There are a huge number of things you can do to celebrate Refugee Week. We have complied a few easy to do activities that suit a range of ages. Something for everyone.
Films
Oxsijan:
A short, powerful film around one young boy and his brothers journey to the UK. A true life story of the dangers people face trying to seek safety and the life and death situations they face.
Watch via Youtube below.
For Sama:
An epic and intimate journey filmed through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria. Waad al-Kateab tells the story of how she fell in love, married and gave birth to her daughter Sama.
Available for free via Channel 4.
Cooking
In 2020, RMC created a cultural cookbook in collaboration with Hope Projects and City of Sanctuary. There are a huge number of recipes that were submitted and the cookbook is a collection of them. It is free to download or you can make a donation to support our work.
For Kids
Learn English as a family plus a host of other childrens stories from “Under One Sky” on Youtube
What is it like to have no home? British children and child refugees ask and answer questions about the refugee crisis.
Book: Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones is a beautifully written account of one family’s journey to freedom. Before fleeing their war-torn country, Rama, a young Syrian girl, shares the beauty of their home, garden, and peaceful way of life. Rama tells of joyous mornings when the rooster crows to wake them from their sleep. She creates a happy breakfast scene in which mama prepares breakfast with fresh tomatoes from the garden. We can imagine her family’s traditions and daily rituals as she shares the memories of her once peaceful village.
As war and violence spread, Rama and her family are no longer free. No longer able to sing their own songs, pray their own prayers, and dance their own dances. When all their freedoms are gone, they know they must flee. They take only what they can carry on their backs. They walk a long walk, sail in a boat, plant flowers for those lost at sea, and hang onto hope.
When Rama and the others arrive on new land, they are greeted with kindness and love. Their new neighbours’ words are different, but Rama knows that in their hearts they speak the same language. A language of freedom. Rama now knows that once again there will be bright days ahead.
Book: Lubna and Pebble
When Lubna is forced to flee her home with her father, she picks up a pebble on the beach to take with her. Lubna draws a smiley face on her pebble, they become best friends. Along with her father, the pebble becomes her source of strength and comfort.
Upon arriving at a refugee camp, Lubna cares for her pebble and creates a special bed for it. One day, a scared and lonely boy named Amir arrives at the camp. They become fast friends as children do. When the time comes for Lubna and her father to leave, Lubna worries that Amir will once again be lonely. She comes to realize that her new friend may need Pebble more than she does.
You can see more resources, ideas and activities from Refugee Week here
Fundraise
If you want to make a difference to local organisations supporting refugees, you can fundraise which will raise awareness and help those most in need.
Volunteer
Volunteering is a great way to get involved and make a big impact to your community.
There are so many ways to do it, there will be something out there for you. If you are interested in volunteering with RMC, click here to find out more
There are also lots of other great organisations you can get involved in such as Hope Projects, Restore, City of Sanctuary Wolverhampton (who are currently looking for drop in centre volunteers) and local volunteer centres such as OneWalsall
Back a campaign
Organisations such as Together With Refugees campaign to create a kinder, more humane approach to supporting refugees. One easy way you can support is to show off your orange hearts to show support for refugees
There is also Asylum Matters who run a series of campaigns to support refugee rights. You can find out more about their campaigns, sign petitions and get involved at their campaign page
