Wishing you all a wonderful 2025!

As always, we are hitting the ground running at FE Colleges of Sanctuary HQ - and know that you all will be in colleges too.

But before we get ahead of ourselves...

The start of December saw the fall of Bashar Al-Assad and whilst for many Syrians who have sought safety in the UK, this may be a a huge relief and cause for celebration, it has also brought new uncertainty and anxieties both as the future of Syria remains unclear and with the UK government's new stance on Syrians in the asylum system. With the Home Office pausing decisions on Syrian asylum seekers claims, they are now in limbo and unable to plan for a safe future in the UK.

Whether still waiting for a decision or already having refugee status, this new development is likely to be an incredibly emotional time for Syrians, so bear this in mind for learners, staff and community members in your college. Whilst it's important to check in and let them know you are there if they want to talk about anything, avoid making assumptions about how they might feel or what they might want to do moving forward. 

City of Sanctuary UK signed a joint letter to the Home Secretary alongside over 700 other organisations asking her office to urgently reconsider their decision. We will continue to keep you posted with any information that will help you effectively support Syrians in your school communities.

Read on for the rest of the newsletter - including news from colleges, forthcoming training and some interesting blogs.

Kind regards,
Rosie, Colleges of Sanctuary lead
rosie@cityofsanctuary.org

We're delighted to welcome Hopwood Hall College and Cambridge Regional College as our newest awarded FE Colleges of of Sanctuary - it was amazing to see the work that they have been involved in as part of their award - well done! 

Click here find out more about the awards process.

• 24th January: International Day of Education
• 27th January: Holocaust Memorial Day
• 5th February @ 4pm: Enabling Access to Education for Young People Seeking Sanctuary (Schools of Sanctuary)
• 6th, 12th and 20th February: REUK and CoS UK FE Colleges Training Modules: Refugee Education UK | Training
• 10th-14th February: Together with Refugees Valentine's Day Collective Action (see below for detail)
• 21st February: World Mother Language Day
• 3rd March: #LetAfghanGirlsLearn! Webinar for 14-18 year olds (NE Festival of Languages)

Show your heart for refugees this Valentine's Day!

At the start of February, join the hundreds of people, organisations and institutions (including colleges!) who are coming together to show their support for people seeking seeking sanctuary and urge others across the UK to lead with shared values of kindness and fairness in our treatment of people who have been forced to flee. 

Your college can get involved in a number of ways: 

1. Create a display of kindness by using the orange heart ‘Together with Refugees’ symbol. 
2. Raise money or support your local refugee charity - helping those seeking safety in your local area.
3. Set up a stall in the foyer' to collect students contributions 
4. Collaborate with another local institution like a faith setting, school, library, or university to make a collective display of kindness for people seeking sanctuary – helping to send a clear message that our communities believe in welcome.

Want to learn more and get involved?

Check out the Together With Refugees Toolkit here. 

Together, we are building a culture of welcome. If you understand the vital importance of FE 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.