Next week is Refugee Week and we are pleased to be celebrating it again this year. Refugee Week is an important week in asphaleia's calendar following over two decades of working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and providing services for them such as 16+ accommodation, post-16 education, and mental health support.
Over the years we have heard many stories and met many incredible young people who have overcome big challenges whilst settling in the UK after facing trauma and loss. We can't overstate how amazing they are and this is why Refugee Week is so important to us. We want to celebrate these young people, their resilience and courage as well as the amazing skills and perspectives that refugees bring to our nation.
This year we will be creating a display in our learning centre based around the Refugee Week Simple Acts, to encourage all the young people we work with as well as our staff and visitors to engage with the week. We will also be undertaking a lunchtime walk with both staff and young people on Tuesday 21st and Thursday 23rd to demonstrate our solidarity.
We are also pleased to share a recent post by Chichester Festival Theatre, who are continuing their partnership with asphaleia this year and are providing our UASC young people with weekly creative arts sessions. This year, they have expanded their partnership to 3 weekly sessions, which will mean they are able to work with up to 45 unaccompanied asylum seekers a week. The young people will be using theatre practice to improve written and spoken English, self-expression and social confidence.
Read the full post here.