Refugee Week returns to UEA 3-10 March
By: Communications
The University of East Anglia’s (UEA) Refugee Week festival returns on 3-10 March with an engaging and compelling programme of events for staff, students and members of the community. 2023’s programme will build on the success of previous years to celebrate and demonstrate UEA’s role as a leader in sanctuary support, research, outreach, engagement, teaching and enterprise.
Refugee Week is just one of the strands delivered by UEA’s University of Sanctuary initiative, which is spearheaded by a university-wide steering group of over forty staff and students led by Sophie North, Lecturer in Health Sciences, and Madeleine (Madi) Dutton, the Sanctuary Liaison Officer.
The University of Sanctuary initiative grew out of the City of Sanctuary movement - a non-governmental coalition which promotes action to foster greater inclusion and integration in the UK, with a key focus on supporting refugees and asylum seekers. The City of Sanctuary holds the vision that ‘our nations will be welcoming places of safety for all and proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution’.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Sophie said: “Refugee Week is the culmination of months of hard work by colleagues, students and partners across Norwich and beyond. As a team, we have been bowled over by the exceptional people we have had the honour to work with, both sanctuary seekers and those supporting the initiative.”
During 2022’s Refugee Week programme at UEA, more than 300 individuals engaged with 18 online and in-person events, with significant impacts recorded, including the formation of new UEA partnerships, and substantial fundraising success to support the University of Sanctuary’s work, such as providing Sanctuary Scholarships for sanctuary seekers looking to enter higher education.
2023’s events will build upon the strong foundations of previous years and further generate opportunities to work with individuals and organisations within the region.
Madi, who is keen to highlight that authentic storytelling is a foundation of the week, said: ”At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to stay true to people’s lived experiences and the programme of events reflects the kaleidoscope of voices, histories, and aspirations that sanctuary seekers bring to our community.”
Events
While the UK-wide Refugee Week festivals are generally held in June, UEA’s programme runs earlier in the year to ensure it can involve more people within the community, to better deliver a strong and inspiring series of events. In keeping with the national theme, the team will be exploring what compassion looks like in action throughout the week.
Sanctuary Student Art Installation: The Suitcase
Friday 3 - Friday 10 March, locations across the UEA campus, no booking required.
The Suitcase project explores the difficult decisions made by those forced to leave their home countries and the journeys taken to reach safety. Five suitcases will be located across the UEA campus, each representing the story of one Sanctuary Student. Viewers will be invited to scan the QR code attached to each bag to hear the first-hand account of each student and their individual journey.
When the Dust Settles
Friday 3 - Friday 10 March, Enterprise Centre Foyer, University of East Anglia, no booking required.
A photography exhibition bringing together the work of a participatory research project funded by the British Academy and led by UEA Academic Maria Abranches from the School of International Development, in collaboration with Amy Lythgoe from Together Now, which aims to increase understanding of the lived experience of refugee families one or more years after the arrival of relatives through the process of family reunion in the UK.
The show is happening at a time when a recent report from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration stated that there are currently 8,000 people waiting for decisions on their family reunion applications.
The exhibition displays the work produced by refugee families in the UK, who chose to convey different aspects of their everyday life through themes they considered important in their lives – from emotions and memories related to separation and reunion, to places they now go as a family, food they like to cook and eat, or meanings of home.
When the Dust Settles – documentary launch
Tuesday 7 March, 5:30-7pm, Enterprise Centre Foyer, University of East Anglia, no booking required.
Maria Abranches and Ayoola Jolayemi from the School of International Development will invite participants to sit amongst the photography exhibition ‘When the Dust Settles’ and view the documentary co-produced as a result of the British Academy funded research exploring the lived experiences of families following family reunion. Both Maria, and Ayoola who directed, filmed and edited the documentary following the completion of her MA Media and International Development at UEA in 2022, will be available following the screening to answer questions.
Creative Compassion art workshop
Wednesday 8 March, 2-4pm, Sainsbury Centre Studio, UEA, no booking required.
Practical workshop for all, run by the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts’ Learning Team with Associate Artist, Rose Feather, to explore the role of compassion in creating a place of sanctuary.
Meeting at the Sainsbury Centre Main Reception Desk at 2pm for an introduction to the workshop in the Living Area gallery. For further information, or to highlight any access needs, contact Rachel Anstey-Sanders, Learning Programme Manager: Children & Families on: rachel.anstey@uea.ac.uk.
Qualification Passport for Refugees
Wednesday 8 March, 12-1pm, University of Sanctuary Public Lecture, Queens Building, room 1.03, no booking required.
A lecture led by experts from the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, exploring how the UNESCO Global Convention and Concurrent Introduction of the UNESCO Qualification Passport for Refugees is being translated into Higher Education, National and Institutional Policies.
Research Forum – chaired by Anna Robinson-Pant
Tuesday 7 March, 12-1pm, Enterprise Centre, room 1.06, UEA, booking required.
Hear from four postgraduate researchers presenting their research relating to forced migration. Participants are encouraged to discuss the issues arising and to consider opportunities for collaboration and further development.
The full list of events can be found at www.ueasanctuary.org/uea-refugee-week.
UEA is fully committed to helping reduce the barriers to participation in higher education faced by those seeking asylum in the UK, with one of the key mechanisms for this being through the awarding of scholarships. So far, 33 students have benefitted from one of several scholarship types, including the Sanctuary Scholarship, studying across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate subjects including Public Policy and Public Management, and Mathematics Education.
De (anonymised for safety reasons) is one such scholar. After arriving in the UK from Syria with some pharmacy experience, but unable to speak English, he was determined to learn the language and pursue his dream of completing a PhD. After being directed to UEA by New Routes (a charity that supports refugees, asylum seekers and isolated migrants), De became UEA’s first ever Sanctuary Scholar, initially completing his master’s degree before going on to achieve a PhD in Pharmacology in 2022. While working on his PhD, De utilised the molecular experience he had gained to help the NHS team perform thousands of COVID-19 tests to help combat the pandemic.
De said: “When I was in Syria, it was my dream to do a PhD in the UK, only one in 100 students in Syria get to achieve a PhD. Without UEA and without University of Sanctuary, this dream would not have happened; Norwich is a safe city with nice people who make you feel at home, and I wouldn’t be here today without the scholarship and without UEA’s support.”
De continues to personify the welcoming nature of the University of Sanctuary, opening his home to a mother and daughter from Ukraine, eight years after he himself sought refuge in the UK. He said:
“I’m very glad to have done it. It is a wonderful feeling when you know that it can change people’s lives and keep them safe. I would advise anyone to do the same. I tried to make them feel at home and the problems I had faced made things simpler as I had an experience not dissimilar to what they had been through. Housing is such a big issue in the UK, and I received such kindness when I first moved to Norwich that I wanted to give something back.”
De intends to remain in academia, either as a lecturer or within a role in Clinical Pharmacy, he said: “I love teaching and would prefer to stay at UEA for two reasons: to thank UEA and to get more experience at one of the top ten pharmacy schools in the UK.
“I am always asked, when you finish your PhD, are you going home or staying in the UK. My answer is I feel I belong to two countries now, the UK and Syria. I am hoping to be a productive part of the UK community and hoping to take my knowledge and education to Syria to improve the higher educational and health system and research.”
To be able to continue offering this valuable opportunity to those most in need requires the continued financial support and backing of individuals and organisations with an interest in philanthropy.
Madi Dutton said: “Since 2018, we have been able to support 22 students through the awarding of Sanctuary Scholarships specifically, which are entirely thanks to the generosity of donors who recognise that a person’s past doesn’t need to dictate their future aspirations.
“In many ways, Norwich is a city built on the ability and experience of those seeking sanctuary. Take the canary, perhaps the most iconic symbol of Norwich, it was brought over in the 16th century by The Strangers, primarily weavers from the low countries escaping religious persecution who found refuge here and revitalised the prospects and prosperity of the city. We firmly believe our scholars have the potential to make a positive difference on a local, national and international scale.”
Sophie North said: ”We are inordinately proud of every one of our scholars and hope, with the continued support of local businesses and individuals, that we are able to offer the same chances to more sanctuary seekers in the future. If people are interested in getting involved, we would absolutely love to speak to them, it’s one of those rare opportunities where you can say, without doubt, that you helped to change someone’s life for the better.”
The University of Sanctuary team can be reached through the contact form at: https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/university-information/corporate-social-responsibility/university-of-sanctuary
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