We are seeking someone passionate about refugee rights, with experience leading or coordinating a project and lived experience of displacement, to join the Refugee Week partnership as Co-Chair

Time commitment: Approx. 5 days per annum

Location: Anywhere in UK

Term: 2-4 years

Apply by: 27 April 2022

Remuneration: A fee of £1000 (including expenses) per year is available for unsalaried applicants who can be paid

About Refugee Week

Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. It takes place annually around World Refugee Day on 20 June. Refugee Week is an umbrella festival, with hundreds of organisations, groups and individuals holding events across the country every year.

Through a programme of arts, cultural, sports and educational events alongside media and creative campaigns, Refugee Week enables people from different backgrounds to connect beyond labels, as well as encouraging understanding of why people are displaced, and the challenges they face when seeking safety.  Refugee Week is a platform for people who have sought safety in the UK to share their experiences, perspectives and creative work on their own terms.

Refugee Week is a partnership made up of refugee organisations, NGOs and other relevant organisations, coordinated by Counterpoints Arts. The role of the Refugee Week partnership is to help coordinate, promote and deliver Refugee Week, including by supporting and the network of Refugee Week event organisers across the country and helping it to grow.

This Role

This new role is an exciting development for Refugee Week, and follows a review of our Terms of Reference in winter 2021. The Co-Chair will be working alongside the current Chair, Enver Solomon (CEO of Refugee Council), to support the Refugee Week Steering Group of partner organisations, and act as a spokesperson and ambassador for Refugee Week.

Personal Specification

You will:

  • Have at least two years’ experience leading or coordinating a relevant project or campaign (paid or voluntary)
  • Be actively engaged in refugee and migrant rights, arts, culture and social change, or a related field
  • Be committed to the values of Refugee Week
  • Have lived experience of displacement, which here we define as having personally been through the asylum system, a resettlement programme, or otherwise lived in exile (if you have questions about this, please let us know)

Role Description

Working alongside the current chair, you will:

  • Be a spokesperson and ambassador for Refugee Week in relevant contexts, e.g. at events and in the media
  • Help to ensure that the Refugee Week partnership continues to work collaboratively towards shared values and goals
  • Facilitation and chairing of steering meetings
  • Support the Refugee Week coordinators as required
  • Ensure that financial control measures are in place and monitored by the hosting agency managing the budget (Counterpoints Arts)

To apply, please send a CV and short cover letter (no more than 1 page) to emily@counterpoints.org.uk by 27 April 2022. You can also send you cover letter as a video or audio file (no more than 5 minutes).

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your suitability for this role, please contact Emily on emily@counterpoints.org.uk.