Monday 20th June 2022 was World Refugee Day! Initiatives of Change UK’s marked the day with a collaborative discussion and workshop event with St Ethelburga’s which explored resilience and adaptation for future climate created refugees. Medical Doctor, public health academic and activist, Dr Rita Issa, shared simplicity and purposeful ways to navigate the global impact of climate change and migration on the local community.
Photographed: The IofC UK team with our friends at St Ethelburga's and attendees on the day
Our Refugees as Re-builders™ (RRB) Team also held its first art exhibition at Greencoat Place, displaying artwork produced by 12 RRB Alumni members during a workshop with Hope in the Heart. The artwork encapsulated the personal stories of each participant’s journey from their country of origin to their host country through artistic expression as a means of helping the process of healing.
Dr Muna Ismail, Programme Manager of Initiatives of Change UK’s Refugees as Rebuilders™ programme, commented: “We were so impressed with what this collaboration with Hope in the Heart unravelled. The art workshops demonstrated a commonality of human stories. We hope to deliver more partnerships like this as we launch the RRB full Curriculum on 16th July.” See more details, including how to register here.
Video: The twelve pieces of art produced by some of the RRB programme participants and displayed at the exhibition at Greencoat place. Each one tells an individual story of a migration from a country of origin to a host Country. Photographed: The IofC UK RRB Team (Left to right: Joseph Micallef, Dr Muna Ismail and Amanda Clements) with Sophie from Hope in the Heart during the exhibition.
IofC UK celebrations for World Refugee Day continued throughout the week. On 25th June, our Sustainable Communities team partnered with WeLiterate to bring together a diverse group of people from the migrant, refugee and host community to celebrate in solidarity in the heart of Islington’s iconic Penn Road Park.
Photographed: IofC UK's Head of Sustainable Communities, Amina Khalid, helped the local children created colourful posters to understand and celebrate the meaning behind World Refugee Day.
Over 20 members from the community came together to share stories of hope, resilience and build new relationships over food, music and creative writing. One attendee said: “Today we left our baggage at home and came here together with an open heart and mind to connect with everyone despite the negative narrative that is tearing many of our communities apart. We must make sure our children grow up to live in a more just and equal world, not the hostile one which we are increasingly seeing across Europe.” The event enabled the community to connect and build new relationships and as well as provide educational creative tools to deepen the children’s understanding about the plight of refugees, in a safe and secure environment.
