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Dear friends,

As the Refugee Ban Bill faces strong resistance in the House of Lords, campaigners and groups throughout our network continue to speak out against it. Together we are loud, together we are strong. Read on for ways you can get involved - including Hospitality Not Hostility, the new campaign from the Together With Refugees coalition.

Wishing everyone a very happy Refugee Week on 19-25th June - a much needed and timely celebration of the contributions and creativity of people seeking sanctuary.

Please help spread the word, share this newsletter round-up with your friends, supporters and networks.

To get daily updates, follow our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Refugee Week resources! With Refugee Week just around the corner, you can find some resources here for simple and quick ways to get involved including colouring-in, printable posters for your windows and walls and activities for schools and children. Holing an event? don't forget to upload it onto the Refugee Week calendar.

Wear your heart on your sleeve with our brand new range of t-shirts, tote bags and art prints. All of our merchandise is sustainable, ethical and organic. Each item is printed to order in the UK to avoid waste. ⁣
⁣Best of all, every penny of profit helps us build this movement of welcome for people seeking sanctuary. Buy yours in time for Refugee Week.

Local Councils stepping up. We are thrilled to see many local authorities within our networks starting to pubish formalised strategies resulting in a coherent and transparent approaches to supporting people of sanctuary seeking background. Thanks to our local groups, these are being co-produced with the help of the voluntary sector and people with lived experience. Read them here.

Annual conference and AGM in Birmingham. We are delighted to invite you all to this big annual meet-up. This year's will have a focus on how to mobilise our networks to stand up for refugee rights - we hope to have workshops on Campaigning, Community Mobilisation, Reaching into the Mainstream, Co-Production, Race and Power, Governance, Group Growth and Sustainability and Pushing Back the Far Right - as well as plenty of opportunities to network with other groups. Register now

Last year saw growth in our networks like never before - but now our longer term future hangs in the balance. Two of our major funding grants will come to an end next year. That's the majority of our core funding. We need you to stand with us at this critical moment. If you can, please become a regular monthly donor. Your support will help us weather this storm and plan for the future.

If you have any ideas or want to support us further during these difficult times, please reach out to our Chief Officer on [email protected]

A huge congratulations to Oxford University who are now a University of Sanctuary! This is a huge achievement involving all thirty colleges. Congratulations to all the staff and students who made this happen. Read about their award here.

Well done to St Mark's Catholic Primary School and St John Wall Catholic Secondary School both in Birmingham, Wombridge Primary School, Telford, and Knowsley Central School, Knowslet, who are now Schools of Sanctuary and to Bluecoat Aspley Academy, Nottingham, Bantock Primary School, Wolverhampton, and Newman Catholic College, Brent who have all been re-accredited.

Congratulations to Cardiff and Vale College who are now a Further Education College of Sanctuary, to Newbury Library who are now a Library of Sanctuary, Nailsea Methodist Church who are now a Church of Sanctuary, and to The Art House Wakefield who have been re-accredited as a Studio of Sanctuary.

Finally a warm welcome to Leeds City Council who have joined our Local Authority Network.

Each one of these awards is assessed by a panel which includes as a minimum, a local member of City of Sanctuary, someone with lived experience of seeking sanctuary and an expert in the field. An award lasts three years when it then must then be re-assesed. Find out more about the awards process here.
Campaigns, actions and notable dates
 

Hospitality not Hostility: Refugee Week 19-25th June
Together With Refugees are inviting everyone in the coalition – and beyond! – to show #HospitalityNotHostility by hosting a community meal or tea and inviting your MP. They have produced a toolkit with top tips on how to create an impactful event.

The Refugee Ban Bill
As the #RefugeeBanBill faces strong resistance in the House of Lords, across the UK campaigners continue to speak out against it, including Rainbow Migration, Just Right Scotland, Liberty, NACCOM, Praxis, Rene Cassin and Women for Refugee Women who have jointly launched a petition calling on the Prime Minister to abandon the Bill and protect LGBTQI+ lives. Add your name here.

European Covention on Human Rights
A petition has been set up on the UK Parliament website calling on the Government to remain a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, departure from which has been advocated by the Home Secretary to aid efforts to remove people seeking asylum. Add your name here.

The High Street Challenge
The Lift the Ban campaign have created a new toolkit of resources to help you take part in the High Street Challenge. This is all about getting buinesses in your local area engaged in theLift the Ban campaign and using their influence and voice to lobby for change.

Call on your local authority to fight the #AntiRefugeeLaws
Local Authorities have a vital role to play in demonstrating local and regional opposition to these appalling measures. You can call on your Local Authority to stand with its communities and pledge to fight the anti-refugee laws by getting involved with our Local Authority network and by using Asylum Matter's newly updated resources, which include a template motion.

Notable upcoming dates:
Pride Month
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month
Volunteers' Week - 1-7th June
Refugee Week - 19-25th June
Grenfell Tower Fire Anniversary - 14th June
Fathers' Day - 18th June
World Refugee Day - 20th June

If any City of Sanctuary groups have any plans for these dates, please let our Communications Manager know on [email protected]
Events, resources and opportunities
 

Hostile Documentary Screening and Q&A
We are excited to announce a special screening of the award-winning documentary, Hostile, along with a live Q&A with Director Sonita Gale and poet, campaigner and Sanctuary Ambassador Loraine Masiya Mponela. Join us on June 14 at 6pm - register your free place here.

Poetry Readings with The Other Side of Hope Magazine
To mark Refugee Week, we are delighted to host an evening of poetry readings from poets published by The Other Side of Hope. Join us on 22 June at 7:30pm. Register your free place now.

Libraries of Sanctuary Award Info Session
Join us on July 5 at 11am for a quick fire session to learn about the award process and for us to answer any questions. This is geared towards groups or Libraries that are looking to either assess or apply for an award. Register here.

Sanctuary and the Arts Awards Information Session
Join us on July 5 at 10am for a quick fire session to learn about the award process and for us to answer any questions. This is geared towards groups or arts institutions that are looking to either assess or apply for an award. Register here.

Growing & Supporting Groups: Co-Production
Join us on July 6 at 12:30 for a session facilitated by City of Sanctuary UK co-chair and Refugee Council’s Head of Refugee Involvement, Yusuf Çiftçi, for one of the series of workshops designed to support City of Sanctuary groups and awarded organisations to involve people with lived experience in every aspect of their work. Register here.

Free trauma-informed training for City of Sanctuary groups
The IRC is offering free trauma-informed training to community groups working with forcibly displaced people. This is a 3-part training course which covers safe spaces, community building, cultural competence, and supporting individuals as they rebuild their lives here in the UK. Find out more and register your interest here.

Introduction to City of Sanctuary Session
New to City of Sanctuary or just plain curious? Join us online on 27 June at 12pm for an introduction to our work, this movement and how you can get stuck in. Register your place here.

On Our Doorstep documentary screenings
This film is a behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary grassroots movement that rose to aid the Calais ‘Jungle'. Catch it at special screenings across the UK followed by a Q&A with director Thomas Laurance and other special guests. See confirmed dates and venues here.

Sanctuary Runners: sport and solidarity
Sanctuary Runners is a solidarity-through-sport initiative in Ireland which uses running, jogging and walking to bring together people seeking sanctuary and all Irish residents. Watch this video to find out more. If any groups or local councils are interested in running similar initiatives you can reach out to the Sanctuary Runners team for advice.

Cost of Living Crisis and NRPF
Praxis have published a briefing about how people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) in the UK are faring in the cost of living crisis. Read it here.

Free English course for Ukrainian speakers
Babbel are offering free online English, German or Polish courses for Ukrainian speakers via their website or app. Find out more here.

How to find and bid for a fund: video
Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers have put together a useful webinar video covering how small groups can find and bid for funds - watch it here.

Planning for the end of hosting: webinar
Join Migration Yorkshire on 27 June at 7pm for a webinar to help you plan for the end of your Homes for Ukraine hosting from the very beginning. They will discuss tools and techniques to help your guest to prepare for living independently, navigating system on their own and make informed decisions about their future. Register here.

Report: connection between anti-refugee rhetoric and far right activity
Hope Not Hate have released a new report which is stark proof that the Government is not taking the far-right threat seriously, but actively feeding it through their rhetoric. Read it here.

Volunteer English tutors needed
Conversation Over Borders are looking for volunteer English tutors to support their English and Befriending Project, connecting people 1-1 online with someone seeking asylum in the UK. Find out more here.

The Great Get Together 23-25 June
Inspired by the late Jo Cox MP and her message of unity, twice a year people are encouraged to come together in their communities and make new connections. Find out more and get involved here.

Free textiles and fashion workshops for people seeking sanctuary in London
Join the University of Arts London for free making and learning workshops exploring the themes of identity, culture, place, and community. Find out more here.
Job opportunities
 

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