Refugee Week at Kent: Celebrating contributions, compassion, and community

Refugee Week, a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity, and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary, is just around the corner. During the week and beyond we’re proud to host a series of events and activities aimed at fostering compassion, understanding, and connection within our diverse community. We also have more information including further reading suggestions, films, documentaries, and other resources that provide a deeper insight into the experiences of refugees on our Refugee Week hub.

Guided walk

On Wednesday 21 June, we have a series of events for students, staff, and members of the local community to learn more about the experiences of refugees and come together as a community and develop our collective sense of belonging through a shared learning experience – and also enjoy some delicious food from around the world.

We are partnering with the Refugee Tales project to host a guided trail on our Canterbury campus. Refugee Tales was co-founded by David Herd, Professor of Poetry at Kent, and enables writers to collaborate with asylum seekers, refugees and people in indefinite detention who share their stories. Taking Chaucer’s great poem of journeying – The Canterbury Tales – as a model, writers tell a series of tales as they walk in solidarity with detainees.

We’re inviting everyone in the community to walk through our campus, listen to experiences of detainees, and reflect together on how we can mobilise to be a force for positive change. Meet us outside the Gulbenkian Café at 12:00 to join our guided walk where you’ll listen to the powerful and inspiring experiences of refugees and get a chance to reflect at the Kent community Oasis Garden.

A Taste of Migration: Sharing food and culture

After the walk, at 13:00, join us on the Registry Lawn for free tasters of food from different cultures including fish and chips, Kerala curry, falafel, hummus and breads, as we reflect on the vibrant mix of cultures that has shaped our tastes and inspired collaboration between people.

Open lecture: Migrants, Fish and Chips, and Britishness

Professor Panikos Panayi, Professor of European History, De Montfort University, will be giving a talk in the Templeman Library DG02 (just off Nexus) on the history of Britain’s most popular take-away meals, and explore the role of migrant communities in the development of the fish and chip trade between 14:00 – 15:00.

Follow the Refugee Tales Trail

From 19 June to 31 August, we invite you, along with your families, friends, and dogs (!) to follow the Refugee Tales Trail at your leisure. Pick up a free map at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre (or download one from the Refugee Week webpage) and embark on this enlightening journey.

Donations

We’re collecting clean men’s clothes & shoes for detained migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. The clothes you donate will be passed onto volunteers at the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWG) to distribute to people who are in need of these items. Find out more about how and what to donate here. 

You can also donate to our Sanctuary fund and help change lives through our Santuary scholarships. Every year we give three refugees and asylum seekers every year the opportunity to receive a University of Kent education. The scholarships cover a full fee waiver for an undergraduate programme as well as small maintenance grants. Find out more about the scholarships, and how to make a contribution here.