Baroness Julia and Studio LEnca join KRAN
Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN) is proud to announce two new high-profile patrons.
Life Peer Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE and contemporary artist Studio Lenca (also known as José Campos) have strong track records of advocating for refugees and asylum seekers, in particular those under 18.
They join existing patrons Lord Alf Dubs (former child refugee politician and campaigner) and Gavin Esler (writer and broadcaster) at the charity, which has hubs in Canterbury and Folkestone.
Baroness Neuberger is a prominent British rabbi and crossbench peer in the House of Lords, author and broadcaster. She has led major healthcare and charitable organisations and is widely known for her social activism.
She says of her new role: “I am absolutely delighted to become a patron of KRAN. As a huge admirer of KRAN’s work and the child of a refugee, I am honoured to be asked to join the very impressive patrons already in position.”
Studio Lenca, who is based at Tracey Emin’s TKE Studios in Margate, is from El Salvador. As a child, he arrived undocumented in the USA.
He says: “Having experienced displacement myself, I remember how powerful it was when other people offered me support. It is now an honour to be a patron for this wonderful organisation and to stand alongside young people as they shape their own futures.
“I started working with KRAN in 2021, and it has been incredible to see the transformative work they do to give young people a voice and a sense of belonging.”
KRAN CEO Dr Razia Shariff says she is delighted to welcome the pair, adding: “We know they will bring new insights and commitments to the young refugees and asylum seekers that KRAN is passionate about.
“The Baroness will continue to collaborate with us in the House of Lords and Studio Lenca in the local communities and art world now as official patrons of KRAN. They will create a more enabling environment and influence understanding in wider communities about the ever-increasing challenges our young people face.”
Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE is Chair of University College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of Whittington Health NHS Trust. She was Senior Rabbi of the West London Synagogue from 2011 until March 2020 and is now Rabbi Emerita.
She is a crossbench Peer in the House of Lords, former Chief Executive of the King’s Fund from 1997 to 2004, and won a Harkness Fellowship to study healthcare ethics at Harvard University (1991-2).
Baroness Neuberger is a founding Trustee of the Walter and Liesel Schwab Charitable trust, set up in memory of her parents. She was a Trustee of the Van Leer Group Foundation and Chairman of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. She chaired the Review of the Liverpool Care Pathway for Dying Patients in 2013 and was Vice Chair, Mental Health Act Independent Review 2017-2018.
She is also a member of the Executive Board, Leo Baeck Institute London and she is a Trustee of the Rayne Foundation, she was also Chair of Independent Age and a Commissioner of the UK Commission on Bereavement. She is a Commissioner on the Integration of Refugees, a Trustee of Yad Hanadiv (Charitable Foundation) and Chair of the City of London Oversight Committee. Baroness Neuberger is Public Voice Representative, on the Jewish Community’s BRCA Testing Programme.
Baroness Neuberger is an author and broadcaster. Her latest book on antisemitism What it is. What it isn’t. Why it matters (Orion Books) was published in May 2019. She is currently working on a book on pain and how we approach pain relief.
Studio Lenca (also known as José Campos) is a contemporary artist from El Salvador, now based in Margate, Kent. His work is shaped by his own experience as a young refugee, and explores themes of migration, belonging and memory.
Before working full-time as an artist, José was a teacher in South East London for 10 years. This background continues to inform his practice, which often involves collaboration with groups and individuals who have lived experience of displacement.
José’s work has been shown internationally, with recent commissions including MoMA PS1 in New York and Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. He is currently based at TKE Studios, founded by Tracey Emin.
José first began working with young people from KRAN in 2021 through Arts Education Exchange in Margate. Since then, his relationship with KRAN has grown through a shared commitment to creativity, education and supporting young people with refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds.
Studio Lenca photo by Guillermo and Lucy Tomasino.