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Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees. It was founded in 1998 and held every year around World Refugee Day on the 20th June. Refugee Week is also a growing global movement.

Through a programme of arts, cultural and educational events alongside media and creative campaigns, Refugee Week brings about positive encounters between communities. It helps them to connect and learn from each other, and promotes a culture of welcome.

Due to lock-down restrictions, the 2020 Festival is on-line.

Festival

Refugee Week is an umbrella festival. Anyone can get involved by holding or joining an event or activity. Events happen ‘virtually’ in all kinds of different spaces including arts festivals, exhibitions and film screenings. There are also on-line museum tours, public talks and activities in schools.

Refugee Week is a partnership project coordinated by Counterpoints Arts.

Simple acts of Imagination

For Refugee Week 2020 (15th to 21st June) you are invited to do one or more of the eight Simple Acts that can all be done at home, inspired by the theme ‘Imagine’.

Simple Acts are everyday actions we can all do to stand with refugees and make new connections in our communities.

So, whether you plan an event or activity around a Simple Act or just take part during the week itself, you’ll be joining a big, creative, collective movement to imagine a better world. Here are the eight Acts (follow the links to find out more):

• Imagine;
• Watch a film;
• Read a book about exile;
• Tell a joke;
• Take a virtual tour;
• Thank your climate justice hero;
• Share a song;
• and Join the Movement

Some ideas

Below is a wall hanging made by women of The Eagles Wing. The Eagles Wing are a mutual support group for asylum seekers, refugees and local people. They have just been recognised with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

This is from Refugee Week in 2019, with The Eagles Wing at Bury Baptist Church:

And here’s a lovely picture and poem by Sara Daniel, from the parish of Baildon, on the theme of ‘If I were to build a home’:

Thanks to Sara for sharing this. For more Refugee Week resources, please go to this great site: The Zephaniah Trust