Nottingham Refugee Week is an act of welcome, a gesture of solidarity and a shared celebration with people who are refugees and asylum-seekers in Nottingham. It runs every year from 15th-21st June.

“The global situation has meant we’ve had to put our face-to-face plans for Refugee Week 2020 on hold for this year. But we’re just as excited to share some online events, activities and resources that we’ve put together to keep the spirit of Nottingham Refugee Week alive, so that we can continue to connect, create and imagine in these challenging times. Rest assured that we’ll be ready and rearing to go with the fantastic events we have planned for 2021, when we’ll be able to support refugee communities, educate people on the issues faced by refugees and asylum-seekers, and make our city a truly welcoming place.

In the mean time, why not download our Activity Pack and get creative; tune in for a podcast with award-winning author Christy Lefteri; roll out your yoga mat and stretch those worries away with Bahia Yoga; or join writer Eve Makis for a special online Life-Writing Session? Don’t forget to check out all our other resources too!

We’d love it If you’d share your creative work, and your thoughts about Refugee Week, on social media with us. You can email us at nottinghamrefugeeweek@gmail.com, post to Facebook, tagging @NottinghamRefugeeWeek, or post to Twitter, tagging @NottsRW.”

Just a reminder about the website of Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum which also moved this year:
http://nottsrefugeeforum.org.uk/

http://nottsrefugeeforum.org.uk/were-on-the-move/

About:
Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum (NNRF) is an independent voluntary organisation and registered charity set up in 2000 to work with and for refugees and asylum seekers in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire offering practical advice, information, support and friendship and also campaigning on issues affecting them.

NNRF is run by a volunteer Management Committee, a third of whose members are refugees and asylum seekers. Its supporters include political, religious and students groups, trades unions and concerned individuals, as well as refugees and asylum seekers who have always been involved in the running of NNRF.

Our Mission:
To support Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Nottingham & Nottinghamshire to gain fair and just outcomes, rebuild their lives and integrate into society.

Our Vision:

A society where Asylum Seekers and Refugees are welcomed, receive just and compassionate treatment and support in rebuilding their lives.

We seek to achieve this by:

Providing a welcoming community centre.
Offering specialised advice & support services.
Providing programmes to develop confidence, skills and knowledge.
Campaigning for a just and generous response to Refugees and Asylum Seekers from government and the host community.
Advocating on behalf of individual Asylum Seekers and Refugees in cases of injustice and hardship.

Contact Address: NNRF, The Sycamore Centre, 31 Hungerhill Road, Nottingham, NG3 4NB.
Telephone: (0115) 9601230

Each year Beyond Borders, Nottingham’s Refugee Week coordinating group, creates a newspaper based on the theme of refuge and migration. The aim of the paper is to increase public understanding of issues relating to this topic and to highlight the positive contributions that refugees make to the economic and cultural life of the city.

The paper is very professionally produced and contains a varied selection of articles, some of them informative, some thought provoking, others moving and others entertaining. A copy of last year’s paper can be found here: http://en.calameo.com/read/0003033661f734f664a13.

15,000 copies will be published, and will be free for people to pick up and take home. We hope to reach a very broad audience, and are therefore requesting the help of groups and individuals to help us distribute the paper. We will be making it available in as many doctors’ surgeries, shops, hairdressers and churches as possible, however any additional assistance would be very much appreciated. If any groups have their own venues and are willing to display the paper please could they let us know and we will arrange for copies to be delivered. We can also arrange for copies to be made available at the Volunteer Centre.

Refugee Week 2011 will be 18th-25th June and will bring together a range of community events and activities, all of which will be listed in the paper. If anyone would like to get involved with distributing the Beyond Borders newspaper or helping with any other aspect of the festival please contact me, Juliet Line on 07903114248 or at juliet@culturebox.org

See also: Breaking Borders event – music, poetry, dance and more.

BREAKING BORDERS #3! Saturday June 18th. Launch of Refugee Week in Nottingham 2011!

In conjunction with Hyson Green Youth Club and New Art Exchange.

Come down for a spectacular evening of live music, dance, poetry, visual arts, information, international cuisine…and fun!

We will have an afternoon of FREE dance, music and arts workshops:

First at… New Art Exchange 2pm – 5pm including… Capoeira Brazilian Dance African Dance Drumming Scrap art
Then at… Hyson Green Youth Club 5.30pm – 7.30pm – Kurdish Dance African Storytelling Multi-cultural music

Then an evening of live performance…

BREAKING BORDERS 2011 8pm – 1am

Music

OGGA KATTALOG AND THE GENTLEMEN BANA – Afro-funk to get you dancing…
AISTAGUCA – Balkan Gypsy Wedding band
NGOMA – Zimbabwean sounds, Afro-pop fusion…
UNIQUE WORLD – International music collective feat. Sami Haque
LOUIS CYPHER – First Blood fam.
LOST PROPERTY – Local hip-hop collective
PETRICA BISTRAN – Acoustic Romanian sounds
BLACK FEATHER – Acoustic improvisations

Also live poetry from:

Takunda Chaurura Chingombe
Teodora Todorova
Petrica Bistran
Bessie Ndlovu

Dance…

Traditional Mongolian Dance – Gantuya and Khaliun

Also a range of international fresh cooked food will be on sale

There will also be art displays by local / international artists, information stalls, open mic, bar and other exciting things…

Come down!

Suggested donation: £2 (unwaged) / £3 (low-waged / students) / £5 (waged)

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE TO REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS