Leicester University of Sanctuary

The International Student Experience Team is running a fun quiz for UoL international students as part of on 21 May. Make sure you join them and check out the full programme of events for Summertime https://le.ac.uk/summertime

Register for our online event - How can UK universities support Higher Education in Palestine? – which will take place from 18:00 to 19:30 (UK time) on 7 March. https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=as2-rtQxAUuVzoJ0r-hT2dhn1wFd04RAhYfPv7tllyxUQkhSRUxVQVU2UzFHRFVSUVpIUDZZWFg2Ny4u

This session will include talks and a panel discussion exploring the challenges faced by the education sector in Palestine both currently and over the past few decades, and will discuss ways in which universities in the UK can provide meaningful support to Palestine’s students, educators and education system as a whole.

Speakers will include:

• Dr Victoria Araj (University of Lincoln), who will contextualise the current situation using the lens of ‘educide’

• Dr Shameq Sayeed (University of Leicester Medical School), who will outline an initiative that he is spearheading to enable Gazan medical students to continue with their studies in the UK and beyond

• Prof. Saida Affouneh (An-Najar National University, Palestine), who will outline an initiative that she is developing to enable Gazan university students to complete their studies via Distance Learning

Register for our online event - Student Finance and Scholarships for UK Undergraduates - which will take place at 1pm on Thursday 7 March. https://forms.office.com/e/MFSWRbr5F6

This session is for students from refugee backgrounds who are looking to apply to a UK university to study for an undergraduate degree. We will explain Student Finance, and discuss the different types of scholarships to look out for, including sanctuary scholarships. We look forward to welcoming you!

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY
This year's Breaking Barriers Refugee Week at the University of Leicester sees the return of our flagship online event - Researching Refugeedom - on Tuesday 5th March. Our three talks will explore different Distance Learning initiatives for people from refugee backgrounds and draw out useful insights on this theme. We will be welcoming:
-Dr Koula Charitonos (Open University) for Reflections on relations, connections and mattering in research with students from refugee backgrounds
-Dr Gabi Witthaus (University College London and University of Birmingham), who will discuss how universities can support refugees to engage online as distance learners based on a case study of online Sanctuary Scholarships
-Aleks Palanac (Head of Sanctuary, University of Leicester) and Deirdre McKenna (University of Leeds) who will share the RefugEAP Case Study: the impact of a free, online trauma-informed English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programme for refugee-background students

Go to https://le.ac.uk/cite/sanctuary-seekers-unit/events/breaking-barriers-refugee-week to find out more and REGISTER NOW!

We are just putting the final touches to our programme of events for Breaking Barriers Refugee Week 2024! Find out about our online events and REGISTER NOW via our webpage: https://le.ac.uk/cite/sanctuary-seekers-unit/events/breaking-barriers-refugee-week

We are putting this (and every day, in fact!) by working hard to create opportunities for people with refugee backgrounds to access university and thrive on their programmes.

Join the social media drive and share what you are doing to put this

The UoL Sanctuary Seekers' Unit will be joining the British Red Cross and a number of other organisations from 10am-4pm this Saturday (17th June) in Leicester's Jubilee Square to celebrate Refugee Week.

There will be information stalls, food, music, face painting, balloon modelling, cultural activities, and much, much more! The free event will be family friendly, and we encourage anyone with an interest to come along (and bring kids/friends, etc).

We will be sharing information about our sanctuary initiatives, so do come along and have a chat with us if you'd like to find out more about these or get involved. If you have any questions about this event, please contact [email protected] . We look forward to seeing you there :)

The Festival of Careers is back for the last time this academic year, giving you access to:

💼 employers
👍 opportunities
📝 career advice and more!

With a whole host of both online and in-person workshops, there’s something for everyone, no matter your degree or year of study.

It’s more than just a careers fair. Plan your week 🔽🔽
👉https://le.ac.uk/career-development-service/festival-of-careers

Volunteer - Leicester City of Sanctuary   Leicester City of Sanctuary takes on volunteers to help with the running of the charity and to provide support for Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Leicester - please check the links on the right to see the positions we currently have available, and download the specifications. We request that all ...

Are you a young person (17 to 25) from refugee background in Leicester (or surrounding area) getting ready to apply for an undergraduate programme for September 2024 entry?

Then APPLY for our Sanctuary Summer School (10 to 14 July 2023) NOW!

Make sure to check details and eligibility criteria on our website: https://le.ac.uk/cite/sanctuary-seekers-unit/study/applicants/summer-school

Thinking of studying for a PhD? Experts from our doctoral college will explain the application process, funding options, how to find a supervisor, and what to expect when you start your doctorate. Book your place here 👇.

📆 Friday 5 May
⏰ 3.00pm - 4.00pm (BST)
💻 https://le.ac.uk/study/postgraduates/webinars?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=pg-2023&utm_content=webinars-april-may-promoted

We are delighted to share that our British Council research report - Beyond Resilience: Facilitating Learning and in the Language Classroom - has gone live this week. This research study focused on language provision for refugee-background students at the University of Leicester, and looked not only at how to help our students learn, but how to enhance well-being. We hope that our findings will be useful to language teachers working with refugee-background students in many contexts around the world. The report can be accessed here:

Beyond resilience: Facilitating learning and well-being in the refugee language classroom The mixed-method project explored the experiences and perceptions of a group of RBSs and their teachers, employing questionnaires, case studies and classroom observations using a lesson study framework. Findings indicated that the RBSs felt positive about learning English and improvements in levels....

As part of the University of Leicester’s Breaking Barriers Refugee Week, we have now launched a set of free online self-access ‘trauma-informed ESOL for refugees’ training materials. These consist of video presentations, reading material and activities. They can be accessed here: https://le.ac.uk/cite/sanctuary-seekers-unit/events/trauma-workshop

This training has been developed to meet an acute need among teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and related fields to build awareness of how trauma can affect students with refugee backgrounds, and what practical strategies teachers can employ to both mitigate the effects of this and begin to promote recovery and growth.

In order to ensure that all practitioners have the opportunity to access this content - whether they are working in the public, HE or voluntary sectors – we have made it freely available in self-access format. Please share with anyone who might benefit from these materials.

Trauma-informed ESOL for refugees: self-access training and workshop Access free trauma informed pedagogy training for ESOL and EAP practitioners who teach English to people from refugee backgrounds

Inviting you to our next Breaking Barriers event, 'Responding to the Ukraine Crisis'. Learn about the Ukraine Consortium, a collaborative cross-university model of practice set up to respond to the Ukraine crisis. With Philip Horspool (University of Leicester), Leonie Ansems de Vries (King’s College London), Jhumar Johnson (Open University) and Jane Robinson (Newcastle University).

📅 Thur 9 Mar
⏰ 10 – 11am
▶️ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/responding-to-the-ukraine-crisis-a-collaborative-cross-university-model-tickets-549128055797

Researching Refugeedom is back and focusing on language barriers to HE, peer-led, mental health intervention for refugees and climate migration. With Eva Hanna (University of Glasgow PhD researcher), Dr Helen Lloyd (Associate Professor at the University of Plymouth), and Sue Willman (Assistant Director at King’s College London Legal Clinic).

📅 Tue 7 Mar
⏰ 1 – 3pm
📍 Online
👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researching-refugeedom-2023-tickets-540883325587

After last year's success, our Citizens of Change panel discussion is back on Friday 3 March focusing on three inspiring individuals who set up their own charities to support people from refugee backgrounds.

Do you want to be next? Sign up NOW for this free online event!
Alison Birch (After18), Kal Karim (Karim Foundation) and Catherine Gladwell (Refugee Education UK) will share their knowledge and tips with you!

Panel Discussion: Setting up a charity that supports refugees This year’s Citizens of Change panel discussion explores the journeys of three amazing individuals who have set up their own charities.

Breaking Barriers Refugee Week 2023's programme of events is now LIVE!

We are excited to hear about more fascinating research, inspiring citizens of change, and ground-breaking initiatives from across the UK and beyond! Our events are online, free and open to the public so please share widely with your networks!

Breaking Barriers Refugee Week University of Leicester Sanctuary Seekers' Unit Breaking Barriers Refugee Week 2022 programme of events.

We are just adding the final touch to our programme of events for Breaking Barriers Refugee Week (3 to 10 March 2023)... but here is a little teaser...

On Monday 6th March, we will introduce the ground-breaking RefugEAP Programme, which is a free online pre-university academic English skills programme for refugee-background students across the UK. It has been developed by Deirdre McKenna at the University of Leeds and Aleks Palanac at the University of Leicester. Book your place on Eventbrite now!

Introducing the RefugEAP Programme Find out about RefugEAP, a free online pre-university academic English skills programme for refugee-background students across the UK.

To support those who have been affected by the recent 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Syria and Turkey, a Red Cross fundraising drive will be taking place this week in:

📍 Percy Gee Building, Students' Union Square
⏰11.00am-4.00pm

Students on the stall will provide information on local Leicester organisations that are accepting donations to be sent to Turkey, Syria or Lebanon and what items are needed. There will also be opportunities to donate directly to the Red Cross.

👉 http://ow.ly/C5F750MQxGz

Delighted to share that our RefugEAP Programme (developed in partnership with University of Leeds) features in a new British Council Teaching English podcast episode focusing on academic English. Developing academic English is a key need for refugee background students hoping to access university, but opportunities to access suitable provision are often sorely lacking. The RefugEAP Programme seeks to redress this situation, offering free online academic English provision delivered in a needs-based and trauma-informed way by volunteer tutors and supported by a number of key partner organisations, including RefuAid, Password | English Language Testing and Screen Share UK . In this podcast, you can hear from the students, tutors and course developers about the whats, hows and whys of the programme, and the impact that it is having on our students.

The link to the podcast episode page is here (with the part about RefugEAP starting at 18:30): https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/professional-development/podcast/teaching-english/british-council-teachingenglish-podcast-what

You can read more about this programme here: https://le.ac.uk/cite/sanctuary-seekers-unit/initiatives/refugeap

Due to the UCU industrial action, we have decided to delay the start of this year's Breaking Barriers Refugee Week. It will now be taking place from Friday 3 to Friday 10 March 2023. Watch this space for updates about our exciting programme of events!

Please note that we will not be running any RWBB event on Wednesday 8 March to avoid conflicts with International Women's Day.

After18 are looking for volunteer tutors to support young refugees in Leicester. Please share widely.

📢 Happening next week! 📢

Register your free place via Eventbrite 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/473248347547

Refugee Education UK City of Sanctuary

Displaced Student Opportunities Portal: Launch Event Join Refugee Education UK, STAR and Universities of Sanctuary for the launch event of the Displaced Student Opportunities UK portal.

We're almost to the end of the Big Give now, but until tomorrow everything donated will be doubled - so help us to continue providing valuable support for Asylum Seekers as they rebuild their lives in Leicester.

Link! https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/campaign/a056900002NBiwAAAT