It's Refugee Week

Refugee Week is an annual festival celebrating the contributions, creatively and resilience of refugees. It aims to bring people together, provide a platform for voices, perspectives and creative work of refugees and brings about deeper understanding of refugee experiences. The theme for this year is ‘Our Home.’

Home can be a place of refuge, a feeling or a state of mind. It can be found in smells, tastes and sounds. From the clothes we wear to the words we grew up with. It’s in food, music and arts. It’s in our cultures and in our landscapes. Sometimes we can find home in a single person. Other times it’s in a whole community. And often, it’s in a single gesture of care and welcome.

For many who are forced to leave their countries and rebuild lives, finding a home can be a journey. These journeys bring with them many misconceptions of migration and immigration which was the focus of our exhibition ‘The unfamiliar person’ which showcased a range of creative posters designed by students in the Andrews concourse as part of Solent’s Sanctuary Week in March 2024. Students and staff during the week additionally shared what home meant to them: somewhere I can be myself without judgement, mum’s cooking, the place where I learnt all my values from, cosy and familiar, safety and comfort through an interactive display hosted in the Library.

Southampton is home to a multitude of people from those born here to those who have travelled large distances to seek safety or have relocated to begin a new life. This Refugee Week, there are a range of activities open to all where communities can extend their warmth and hospitality. Southampton’s community celebrations include:

• Monday 17 June, 1pm at Southampton Central Library - World Stages Now present their new drama performance with poetry based on the Theme ‘Our Home’.
• Wednesday 19 June, 7pm at The MAST, Southampton – Come and watch screenings of three films on the theme of ‘Our Home’. Each story of migration to the UK is different, but every person arriving shares feelings of loss and fragmentation; while hopes of building a life here can coexist with the desire to return home.
• Saturday 22 June, 11am to 5pm at Above Bar and Palmerston Park – This is a day to enjoy together with different communities in friendship and solidarity. Take part in the celebration parade through town, and then relax in the park with your picnic at the bandstand with music, dance, and games.

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As a University of Sanctuary and in collaboration with Hampshire Universities Together (HUT) there are also a number of educational events taking place during refugee week which are available to staff and students.

• Monday 17 June, 3pm - International Webinar (online): Inclusive Higher Education for People Forced from their Homes - Join an international conversation about the possibilities of creating inclusive higher education settings for people forced from their homes.

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• Monday 17 June, 5.30-7pm: Seeking Sanctuary: What it means to feel at Home.
  • Talk 1: Experiences of unaccompanied young people seeking asylum in the UK: The challenges to feeling safe and home in the UK. With Jana Kreppner and Ingi Iusmen, University of Southampton.
  • Talk 2: Finding Sanctuary in an Unknown Place: The Experiences of Displaced Communities. With Dr Shakiba Moghadam, Solent University.

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• Tuesday 18 June, 5.30-7pm: Seeking Sanctuary: What it means to feel at Home (Global theme).
  • Talk 1: Salir Adelante / Moving Forward Documentary. With Pia Riggirozzi and David Owen, University of Southampton
  • Talk 2: Socio-cultural constraints to sport participation amongst Afghan women migrants and refugees residing in Iran. With Dr Catherine Phipps, Solent University.

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• Wednesday 19 June, 9.30am-4pm – Our Home in Education Conference – Join colleagues from schools, colleges, and universities for a full day of opportunities to develop your knowledge and understanding of refugee education. 

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If you would like to get involved in future events, Solent University will be hosting the next Southampton Sanctuary Network on Wednesday 3 July, 4pm-6pm, which brings together local charities, societies, and organisations to identify and develop collaborative opportunities to support those seeking sanctuary in the city. Everyone is welcome.

Find out more and register >