Hibah Yousuf is a student writer for The Badger, and as part of her year three International Relations and Anthropology module on Global Work Experience, has been taking on voluntary work for SolidariTee – an international student-led charity.
SolidariTee, a non-profit organisation, collaborates with grassroots NGOs that assist refugees in Greece by offering financial and legal support to individuals in need. As a group of eleven students, we planned activities, including a movie night, a DJ night, a bar crawl in collaboration with the French society, and other on-campus stalls, during my time at SolidariTee.
SolidariTee aims to sell t-shirts, where every £12 raised sends £8.10 directly to NGOs providing legal aid and other services. Only 4% of the charity’s income is spent on administrative and operational work. This aspect of SolidariTee was something I particularly valued, as it indicates the dedication to ensuring that most of the funds raised directly support refugee communities rather than organisational costs.
What makes SolidariTee unique from many charities is its horizontal organisational structure, which has been deliberately designed. There is no formal hierarchy; as volunteers, we are expected to take joint responsibility for organising events, managing communication, and representing the organisation publicly. With this type of model, natural leadership emerges rather than being formally assigned.
Our first event was a Halloween-themed movie night on campus on October 28. With refreshments, a table and SolidariTee t-shirts, we managed to generate less than £100 for the film Caroline. In our second event, which took place on November 13 at The Tempest Brighton, we collected £300 for a vital cause while hosting a DJ night. Since one of the volunteers works at The Tempest, we were able to rent a space and DJs for free for the event. In addition, we were able to set up stands in the library that raised awareness of our fundraising efforts. However, at times, it was challenging to garner a lot of attention because the majority of university students and people were not paying much attention to the charity.
On November 27, we were able to organise a fundraiser pub crawl in collaboration with the French organisation. This was a really intriguing event since it allowed us to raise money and promote SolidariTee. I was able to plan this because I had some connections on the French committee, which made it simpler to get the word out and encourage donations and participation.
On December 14, one of the final events for SolidariTee took place in a Christmas market at The Tempest Pub. Together with another volunteer, I worked three-hour shifts at the stall. It was an interesting observation because, although I thought it would be very easy to sell t-shirts to adults in a different setting, it actually felt a little harder to feel legitimate because it was a student-led organisation. Nevertheless, by the end of my shift, I was able to sell three t-shirts, which is great in this case because any small donation made to SolidariTee is a great contribution.
Being at SolidariTee has been a great experience, and I will be continuing to do this, despite this being part of my module. Many people have shown interest in this organisation, and I believe this is partly due to the student community we have built. For the plans, we want to organise a Panel with professors from various parts of each of our degrees. This will boost the organisation’s legitimacy, reaching not only students but also other parts of the university.
Hibah is encouraging students to contact her if they are interested in taking part.
For more information, students can go to www.solidaritee.org.uk for the international charity page, or on Instagram @solidariteesussex to learn how you can get involved on Campus!
Another article you may enjoy: https://thebadgeronline.com/2026/01/reform-society-launch-triggers-campus-backlash/
