FE Colleges of Sanctuary Newsletter

Dear friends,

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and wish you a wonderful start to 2024.

This month we will be focusing on the start of the appraisal process for the 11 FE Colleges who are working towards the award this spring. As this will be our largest cohort of applicant colleges we are thrilled to be seeing such incredible interest - thank you for your patience as we prioritise communication with these colleges during this very busy time.

Read on for updates and information from the immigration sector, the latest teaching and learning resources related to asylum, upcoming events and trainings, and a collective action your college can join to help students be part of something bigger in solidarity with people seeking safety.

As and when you do sanctuary activities, make sure to tag City of Sanctuary UK on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) - I look forward to seeing our network achieves in 2024!

Kind regards,
Sara, Further Education Colleges of Sanctuary Lead
sara.trewhitt@uk.cityofsanctuary.org

Next FE Colleges Network Meeting

Join us for our next FE Colleges Network Meeting on the 5th March from 13.00-14.00.

This time we will focus on the actions FE Colleges can take to enable and empower student voice, particularly for those with lived experience. There will be lots of opportunity for interaction and exchange so come along to connect with and learn from colleagues across the UK!

Register now

Sanctuary over the holidays

Halesowen College proudly share their efforts to ensure wrap-around support to their students seeking sanctuary - even during the holiday periods.

Read on to learn exactly what activities they have developed and how it has been received by students.

Read more

We're delighted to celebrate the reaccreditation of Preston College who were our first awarded FE College of Sanctuary in 2018. A fantastic renewal of their commitment to welcome!

We also send a warm welcome to Cambridge Regional College, Knowsley College, Dundee and Angus College, Hartlepool College, Northumberland College and Sunderland College who have all signed the supporting organisation pledge and taken the first step towards becoming FE Colleges of Sanctuary.

See the full list of currently awarded colleges here.

Click here find out more about the awards process.

Please note that expressions of interest and applications for our spring cohort are now closed. We will share details of upcoming opportunities to apply in later newsletters.

Upcoming events & celebrations

24th January: International Day of Education
27th January: Holocaust Memorial Day
21 February: World Mother Language Day
26th Feb-1st March: Empathy Week
5th March: World Book Day
20th March: International Day of Happiness
21st March: World Poetry Day
21st March: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Upcoming trainings & webinars

5th February at 4pm: Speak up for Sanctuary (City of Sanctuary UK). Register now.
5th March at 1pm: FE Colleges of Sanctuary Network Meeting (Empowering Student Voice). Register now.
Ongoing - Self-guided Trauma Informed ESOL for refugees workshop and training resources from the University of Leicester. Learn more and access.
On demand - various trainings from REUK available, including on education progression, trauma-informed practice, supporting refugee students and more! Learn more

Teaching & Learning Resources

FREE Empathy Week resources. Access webinars, films, resources and events that explore this year's Empathy Week (26th Feb-1st March) theme of 'Home' and develop empathy amongst students.
Student Belonging Survey (Reimagining Migration). Assess your students' sense of belonging in school using this survey.
Families Belong Together: Student Citizenship & Leadership resources and activities. Oxfam created resources to explore refugee family separation & take action. Very helpful to prepare for collective action (below).

Other Opportunities & Resources

Student funding - Apply for small grants of up to £4,500 alongside tailored advocacy support to enable access to higher and further education. Opens on 15th January and closes on 15th April 2024. (Hope for the Young)
Report - Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Early Childhood Education and Care for Refugee and Asylum-Seeker Families in England (UNICEF UK & Refugee Education UK)
Resources & videos - Childhood trauma, war, migration and asylum (UK Trauma Council). Not to be missed!
Report - Surviving in Poverty: A report documenting life on asylum support (Asylum Matters)
Survey - Teachers' Understanding of Youth Radicalisation (Hope Not Hate)
Article - Upgrade English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provisions to supercharge skills, says new report (FE News)
Research - 'Beyond Being Nice': A model for supporting adult ESOL learners who have experienced trauma' (Agbaso & Roberts)

Collective Action Ideas

1. Show Your Heart for Refugees This Valentine's Day

We know our colleges and communities believe in the power of welcome and have gone above and beyond to support new arrivals in the past few years. This Valentine's Day, join hundreds of schools, colleges and other institutions to share positive messages of kindness and compassion for people seeking safety - saying loud and clear we believe in kindness not cruelty. See suggested activities and resources.

2. No Dad Jokes Without Dad

City of Sanctuary and the Refugee Council are asking you to share your bad dad jokes for a good cause! We’re collecting the UK’s favourite dad jokes to raise awareness of refugee children torn apart from their parents by war. Learn more & access resources.

Together, we are building a culture of welcome. If you understand the vital importance of Colleges of Sanctuary, please dig deep and help us to spread welcome in colleges during these very challenging times. Click here to donate. Thank you.

City of Sanctuary UK is a registered charity, no. 1184613.

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