Join us to gain new skills, grow your networks and reflect on our work and practice, in preparation for Refugee Week 2021 (14-20 June).

Whether you’re involved in arts and culture, sports, education, comms, community organising, a faith community, social enterprise (or something else!) or are just interested in finding out more, everyone is welcome!

The Slow Conference will kick off with a launch event on Thursday 04 February sharing everything you need to know to get take part in Refugee Week 2021. Sign up for the launch event here.

All sessions will be on Zoom. We will email you a link to join in advance of the session you have registered for.

See the full Slow Conference programme below, and click ‘register’ to sign up to your choice of workshops.

*

Refugee Week is an annual festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees, and everyone is welcome to take part by running their own event or activity. Refugee will take place 14-20 June, with the theme ‘We Cannot Walk Alone’.

In the spirit of 'We Cannot Walk Alone', we'd love if you could also pass an invite on to someone who might not otherwise hear about this programme.

Thank you and look forward to seeing you there!

PS. If you're wondering why it's called a Slow Conference, it's because we spread what is usually a day-long programme over several weeks, to maximise Zoom energy :-)

*

PROGRAMME

Thursday 4 February, 11am-12.30pm:

Conference Launch: How to get Involved in Refugee Week 2021 (sign up here)

Tuesday 9 February, 11am – 12.30pm :

Football and Refugees: Learning from Refugee Week and Beyond

Chaired by David Feindouno, Founder and Chair, Plymouth Hope

With:

Bilal Hussain, Community Organiser, Football Welcomes (Amnesty International)

Matthew Barrett, Co-founder, Goal Click

How can football bring communities together, challenge stereotypes and help newcomers feel at home? What do these uncertain times mean for football projects with refugees? A workshop sharing learning from Refugee Week and beyond. Led by David Feindouno, founder* of Plymouth Hope Festival, which before Covid brought newcomers and longstanding residents together in their thousands for a football tournament every Refugee Week.

Thursday 11 February, 11am – 12.30pm :

Running Effective Online and ‘Hybrid’ Events

Chaired by Marcia Chandra, Counterpoints Arts (Clapham Park Creative Coop)

With:

Eleanor Head, Imperial War Museum (Refugee Nights)

Anne Collins and Kezieh Berelson, Mafwa Theatre

A workshop exploring how to run effective and inclusive events in the age of Covid restrictions, including tips for making online events engaging and ways of involving those with limited tech access.

Tuesday 16 February, 11am – 12pm :

Spread the Word: Media and Social Media (Webinar)

Niall Mann and Katherine Maxwell-Rose (IMIX), Shayane Lacey (Counterpoints Arts)

A webinar with practical tools and tips for using media and social media to share stories and promote your activities, for Refugee Week and beyond.

Tuesday 16 February, Tuesday 23 February & Tuesday 02 March 2pm – 3.30pm (repeat sessions, attend one only) :

Media workshop (limited to 10 spaces)

Refugee Week media officer Niall answers your questions about publicising activities through local and regional media, in this interactive session.

Tuesday 16 February, Tuesday 23 February & Tuesday 02 March 2pm – 3.30pm (repeat sessions, attend one only) :

Social Media Workshop (limited to 10 spaces)

Social media specialists Katherine and Shayane answer your questions about using social media effectively to share stories and promote your activities, in this interactive session.

Thursday 18 February 11am – 12.30pm :

Who decides? Supporting Lived Experience Leadership

Chaired by Ali Torabi, Refugee / Programme Manager Rights & Justice - Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

With:

Loraine Masiya Mponela, Chairperson, Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group (CARAG)

Fred Kastner, Director of Social Innovation at TERN

Salani Mutseyami, Former Chair of Nottingham Refugee Week & Refugee Week Leadership Group 2019

Almir Koldzic, Director of Counterpoints Arts

We may be passionate about people with lived experience taking the lead, but how do we actually put this into practice in our organisations and activities? This workshop will explore what ‘lived experience leadership’ really means and ask how we can help make it happen, especially when capacity and resources are limited.

Tuesday 23 February, 11am – 12.30pm:

(Beyond) Storytelling

Chaired by Allan Njanji, Doctoral Researcher: Media and Migration, Nottingham Trent University

With:

Rifaie Tammas, Syrian Activist and PhD researcher at University of Sydney

Survivors Speak Out

Claire Webster Saaremets, Skimstone Arts

Storytelling is a powerful tool for helping us understand and empathise across difference, but asking people to ‘share their story’ also comes with risks. This workshop will explore how storytelling can be done in an ethical and empowering way, as well as asking what alternatives there are to first person testimony.

Thursday 25 February 11am – 12.30pm :

Reaching New Audiences

Facilitator: Tom Green, Counterpoints Arts

Contributors:

Usman Khalid, Founder, Haven Coffee

Giulia Ciccolella: Editor, ekō Magazine

The theme of Refugee Week 2021, ‘We Cannot Walk Alone’, is an invitation to reach beyond our usual circles and make new connections. This workshop will explore how we can engage new audiences in Refugee Week events and activities of all sizes, including when capacity and resources are limited.

Tuesday 2 March, 11am – 12.30pm :

Networking Session in Arabic

Hosted by Rana Ibrahim, Founder and Leader of Iraqi Women Art and War

A networking session in Arabic for anyone involved or interested in arts, cultural or social projects relating to refugees. Join us to find out more about Refugee Week, make new connections and to share projects and ideas.

جلسة للتواصل باللغة العربية

بإستضافة رنا إبراهيم مؤَسِسة (برنامج المرأة العراقية الفن)جلسة للتواصل لكل المهتمين في المشاريع الفنية والثقافية والاجتماعية التي تخص اللاجئين. شاركوا معنا من خلال زووم لتتعرفوا أكثر عن أسبوع اللاجئ، وسِّعوا شبكة معارفكم لمشاركة مشاريع وأفكار.

Thursday 4 March, 11am – 12.30pm:

Racial Justice and Refugee Solidarity

Ambrose Musiyiwa, Doctoral Reseacher at University of Manchester, researching refugee artists, performing arts practices & the UK

Laura Nyahuye, Artist, Designer and Founder of Maokwo

What does Black Lives Matter mean for the refugee solidarity movement? Following the Refugee Week 2021 theme of ‘We Cannot Walk Alone’, this workshop explores how we can bring an informed commitment to racial justice into our work and build connections and solidarity with racial justice campaigns.

Thursday 11 March, 11am – 1pm :

Conference Finale: What We’ve Learned + Networking

What have we learned over the past six weeks, and what’s next? A chance to hear some of the highlights of the Refugee Week Slow Conference and to connect with others from your region or area of interest (always one of the best bits of the Refugee Week Conference!).