Refugee Week 2020

​​This year's theme for Refugee Week is 'imagine' - so we'd love to see people in Oxfordshire unleashing their creativity to positively embrace refugees and imagine the kind of place we want to see around us.

Step one - IMAGINE
 

Whilst we’re asking our clients to ‘imagine Oxford’ from their own perspectives as refugees, we’re asking supporters to use their creativity to imagine Oxfordshire in new ways. Imagine coming here for the very first time. How would you like your community to support refugees? Maybe you’ll imagine a future where we’ve found new ways to care for our planet, look after our communities or celebrate our differences. Or perhaps you’ll imagine what it’s like to have to leave your family behind, or what your hometown might look like to someone walking its streets for the first time. Here are some prompts to help get you started:

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• Draw, paint, craft or write a poem or story about the world you want to see

• Write a poem or short story starting with ‘Imagine if…’ or ‘Imagine a world where…’

• Imagine you had to leave your home behind. What would you take with you? What would you hope to find?

Step two - SHARE

We’d love to see what you create, and what prompted you to imagine. Please send us your submissions by Fri 12th June (or the very latest Monday!!) so that we can collate them ahead of Refugee Week and get ready to share them with our supporters. We are hosting an online event on Thursday 18 June, 6:30-8pm to showcase a selection of the submissions and share insights from some of our staff, volunteers & clients about refugee experiences.

You can photograph your artwork or send in your writing to us via a staff member, via email at communications@refugeeresource.org or alternatively, tag us on Facebook @RefugeeOxford. Please share your name and a short message with your creative piece, and confirm you are happy for it to be shared.

Step three - SUPPORT

Finally, we’re running this ‘Imagine’ campaign to promote the contribution refugees have made in the UK, but also to raise awareness of the important work we do to help refugees and asylum seekers with mental health support and other services enabling them to build new lives in the UK. If you've been inspired to imagine Oxfordshire in new ways, please consider a donation to support Refugee Resource in one of the following ways:

• Make a donation online

• Support us via the Oxford Lottery

• Alternatively, donate direct to our bank via:
  Refugee Resource, account #: 04253100 sort code: 16-58-10

Thank you. Our work is only made possible by our amazing funders and supporters.

We are delighted to have the support of the on form sculpture exhibition, who kindly selected us as one of their charity partners for their tenth biennial exhibition. We hoped to be joining them at Asthall Manor during Refugee Week (15-21 June) and whilst we have not been able to run events as planned, this has not stopped us collaborating and using digital channels to promote art, creativity and community.

Inspired by this year’s Refugee Week theme of ‘imagine’, we are inviting people to take part in a creative activity to recognise the experiences of refugees and celebrate their contributions to our communities. on form are kindly making a donation to support our work with refugees and asylum seekers, which is proving more vital than ever as we work with local partners to provide food, medicine and therapeutic support to our clients in Oxfordshire.

Include a Refugee Round in your Quiz

This Refugee Week, we're encouraging people to take part in #SmallActs to show their support and solidarity with refugees.

We know many people have been taking part in virtual Zoom quizzes whilst in lockdown, and if you're taking part in one this week - why not dedicate a round to refugees to raise awareness and encourage people to participate in their own small acts?

We've done some prep for you! One of our volunteers has very kindly put together a 15-question multiple choice round on the theme of refugees.

Click here to download the questions as a PDF - this includes questions and answers, as well as some further information about Refugee Resource.

Click here to download the questions as a PowerPoint - this includes questions and answers, as well as more information about the answers and where they were sourced.