Refugee Week – June 19 – 25, 2022
For Refugee Week’s 25th anniversary we invite you to celebrate what compassion looks like in action. Together we can create a shared understanding of compassion to ensure we are extending it widely to all.
“Our task must be to free ourselves – by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”- Albert Einstein
Why compassion?
The last few years have been challenging for all of us. We are still adjusting to new realities post-lockdown as well as responding to new crises. In the UK, dangerous anti-migration government rhetoric continues, along with inhumane conditions for asylum seekers.
But, none of these things happen in isolation. We know how interconnected our world is: how something seemingly “far away” impacts everyone. All of this makes us even more aware of the need to widen our circles of compassion.
Within our own experiences are all the tools we need to be compassionate, not just to ourselves and those in our immediate circle but to all our human neighbours and our one shared home, planet earth.
Call to action!
We invite you to take part in Refugee Week 2023 and show us how arts and culture can help widen our circles of compassion. We cannot wait to see all of your creative responses!
Refugee Week 2023 is 19–25 June, join us!
The aims of Refugee Week are:
To provide platforms for asylum seekers and refugees to be seen, listened to and valued; and to showcase the talent and expertise that people bring with them to the UK.
To encourage a wide range of events to be held throughout the UK, which facilitate positive encounters between people who have experienced displacement and the wider public, and encourage greater understanding of both the reality of seeking asylum in the UK, and the situations of war, persecution and violence that force people to leave home and seek sanctuary.
The ultimate aim is to create a culture of welcome in the UK, with better integration and understanding between communities, enabling people seeking sanctuary to live in safety and to practice and develop their skills and ambitions.
Celebrating in Wales
There are a numbers of activities taking place in Wales, to celebrate Refugee Week Wales. For more information about this year’s event go to www.refugeeweek.org.uk/in-your-area/wales
This year we’re extending the celebrations of Refugee Week into July to give more time to celebrate all these themes.
Get Involved
Would you or your organisation like to be part of the festivities of Refugee Week (20 – 26, June) and the surrounding months.
There’s a number of ways you could support the festival:
Organise an event – contact us to let us know details and we’ll include your event on this website.
Be part of an event or an exhibition organised by another group – get in touch to let us know your interests and skills and we’ll do our best to match you up to group organising an event.