5 – 11 June 2015
CELEBRATING REFUGEES
Monday 15 June – Sunday 21 June 2015
Refugee Week, which is
a programme of cultural
and educational events and
activities across the whole
of the UK, celebrates the
positive contributions that
refugees have made to the
UK. Refugees are people who
are forced to leave a country
for their own safety, often
during times of war.
Established in 1998, the week is
made up of a number of events designed to showcase
the talent and knowledge that many refugees bring to
the country. There are photography exhibitions, film
screenings, concerts, talks, workshops and more. Some
events are exclusively for young people.
As well as celebrating refugees, Refugee Week also
aims to show British people the reality of the refugee
experience and why it is they are forced to flee their
homes and loved ones to seek a safer life elsewhere.
The event coincides with World Refugee Day, which
is on Saturday 20 June. That event is organised by the
United Nations. According to them, there were 16.7
million refugees worldwide at the end of 2013. Most
refugees – almost 90% – live in developing countries.
The population of refugees
and people who have applied for
refugee status in the UK makes up
just 0.23% of our total population.
That works out as 126,055 refugees
and 23,070 people still waiting
to find out if they will be allowed
to settle in the UK. The top three
countries that our refugees are
originally from are Pakistan, Iran
and Sri Lanka.
One of the most famous
refugees in the UK is the singer
Rita Ora. She and her family fled
Kosovo in 1991 and settled in
London.
People arriving in the UK from Uganda after fleeing
from Idi Amin in 1972.
News Story Original Version
To find out what events are
taking place in your area, or to get
involved, visit the Refugee Week
website www.refugeeweek.org.uk
schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org
5 – 11 June 2015
CELEBRATING REFUGEES
Monday 15 June – Sunday 21 June 2015
Refugee Week is a time to think about the
people who have come to the UK from all
over the world as refugees. It celebrates the
many positive ways that refugees have added
to our society. Refugees are people who are
forced to leave a country for their own safety,
often during times of war.
First held in 1998, the week is made up of a large
number of events held across the UK. The events celebrate
the talent and knowledge that refugees bring to the
country.
There are photography exhibitions, film screenings,
concerts, talks, workshops and more. Some events are
exclusively for young people.
Refugee Week also aims to show British people what
it is really like to be a refugee. It wants to help people
understand why refugees are forced to flee their homes
and loved ones to seek a safer life elsewhere.
World Refugee Day takes place during the week, on
Saturday 20 June. This event is organised by the United
Nations. According to them, there were 16.7 million
refugees worldwide at the end of 2013.
Most refugees – almost 90% – live in
developing countries.
There are 126,055 refugees in the UK
and 23,070 other people still waiting to
find out if they will be allowed to settle
in the UK. The top three countries that
our refugees are from are Pakistan, Iran
and Sri Lanka.
One of the most famous refugees in
the UK is the singer Rita Ora. She and her
family fled Kosovo in 1991 and settled in
London.
To find out what events are taking
place in your area, or to get involved,
visit the Refugee Week website www.
refugeeweek.org.uk
CELEBRATING REFUGEES
ADDITIONAL FACTS AND FIGURES
KEY
The top five countries
of origin for refugees:
5
3
2
2
1
1
4
4
1Afghanistan
2Syria
3Somalia
4Sudan
5Democratic
Republic of the
Congo
The top five countries
which provide homes
for refugees:
3
1Pakistan
2Iran
3Lebanon
4Jordan
5Turkey
5
Map showing where most
refugees flee from and the
countries that provide the
most homes for refugees.
Why do people become refugees?
Persecution
People are forced to flee their homes when their way
of life, human rights, even their lives are under threat.
People become refugees because they feel they have no
other choice.
Many people become refugees because they suffer
hatred and violence in their home country. This may be
because of their political or religious beliefs, or because
they belong to a particular ethnic or social group.
The word refugee came into the English language
in the 17th Century from the French, when around
50,000 French people fled to England. They were being
persecuted in Catholic France for believing in a different
kind of Christianity.
War & conflict
War is the main reason why people are forced to leave
their homes. Afghanistan is the source of the largest
number of refugees in the world because of the conflict
and violence which has been going on in that country for
decades.
Syria is now a close second because of the brutal civil
war which began there in 2011. By the end of 2013, 6.5
million people had been forced to move within Syria and
2.5 million had become refugees.
Natural disasters
People can also be displaced (forced to leave their
home) because of natural disasters, such as earthquakes
and typhoons. The UN estimates that 2.8 million people
were displaced because of the recent earthquakes in
Nepal.
CELEBRATING REFUGEES
ADDITIONAL FACTS AND FIGURES
Understanding the terms
Words such as refugee and asylum seeker are used
a lot in the news. What exactly do they mean and why
are these names important?
Refugee
A refugee is someone who has had to leave their
home country to find refuge: a safer place to be. A
refugee has a legal right to be protected.
Asylum Seeker
The term ‘asylum seeker’ has a similar meaning
as refugee: it is someone who is seeking asylum
(protection) from another country. However, the law
makes a distinction between the two.
An asylum seeker is the name given to someone who
has come to a country and asked a government for
refugee status but is waiting to hear the outcome of
their application. Only if the application is accepted are
they legally considered to be a refugee and are given
the right to stay.
Internally displaced people
About two-thirds of the people in the world who
have been forced to leave their homes remain within
their own country. They are known as internally
displaced people (IDPs).
The Exodus Festival celebrates the arts and culture of the
diverse.
Facts & figures
Half of the world’s refugees in 2013 were children
under 18 years. The highest figure in a decade.
The top ten countries of origin for refugees living in
Britain, are: Pakistan (3,343), Iran (2,417), Sri Lanka
(1,808), Syria (1,669), Eritrea (1,377), Albania (1,326),
Bangladesh (1,123), Afghanistan (1,040), India (965),
Nigeria (915).
CELEBRATING REFUGEES
KEY TOPIC VOCABULARY
CAN you match the correct definition to the key words in this news story?
refuge
The United Nations refugee agency (The Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees). The agency leads international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide.
UNHCR
a war fought by different groups of people in the same country
refugee
a person who has been forced to leave their home but remains within
their own country
asylum
a person who has asked a government for refugee status and the right
to stay in that country
asylum seeker
unfair or cruel treatment because of race, religion or political beliefs
displaced person
or IDP
a place that gives shelter or protection from danger
persecution
protection given by a country to people who have been forced to
leave their home country
civil war
a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to
escape war, persecution, or natural disaster
CELEBRATING REFUGEES
KNOW THE FACTS
FIND the answers to these questions to make sure you know the facts behind the news story:
1) What is a refugee?
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2) What happens during Refugee Week and what are the aims of the week?
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3) According to the United Nations, how many refugees are there in the world? How many of these live in Britain?
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4) What are the top five source countries of the world’s refugees?
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5) What are the three main reasons why people are forced to leave their home and become refugees?
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CELEBRATING REFUGEES
POINTS OF VIEW
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Discuss these questions with other people to develop your ideas.
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1) Refugees ha
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arrive in a fore
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with very little
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think this must
ncerns do you
worries and co
ople have?
think these pe
2) What would
you miss
about your ho
me and your
local area if it
became too
dangerous for
you to live in
and you were
forced to flee?
4) If you were fo
rced to leave
your home, wh
at would you
take with you
if you could
pack up a car?
What would
you take if you
could only
take one small
bag?
ou
lties do y
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iffi
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t
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3) Wha
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r
a
think
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5) Why do you
ry positive
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SHARE your thoughts on these questions with your partner school.
CELEBRATING REFUGEES
VOTE, COMMENT, ACT
CAN you explore this news story even further?
1) TAKE PART IN A REFUGEE WEEK EVENT
There are hundreds of Refugee Week events taking part across the UK. It’s easy to search and find your local events
on the Refugee Week website:
www.refugeeweek.org.uk
Can you involve your partner school in the week? Find out if your partner school’s country has ever had a time
where refugees have had to leave the country for some reason, or has their country provided a home for refugees from
other places?
2) JOIN THE SIMPLE ACTS CAMPAIGN
The people behind Refugee Week have created a campaign called Simple Acts:
www.simpleacts.org.uk
On the website, there are 24 simple ideas of things you can do to help tell the world about the plight of refugees.
There is a huge variety of ideas, for example:
Cook a dish from another country
Do a quiz
Define the word ‘refuge’
Watch a film
All you need to do is: choose an action, do it, and tell the world you’ve done it (on the website).
3) READ A BOOK
Reading a story is an excellent way to find out about experiences very different to your own. Here are some
suggestions for books written about the experiences of refugees, or about people suffering persecution at home:
The Breadwinner (A girl’s life under Taliban
rule) – Deborah Ellis (Afghanistan)
Zlata’s Diary – Zlata Filipovic
(Bosnia)
Christophe’s Story – Nicki Cornwell
(Rwanda)
Smiling for Strangers – Gaye Hicyilmaz
(Bosnia)
The Other Side of Truth – Beverly Naidoo
(Nigeria)
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit – Judith Kerr
(Germany)
The Colour of Home – Mary Hoffman
(Somalia)
Waiting for Anya – Michael Morpurgo
(Germany)
Share your ideas with your partner school.