St Paul's pupils reach out to refugees

July 9 2011
Staff and pupils at a Wythenshawe school have heard first about the horrific ordeals of refugees who have fled to Britain.

The school took part in a refugee roadshow consisting of a series of four workshops which were led by professional artists, poets and musicians, all of whom are refugees.

The workshops focused on personal testimony and poetry, examining and portraying war and peace through art, media bias and perceptions of refugees and musical performance. There was also an opportunity for the pupils to ask questions.

The event was organised by the Ahmed Iqbal Race Relations Centre at Manchester University. Saint Paul’s has developed strong links with the centre and has worked previously with them on a number of projects including anti-racism workshops and the Your Future Your Choice conference at Manchester University.

“The aim of the day was to raise awareness about the difficult experiences of refugees and to challenge assumptions society makes about these people,” explained Ms Nuala Conway, EAL (English as an Additional Language) Coordinator at Saint Paul’s.

“The roadshow allowed our pupils the opportunity to learn more about the experiences and contributions of refugees,” commented Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “We wanted to give our pupils a greater understanding of refugees so they can appreciate the issues they encounter and provide a supportive community welcome.”