Driving change: the St Andrews ‘Refugee Rickshaw’ project
Since graduation, Joseph Ehrlich (MA 2021) has supported over 500 refugees affected by the war in Ukraine through his employment-focused NGO. He shares his story from ‘student on the scrounge’ to making a social impact.
Students – like hermit crabs – age, grow, change shells and travel. I have come to think of St Andrews as a crab shell – well worn by past hosts and well known by those who have lived and learned in it. When speaking with fellow alumni, that sense of connection through the “crab shell” always stands out. Perhaps we were in the same halls during first year, we drank in the same pubs, shared the same flats. There’s a wonderful feeling of continuity.
When I first visited St Andrews back in 2017, I was asked back home what I thought of it. My answer was simple: expensive and cold. Seven years, ten flats, 15 jobs and two degrees later, I’m still here and … it’s still expensive and cold. There’s that continuity again!
Joseph pictured in traditional Georgian dress
St Andrews schemes
My time at university was filled with schemes and scrounging. How could I save the most money on my rent? (I was always on the lookout for a new, superior shell.) Were there any top tips for getting a good grade? Which pub sold the cheapest beer?
In our third year, my friends and I struck upon a way to get into student balls for free. We started a newspaper called The St Andrews Year which, wonderfully, translated to press passes and free access. In exchange, we reviewed the events – the better the review the more passes next time! St Andrews is a fantastic testing ground for all manner of plans.
I frequented the dungeon-like basement of the History building, stress-baked apple pies (using apples from an overhanging tree on The Scores) and haunted the Union on Friday nights. As a bartender there, my favourite job was collecting the glasses. I hated the sticky cups but stray coins on the dance floor made it feel like a treasure hunt.
Life after St Andrews
Like many, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated. With a degree in International Relations and Modern History and another in Strategic Studies, I struggled to choose my next path.
A few weeks after graduating, I travelled back to the Republic of Georgia where my family originates (and had been displaced) from. The war in Ukraine had been going on for nearly six months and Russia had just declared a ‘limited mobilisation’. Russians fleeing conscription soon filled Tbilisi and other Georgian cities. I spoke with many Ukrainian and Russian refugees and felt compelled to help.
Blue Sky Career Aid
Once back in the UK, I set about planning how I could help refugees who wanted to join the UK workforce. After considerable research, work, and a few months of employment in IT recruitment, I founded Blue Sky Career Aid – an NGO dedicated to helping refugees build sustainable futures through stable employment.
I worked initially in London, where I renovated and lived in my friend’s garage. In January 2023, I moved Blue Sky’s HQ from the garage to my couch back in St Andrews, where I could focus on its full-time development. Back to the crab shell.
Since then, Blue Sky has supported over 500 refugees and works closely with communities throughout Fife and across the UK. I gained additional experience via charity contract work (including encouraging wealthy individuals to abseil down a famous New York landmark) and managed several online charity campaigns.
The Blue Sky Career Aid team in Cupar
Refugee rickshaw launch
The next project for Blue Sky Career Aid is the launch of our new ‘Refugee Rickshaw’ service in St Andrews. From August 2024, we’ll be offering a unique, eco-friendly mode of transportation around the town while creating employment opportunities for refugees. All proceeds from the rickshaw service will support our charity initiatives including career support services.
At the same time, we are aiming to provide everyone in the town – residents and visitors alike – with a new way to get around. For some it will help to break down barriers to social interactions and increase mobility. For our drivers, it will provide valuable employment experience.
Joseph’s rickshaw service will create employment opportunities for refugees
The success of Blue Sky and these other projects would not have been possible without the lessons I learned as a student, and without the help of the University of St Andrews and the local community after graduation. For that, I am – and always will be – incredibly grateful.
Find out more about the work of Blue Sky Career Aid here. Read about the new Refugee Rickshaw service here.