Jersey Refugee Week 19th to 25th June 2017 Different Pasts Shared Futures Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Howard Zinn, Historian Programme of arts, cultural and educational events and activities that celebrates the contribution of refugees to the UK and promotes better understanding of why people seek sanctuary. Help support this week. Every penny counts www.gofundme.com/refugee-week-jersey
What is Refugee Week? This year local charity Jersey Cares; Refugee Aid Group is proud to be part of Refugee Week for the first time, which aims to celebrate the contribution of refugees to Britain. As part of Refugee Week, which runs between Monday 19th and Sunday 25th June, a number of events has been planned on the Island. Refugee Week takes place across the world and provides a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events which encourages individuals to better understand the contributions of refugees as part of our communities. The week-long event was started in 1998 as a direct reaction to hostility in the media and society in general towards refugees and asylum seekers. As an established part of the UK s cultural calendar, Refugee Week is now one of the leading national initiatives working to counter this negative climate, defending the importance of sanctuary and the benefits it can bring to both refugees and host communities. The main aims of Refugee Week are: to encourage a diverse range of events; to showcase the talent and expertise that refugees bring with them to the UK; to explore new and creative ways of addressing the Refugee Crisis and to provide information which educates and raises awareness of the reality of refugee experiences. A team of volunteers and supporters has put together a full programme of events together that will run over the month, focusing on Refugee Week. Those taking part include artists, poets, children and musicians who will come together in a series of positive events celebrating diversity and community. We share stories from our lives to create a space to meet the individual behind the refugee label. We believe that reaching out is necessary for all of our communities to flourish; that connection is the antidote to fear. Agnes Matthews, Hulum Theatre Productions The project has been challenging in many ways, but it is a labour of love for Lizi, Maria & myself. As the Jersey artwork is submitted, there is a fascinating contrast emerging between the work of the refugees and the local community. When the exhibition is presented in the Berni gallery, I think it will tell a moving visual story of privilege and desperation, stability and frustrated hope, but with a positive message at its heart. Ian Rolls, Artist, Made with Love
Refugee Week Events June 2017 Tuesday 6th - Saturday 24th Made with Love Art Exhibition @ Jersey Arts Centre Exhibition of small art works created by refugee children at Camp Veria in Greece, through links with Guernsey charity Bridge2. These works have been brought back to the island and a response has been created by Jersey resident artists, signifying teamwork and joint effort. Kindly funded by the Jersey Arts Trust and assisted by Highlands College, the Jersey Arts Centre and Cafejac. Monday 19th to Saturday 24th ALL WEEK - Refugee Week @ Jersey Library Exhibition of books on show on the theme of refugees for the entire week. ALL WEEK BBC Radio Jersey Morning Show @ Live on 88.8fm or 1026mw Every morning a short 5 minute play will explore issues around the Refugee Crisis: the fragility and strength of the human spirit in the face of conflict, terror and global narratives beyond their own control. Based on interviews with refugees, volunteers, and World War II evacuees from Jersey, these short plays address the central question so many in our world have faced, and continue to face today: at what point do you get on a boat, and leave home? Monday 19th - 19.30 Films Dead End & Fire at Sea @ Societe Jersiaise, Pier Rd Dead End (2015) 9 mins. Libya s political chaos makes its territory a land of opportunity for human smugglers. Thousands of illegal migrants end up forgotten, in one of the 19 detention centres. Fire at Sea (2016) 108 mins Gianfranco Rosi s Berlin Golden Bear winning documentary makes an incisive, poignant and deeply moving portrait of the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa and the humanitarian crisis occurring in the seas around it. Tuesday 20th - Thursday 22rd Hulum & Love Theatre School Tour @ Island Schools Love Theatre and visiting theatre group Hulum from Holland - Agnes, Wassim and Zana will be touring schools to perform an abridged version of the successful production of Home, as well as dance workshops in schools. Wednesday 21st - 13.10 to 13.50 Art Exhibition Film and Q&A @Jersey Arts Centre An opportunity to view a 4-5 minute film created at Camp Veria depicting events during the artist s visit to create Made with Love. Followed by Q&A with artists and JCRAG.
Wednesday 21st - Evening Dance Work Shop with Wassim @ Location TBC Open Dance Workshop. Learn and perform Middle Eastern Folk Dance Dapke. Essential to dancer and choreographer Wassim Al Razzaz Dalal s practice is his belief that everybody can dance. If you can feel your heartbeat, if you can hear your breath, you can dance. These workshops will be about enjoying movement and how you communicate with yourself on a physical level. Thursday 22nd - 18:30 to 20:30 Poetry & Compassion Evening @ Bean Around the World Moving and hopeful evening about the Refugee Crisis. Join us for recitals, coffee and food. Friday 23rd Evacuees Talk @ Jersey Library Jean McLaughlin, founder and chairman of the Jersey Evacuees Association speaks. Friday 23rd - 18.30 & 20.00 Home Performance with Q&A @ Jersey Opera House Studio (Limited Seats Available) Through straightforward storytelling and a spirit of openness we explore themes such as home, survival, loss and family, by drawing from the lives and personal perspectives of the three performers. In the same personal way, we examine the concept of the stranger and our capacity for connection. Friday 23rd - 19.00 to 23.00 Refugee Rock @ Troubadour Pub Live music from local bands including The Engine, with a fundraising rally for Refugee Week. Sunday 25th - 12.00 Jersey Evacuees Association Memorial Ceremony @ Albert Quay To commemorate the first evacuees returning home after leaving Jersey in 1940 due to the imminent invasion of the German army. In the spirit of inclusion and community most of these events are FREE of charge. We hope you will donate what you can afford. www.gofundme.com/refugee-week-jersey For up to date information or to book tickets please check online at JCRAG.org.je
Jersey Cares; Refugee Aid Group (JCRAG) JCRAG is a local charity which developed in the wake of the global Refugee Crisis and initially aimed to bring together community efforts from Jersey to deliver humanitarian aid to the Jungle Refugee camp in Calais. JCRAG is now committed to assisting organisations in France and Europe to continue their operations of helping refugees. Although the camp in Calais is closed, the issue of refugees human rights being upheld is ongoing. Organisations are currently in the process of identifying priority areas and strategies to help refugees, and JCRAG will be supporting them. How do we achieve this? Aid Trips... We deliver much needed aid including shelter, food, clothing, shoes and medical supplies from Jersey direct to organisations on the ground, supporting refugees in need. Volunteers give their time to collect and sort donations and drive these direct to France or send to Greece. Education and Campaigns... We are currently living in a Refugee Crisis unseen since the Second World War. Approximately 65.3 million people are now refugees, seeking asylum, or internally displaced. We provide opportunities for people to learn about the Refugee Crisis and help raise awareness of ongoing issues. Compassion & Inclusion... We are people, like you, who simply believe that every human has the right to be treated in a fair and dignified way.
YOU CAN HELP Get Involved... We are a solely voluntary organisation, which means funds go directly to helping refugees. You can help support our charity and make a difference by donating, fundraising or volunteering. Volunteer... We re always looking for volunteers to collect, sort and pack donations, or perhaps you have skills in fundraising, can print posters, talk to community groups or drive a van! Fundraise... We need your help in raising funds to enable us to assist in the ever changing humanitarian crisis. Could you organise a cake sale at your work? A non-uniform day at your school? A music concert to raise some money? A sponsored walk, run, swim or cycle are all good ways to raise money Appeal for Donations... Your unwanted items can help keep someone warm overnight, especially in winter. We will deliver your donations direct to people most in need. For a full list, please check our website. If you are not able to provide items then maybe consider a monetary donation to help us buy the necessary items for those in need. TO DONATE please visit us at JCRAG.org.je Jersey Cares; Refugee Aid Group (JCRAG) Thanks for your continued support CONNECT TO US helpjcrag@gmail.com jcrag2015 @jcrag JCRAG.org.je Funding provided by the Association of Jersey Charities from Channel Islands lottery profits. lyn@jerseycharities.org @AJCInfo jerseycharities.org