Refugee Week 20th – 26th June

Refugee Week 20th – 26th June

What is Refugee Week?

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

Through a programme of arts, cultural sports and educational events alongside media and creative campaigns, Refugee Week enables people from different backgrounds to connect beyond labels, as well as encouraging understanding of why people are displaced, and the challenges they face when seeking safety. Refugee Week is a platform for people who have sought safety in the UK to share their experiences, perspectives, and creative work on their own terms.

Theme of Refugee Week 2022: Healing

This year the theme is ‘Healing’. Through creativity and conversations, Refugee Week 2022 will be a celebration of community, mutual care and the human ability to start again. Healing means recovering from a painful experience or situation, so that we can continue to live. No-one understands this better than those who have lost their homes and had to build new lives from scratch. Whether it’s about looking after ourselves and each other at difficult times, overcoming political divisions or coming together to fight for the survival of our shared planet, healing matters to all of us. During Refugee Week 2022 we want to imagine a world where healing replaces harm, and care becomes our shared currency.

Credit: text adapted from the Refugee Week website.

Raising Awareness

In order to better understand and support refugees and people seeking sanctuary, we must actively listen and learn from their lived experiences. A member of staff at the University of Huddersfield wanted to share their personal experience of seeking asylum in the UK.

Hi, I am a transgender person working at the University of Huddersfield. I am someone who loves to spend a lot of times watching fashion runways and arts. I enjoy everything related to art and beauty, make up, painting, drawing, and designing. I love cooking Middle Eastern food, especially Kabsa, it’s special rice recipe and you can make it with any protein. I enjoy reading books, my favourite book is Memoirs from the women's prison by Nawal El Saadawi. I’m the middle child of my family.

Growing up with a strict Arab Muslim family was not that easy for me as I’m transgender and it’s something banned at all the Arab countries to be part of the LGBTQI community and come out to your family.  I had good and horrible times at home. I love my family so much especially my sisters and my mom, but I didn’t get any acceptance for my family and the society. I was thinking a lot that once I finish the high school I study abroad so I can be myself and study something, but even that small hope to study out of my country didn’t go well, as you have to get your parents approve for you to study abroad, that’s how it’s works back home and of course they didn’t approve it. Most of the time I was in my bedroom, and I don’t go out that much but once I graduated and joined the university, I started to go out a lot and meet new people, you come out from your shell.  I am from a small country, so I faced a lot of problems at that stage with my family and society. My family did not want me to join the university at all they didn’t want anyone to see me the way that I am as I was bringing them a shame from the society. They always had problems with my clothes and the way I speak, how I walk or talk. I was just trying to wait and be silent, because I didn’t learn at all how to be responsible and do my own things. My mom was literally doing everything for me, even the car license she was with me so I never thought that even if went out the country to study I would be able to do that without my mom. I was just hoping at the age of eighteen to finish Uni and learn more about how to be responsible, so I can make a decision and work in any other Arab countries just to ran away from my family cause the pressure at that time was a lot.

Everything changed when my father saw me putting make up on and I had to leave immediately. I manged to take my wallet and my passport within these few seconds, and I was out of the house. At that time, I did not know where to go or what to do. I know that my father was coming for me anytime and my mom was sending a lot of messages of how bad I have been since I was born, and I am bringing a lot of shame to the family name. Thank God at that time I had in my bank account around 300 pounds, and I had the passport with me. I just booked the closest ticket to London which was literally in three hours, and I didn’t have any bags with me. I wished at that time to disappear from the whole world, but I knew that I have to do something now and go to the airport and just ran away. Once I was on the plane, I just felt that someone will call my name and tell me to get out off the plane, but that did not happen at all, and the plane started to move and a few minutes later I was in the middle of the sky. I was so scared; I knew that it will be so tough. I was still a teenager and had no knowledge of responsibility. I was thinking a lot of how will I be able to study? who will I live with? what is my life is going to be? I didn’t know anything about England, except The Queen and The Royal Family and that it’s a strong, big county with different cultures and you can be yourself. Once I reached London airport, I claimed for my asylum immediately. I was crying at the airport, but I enjoyed the idea that no one is coming after me and that I won’t be killed.

After spending a year and half without talking to any part of my family, because I got blocked, I was granted to stay here legally and had my first job at Huddersfield University. I would say UK has taught me many things. I feel like I’m a normal human being. I do my own stuff, speak my mind, be myself, without getting judged by anyone. It’s so crazy seeing how people living their freedom and that’s a normal thing, as it was totally against how I grew up. I would say that I’m lucky that my English is kind of good, but I always say it’s good to improve things. I’m on hormone therapy and I go to see the doctor every month and take my hormones for free. I have a good job at the university and am blessed with a lovely team who understands me and always understand if I do something wrong. I have no experience working at all as I never worked before and a lot of time I spend more than hour doing things that can be done in five minutes and I never told by any of my colleagues anything about that as they always encourage me to do my best and ask me if I need any help.

 I think what the most thing that many refugees need is feeling of stability. A lot of time I think about if coming here was the right choice as I don’t have any friends and I currently I’m just living to survive, working, paying rent and buying food. A year and half I did not go out to have fun or buy anything I really want. It’s that feeling of lost, I know many refugees here feel the same way, as we don’t have plan for living. I thought with my high school degree, I would be able to join the university because back home once you finish high school, you can join the university. That is not the case here, as you need to finish the college for two years and get A-levels so you can join, but it’s something that I am working with someone. They have supported me to convert my certificate and at the moment I am waiting for that with hopes that I can manage to join the Uni. It would be so easier for me to be student at Uni and get the students loan and work part time until I finish the university with a degree that I can rely on. I also had support from the Government. They gave me big council house, but I am not living on that house at all, as a lot of things need to be done to the house and it is in the middle of nowhere, so I am thinking to give it back to the government. I am renting a studio at the moment. So far, I am really pleased and thankful with amount of support I got from the UK and the people around me and I am really proud with the things I have done. I always say, ‘you shouldn’t have to die to know what peace feels like’ and I am kind of happy about where I am.

 

Celebrating Refugee Week in Kirklees

1. Kirklees Welcomes has a fantastic, jam-packed events programme focused on the theme Healing. Opportunities to get involved include:

Community welcome banner: A celebration of the project and communities contributing to the community-stitched welcome banner. The banner is made from clothing that is not good enough to be used and incorporates words embroidered in different languages and different stitching techniques.

Times: Tuesday 21st June 10am - 12pm

Venue: Shared Goods at Queensgate Market, 1-6 Princess St, Huddersfield HD1 2UJ

To book: Contact Jane Wood on 0795 281 0814

World spices for healing: Join us for conversations, activities, arts, and crafts and learning with support from Welcome Mentors.

 

Times: Wednesday 22nd June 1pm - 3pm

Venue: Huddersfield Library, Princess Alexandra Walk, Huddersfield, HD1 2SU

To book: No booking necessary

The Great Walk Together: The Jo Cox Foundation is running the Great Walk Together in partnership with Refugee Week UK. The walk is a chance for people to come together, creating new connections and at the same time reflecting on the journeys that refugees face. Lead by the Jo Cox Foundation.

 

Times: Thursday 23rd June 1pm - 2pm

Venue: Outside the café, Crow Nest Park, Dewsbury, WF13 2SG

To book: Email rachel.hannan@kirklees.gov.uk or mohamed.saloo@kirklees.gov.uk

Football and food: You’re invited to watch this national football tournament with teams from across UK, plus the opportunity for food tasting from around the world.

 

Times: Sunday 26th June please email Migration&Resettlement@kirklees.gov.uk for specific time details.

Venue: Huddersfield New College, New Hey Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4GL

To book: No booking necessary.

2. The Refugee Week website has a whole host of events and initiatives you can get involved with, both online and in person across the country. You can find out more by visiting their events page or engaging with the 6 ways you can take part.

3. Refugee Week also have a campaign around Simple Acts which include: