We’re delighted to share the programme for Refugee Week Conference London 2020, a day of inspiration, workshops and discussion in preparation for Refugee Week (15-21 June). The Refugee Week Conference is held in partnership with Platforma Arts & Refugees Network, and produced by Counterpoints Arts

Held at Amnesty International’s Shoreditch venue on 10 February, the London Conference will be followed on 13 February by a second national conference in Bristol, co-produced and hosted by Bristol Refugee Festival.

PROGRAMME

1000 – 1045 REGISTRATION + INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES

1045 – 1130 SESSION 1: SETTING THE SCENE + PLANS FOR 2020:

Welcome

Maurice Wren, Refugee Week Chair and Refugee Week 2020 Leadership Group

Creative Warm Up

Ahmed Noori + Mohammed AlBaz, Refugee Week Leadership Project

Refugee Week 2020

Emily Churchill Zaraa, Refugee Week UK Coordinator, Counterpoints Arts
+ Hafza Yusuf, Refugee Week Leadership Project

An International Perspective: Refugee Week in Russia

Alexandra Philippovskaya, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow

What’s For Lunch/ Coffee – Welcome Kitchen, Haven Coffee

1130 – 1300 MORNING WORKSHOPS: CHOICE OF 6 (See below)

1300 – 1400 LUNCH BY WELCOME KITCHEN + NETWORKING

1400 – 1430 AFTER LUNCH INSPIRATION:

‘Imagine’: Theatre Performance

Compass Collective and British Red Cross’s ‘Refugee and Befriending’ Programme

Keynote: Imagining the Dream of Higher Education for Asylum Seekers

Md Mominul Hamid, Refugee Week Leadership Project

1430 – 1600 AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS: CHOICE OF 6 (See below)

1600 – 1700 SHARING, NETWORKING + NEXT STEPS:

Sharing from PSYCHEdelight Drama Workshop

From the Floor Sharing plans for Refugee Week 2020

Evaluation

Closing Thoughts

Mandla-Rae Nkomo, Refugee Week Leadership Project

Networking

Talk to someone new!

 

MORNING WORKSHOPS

 

1. Connecting Climate Justice and Migrant Justice

Ashish Ghadiali, Wretched of the Earth Climate Justice Collective

In this participatory session, we’ll be exploring the intersection between the interconnected crises of climate breakdown, colonialism and forced migration and working to identify frameworks and solutions that centre demands from the global south.

 

2. Refugee Week in Challenging Environments

Sandra Watt and Ashkan Dabbagh, Friends of the Drop in for Asylum Seekers and Refugees, Sunderland

How can Refugee Week and other cultural programmes succeed in places where there are relatively high levels of hostility towards migration? Join organisers of Refugee Week in Sunderland to explore effective approaches, including building long-term partnerships, focusing on shared values and targeting specific audiences.

 

3. Involving Young People

Coram Young Citizens

Join Coram Young Citizens to explore ways to engage young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in your projects, both as participants and co-producers, for Refugee Week and beyond. Coram Young Citizens will share some of the barriers to participation they themselves have faced, and offer constructive feedback on your ideas for involving young people.

 

4. Imagining Welcome through Arts and Culture

Mandla-Rae Nkomo and Hafza Yusuf with Daniela Nofal, Refugee Week Leadership Project

A workshop exploring how those working in the arts can engage with refugee experiences. Members of the Refugee Week Leadership Project lead a discussion on how arts organisations can become more inclusive of displaced people, and how institutions and artists might respond to the Refugee Week 2020 theme of ‘Imagine’.

 

5. Drama Together

Sophie Besse, PSYCHEdelight

Join Sophie Besse, Artistic Director of PSYCHEdelight, for a hands-on drama workshop, and learn about her approach for co-creating across all kinds of diversity. PSYCHEdelight is a participatory theatre company whose shows ‘Borderline’ and ‘Welcome to the UK!’ challenge narratives of pity and fear by allowing refugees to tell their stories in their own way, through humour. Participants are welcome to join both the morning and afternoon sessions, or just one.

 

6. Working with Local and Regional Media

Niall Mann, IMIX

A workshop providing tips on how to work with local and regional media to secure publicity for your Refugee Week event or activity. The session will cover how to work with journalists and what they want, how to write a press release, tips for interviews and how to work with people sharing their personal story.

 

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS  

 

1. Connecting Climate Justice and Migrant Justice

Ashish Ghadiali, Wretched of the Earth Climate Justice Collective

In this participatory session, we’ll be exploring the intersection between the interconnected crises of climate breakdown, colonialism and forced migration and working to identify frameworks and solutions that centre demands from the global south.

 

2. Refugee Week in Challenging Environments

Nina Alonso and India Rose, Yellow Days Festival, Athens

How can Refugee Week and other cultural programmes succeed in places where there are relatively high levels of hostility towards migration? Join the organisers of Yellow Days Festival to explore effective approaches, drawing on their experiences of working in challenging environments and finding collective solutions.

 

3. Involving Young People

Coram Young Citizens

Join Coram Young Citizens to explore ways to engage young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in your projects, both as participants and co-producers, for Refugee Week and beyond. Coram Young Citizens will share some of the barriers to participation they themselves have faced, and offer constructive feedback on your ideas for involving young people.

 

4. Drama Together

Sophie Besse, Artistic Director of PSYCHEdelight

Join Sophie Besse, Artistic Director of PSYCHEdelight, for a hands-on drama workshop, and learn about her approach for co-creating across all kinds of diversity. PSYCHEdelight is a participatory theatre company whose shows ‘Borderline’ and ‘Welcome to the UK!’ challenge narratives of pity and fear by allowing refugees to tell their stories in their own way, through humour. Participants are welcome to join both the morning and afternoon sessions, or just one.

 

5. Funding your Refugee Week Programme

Tom Green, Platforma Arts and Refugees Network, Counterpoints Arts

Where can funding be found for cultural activities like Refugee Week? Tom Green shares approaches to applying to funders including Arts Council and the National Lottery’s Awards for All and Heritage funds.

 

6. Harnessing the Power of Social Media

Katherine Maxwell-Rose, IMIX

We all have powerful stories to tell – but how can we tell them in a way that will gain traction on social media? This workshop will cover which social media platforms and tools to use to best reach your audience and stand out from the crowd. We’ll particularly focus on storytelling techniques, consistent messaging and the importance of visual content. You’ll also learn more about the Refugee Week 2020 social media campaign, how you can be part of it and promoting your own Refugee Week events.