Refugee Week
Taking place on the week of World Refugee Day (20th June).
A week celebrating the contribution of refugees.
About the event
Refugee Week is an annual event celebrating the contribution of refugees to the UK and encouraging people to take a more positive look at asylum. Performances and awareness-raising events take place across the UK that aim to humanise Refugees and help us understand their struggles.
If you would like some ideas to help your school mark Refugee Week you can read through our latest In-Focus Topic on Ukrainian Refugees, our article ‘Refugees’ and ‘Refugees welcome?’ which provide an introduction to some of the issues.
How to approach it
It’s important that we work to address the misconceptions and negative perceptions of refugees. For example, go over with your class what the definition of a refugee is. Amnesty International and Theirworld both have great packs that talk about all the different kinds of migrants such as those fleeing poverty, war or political oppression. Help students to understand that the bulk of refugees usually flee only to the neighbouring country. This kind of fact helps to reverse the media’s hyperfixation on large amounts of people coming to western countries.
In order to create a more positive perception of refugees, show students that, whilst they need support to adapt to their new home, they regularly flourish in their new surroundings. You can show this by looking at the many case studies of famous refugees (such as Albert Einstein) or the richness that refugees have brought to our own culture using Groundwork’s Cultural Heritage of Refugees pack.
Crucially help to build empathy with students about the struggle refugees face. Ask them: how would you feel missing school and travelling to a strange new country? Stories, both fictional and biographical, are an engaging and inspiring way to give students access to the challenges and difficult decisions that refugees and asylum seekers face. You could, for example, watch our resource Fatima’s Drawings to see a young Syrian refugee talk about her experiences. Ask students to think through what the asylum process is actually like with its endless bureaucracy and dangerous border crossings. Show students that refugees are not helpless, they are resilient people just like them caught in unfortunate circumstances.
Conversation starter
86% of the world's refugees are hosted by less wealthy countries, often referred to as ‘developing countries’. What problems do you think this causes? How do you think responsibility for hosting refugees should be decided? Refugees have often experienced traumatic situations in their home country and often also while fleeing too. What can we do to help refugees in our communities feel safe and welcomed?
