and this juxtaposition could not be more accurate. As the night came to a close, Solasta made sure it would be one to remember.<\/p>\n While each fundraising gig is fleeting, Glasgow STAR\u2019s main endeavour\u2014the conversation club\u2014 is a lasting part of its members\u2019 lives. Around 50 learners and a few more volunteers participate in the meetings, which occur every Monday evening at the Maryhill Integration Network. Each week, the group gathers away from the hustle of Glasgow\u2019s City Centre and the bustle of its West End. Shuffling into the brick building, a mixed group of students and people from around the city gather for one purpose: conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Spread across two rooms and several tables, groups gather around games, cups of coffee or tea, and snacks. In the middle of each table lies a piece of paper with a theme and questions; their presence is constant, while the theme rotates. Questions are intentionally lighthearted, but profound: \u201cDo you like dancing?\u201d \u201cWhere do you go to get good advice?\u201d \u201cWhat did you want to be when you were a kid?\u201d \u201cWhat should someone do to be happy?\u201d By the end of a conversation, either with a learner or a student volunteer, each participant knows a bit more about one another, not just about English.<\/p>\n Many of the student volunteers and learners build friendships with each other, straying from the week\u2019s theme to check in on one another\u2019s lives and family members. This, \u201cthe personal side of it,\u201d is what\u00a0 Eloise Reid, Glasgow STAR\u2019s campaign officer, says is most rewarding about the club. At the end of the conversation club meeting, bus money was reimbursed, and goodbyes were exchanged, including high-fives for several of the kids who had come.<\/p>\n Immigration remains a contested issue across the UK, with about half of those surveyed in an Oxford poll<\/a> believing that the number of immigrants coming to Britain should be reduced. While refugees sometimes face softer opposition from the public, they often encounter greater obstacles from the Home Office: the UK\u2019s backlog of initial asylum decisions was 49,000 applications by the end of 2025<\/a>, and while this has been on the decline, the UK still had the fifth-largest initial asylum decision backlog in Europe at the end of 2025, and the backlog of asylum appeal cases almost doubled, reaching 80,000.<\/p>\n Glasgow STAR is a reminder that, amid the challenges of being a student, as menial as they may seem, the adversity of being a refugee in the UK, or even just the tribulations of existence, there are pockets of the city where compassion prevails. Music continues to bring people together, and a conversation about sports, art, and happiness can make a difference.<\/p>\n STAR is a testimony to human connection. As Eloise Reid put it after the club\u2019s meeting concluded, \u201cYou can make a conversation with anyone given enough time.\u201d<\/p>\n Image credits: Elizabeth Sobel, Julieta Garz\u00f3n Campos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Through a weekly conversation club and a fundraising gig, Glasgow University Student Action for Refugees encourages human connection.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":960519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7826],"tags":[4021,748,3117,2766,4521,918,4884,40,269,14886,285,6658,712,6682,15065,16,15,58599],"class_list":{"0":"post-960518","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-glasgow","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-conversation","11":"tag-culture","12":"tag-english","13":"tag-glasgow","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-immigration","16":"tag-music","17":"tag-performance","18":"tag-politics","19":"tag-refugees","20":"tag-scotland","21":"tag-star","22":"tag-students","23":"tag-uk","24":"tag-united-kingdom","25":"tag-volunteering"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116576040452600399","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/960518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=960518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/960518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/960519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=960518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=960518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=960518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-1024x764.png\")
Local band Solasta at STAR charity gig.<\/p>\n