Town of Sanctuary Training (2019-20)

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Town of Sanctuary Training was a three hour interactive training which built understanding of:

• why people are forced to leave their home country

• the experiences and rights of people seeking safety

• the picture for refugees globally and in Wales

• good practice to welcome sanctuary seekers in your community or organisation.

 

This powerful training was delivered in Wrexham, by Town of Sanctuary Trainers, who are experts by experience. We are extremely privileged that the trainers shared their time and energy to develop and deliver training. Previous training has been attended by representatives from North Wales Police, Wrexham County Borough Council, NHS, Coleg Cambria, faith groups, charities, third sector organisations, and Sanctuary groups. Participant said:

• “I found the day both educational and emotional - thank you”

• “The four trainers were really good – interesting and engaging. The whole event was excellent. Also the film video clips were good and the overall structure of the afternoon was well planned and presented”

• “The training was particularly powerful”

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Unfortunately the pandemic paused the training, and there is no longer capacity to run it. Useful sources of information and training are shared below.

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Resources

This guidance on how to be be more welcoming to people seeking safety was created for the Town of Sanctuary Training. The ideas listed may not be suitable or relevant to all situations, they are just points to get you thinking. We encourage you to keep in mind that every person is an individual, and every story is unique.

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Below we have listed links to films and resources that share the experiences of  people seeking safety:

Films from BBC Bitesize telling the stories of children and young people who have found safety in the UK:

• Ali’s journey from Afghanistan

• Navid's journey from Iran 

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Films created by young people aged 11-25  who are  refugees or seeking asylum in the UK and part of the the Surviving to Thriving Project. The films explore their experiences and also look at the challenges people seeking safety face:

• Dreams

• Asylum

• Prejudice

• Eighteen

• Family Reunion

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I am Me/ Fi Di Fi ail-gartrefu

Trilingual video made with children who have arrived in Bangor through the Syrian Resettlement Programme (SVPRS).

These powerful films created by Save the Children use actors to portray the experiences many families face when war and conflict occur. Each second of the films shows a snapshot of a day in the life of a child as her family are forced to leave their home, and eventually their country, because it is not safe.

• Second a day – part 1

• Second a day – part 2 

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Interview with Nadia Murad

This is an interview with Nadia Murad, an Iraqi Yazidi woman, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for her work to end sexual violence as a weapon of war. 

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I am a Refugee, poem by Ifrah Mansour

 

VOICES Ambassadors film
The VOICES Network is a collective of experts by experience who share powerful insights into what it’s like to seek safety. Here are a few ways you can hear from them:

• Listen to VOICES' award-winning 'We are VOICES' podcast.

• Follow on Twitter and Instagram @VOICESNetworkUK.

• Check our their blog.

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The global picture for refugees, and the number of people forced to seek safety can change dramatically day by day. UNHCR figures at a glance  and the British Red Cross are a good starting point for information, and many other expert organisations produce a wide variety of content sharing the experiences of people seeking safety. British Red Cross also offer free teaching resources to help children and young people understand migration and the experiences of refugees.

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There are many other fantastic training opportunities out there, such as webinars offered by City of Sanctuary, recordings of which are shared afterwards on their YouTube page. The City of Sanctuary website also host many informative resources to help communities be more welcoming to people seeking safety.