Refugee Week: how can schools get involved?
Refugee Week is a programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate cultural diversity and the positive contribution that refugees make to the UK.
The purpose of Refugee Week is to deliver positive educational messages that counter fear, ignorance and negative stereotypes of refugees, through arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and promote understanding about the reasons why people seek sanctuary.
We know that many teachers undertake work all year round to explore the issues surrounding asylum and refugees, and Refugee Week can offer an opportunity to highlight and celebrate that learning. IDEAS (the network of development education workers in Scotland) and the Scottish Refugee Council are working together to make sure that teachers and education practitioners have the support they need to address these issues, and the chance to highlight and share their experiences.
'You have the right to special protection and help if you are a refugee. A refugee is someone who has had to leave their country because it is not safe for them to live there.'
From Save the Children's simplified version of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Below are a selection of events and resources to help support your engagement with Refugee Week.
Free Global Communities teaching resource
Global Communities is a Refugee Week education project undertaken by the Refugee Council and funded by the Department for International Development. It aims to develop better understanding of global migration and refugee issues amongst young people and to support teachers in tackling these issues in their classes. It gives students the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the realities of global interdependence through the exploration of an issue that touches their day-to-day lives.
Two FREE Global Communities resource packs are available, one for primary schools and one for secondary schools. These are filled with loads of activity ideas, up to date information, inspiring case studies and suggestions for further resources and sources of information. See the main Refugee Week website for more details (below), or ask your local Development Education Centre about getting a copy.
The Refugee Week website
For information about events UK-wide, how to get involved, education resources and more, visit the Refugee Week website.