02 May 2025
As part of a worldwide network, one way to show international solidarity is to make our home country a welcoming one. That’s why we take part in Refugee Week each year.
What's Refugee Week?
Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. It runs in June and each year has a different theme, with "Community as a Superpower" being the theme in 2025. It's been around since 1998 and has various partners including Amnesty, Oxfam, the British Red Cross and the UNHCR. It facilities groups and communities to run events and activities that welcome and celebrate refugees.
Over the past few years, local action groups have taken part and organised various activities, including:
- Picnics with community members and asylum seekers.
- Public discussions and stalls at community events.
- Vigils, library displays, community gardening and craft sessions.
- Working with a local Stand Up To Racism group to involve the public with Refugee Week.
- Exploring volunteering opportunities for refugees.
- Helping promote Friends of the Earth's actions opposing draconian measures in the Immigration Bill.
In 2023 Walsall Friends of the Earth also used the occasion to celebrate the addition of one of its members, Leandra Gebrakedan who’s a refugee, to the group.
Last year, after attending anti-racism training and feeling inspired, Luton Friends of the Earth joined a gardening event in a deprived area of Luton as part of Refugee Week. Group members made valuable new connections and used the opportunity to ask local people what they wanted to see in their community. This led to the group running 5 repair cafes and working with community members to develop expertise and fix all sorts of items together.
Luton Friends of the Earth is now working with a community worker and a local school to try and develop activities alongside all of Luton’s diverse communities. And the group is also planning to work with hotels that are housing asylum seekers.
Each year we want to build on this brilliant activity.
Why get involved in Refugee Week?
We know that the climate and ecological crises are major drivers of migration, as people leave their homes due to environmental impacts such as droughts or extreme weather events. We also know this is an example of environmental racism, and that standing with refugees is an important part of being an anti-racist network. And while not all refugees are people of colour or will necessarily experience racism, we can still use Refugee Week to make the links between racism, climate and migration clear in our communities. And in turn we can use these links and our activity to build a stronger movement.
We're also one of 73 Friends of the Earth networks around the world. Many of our sister organisations work in parts of the world at greater risk of climate and ecological impacts. When we take any international solidarity action, including when we stand with refugees, we're helping build a more just world with them.
Migration is an increasingly live political issue in the UK, whether in relation to the callous policies of UK governments, or the rise in anti-immigration sentiments and far-right violence. But we still believe that the majority of the UK public supports a compassionate approach to migration.
People have always moved for safety. And the people who move are just like us – they want a better life for their families and to contribute to the society they move to. We have far more in common with them than the big polluters wrecking our climate. Taking part in Refugee Week is an excellent way to build connections with new people in our communities and to show that the UK is full of people who want to do just that.
How to take part in Refugee Week
There are plenty of ways to celebrate Refugee Week. And although it takes places each June, you can still use these resources throughout the year to plan an activity in solidarity with refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Check out our video or read on to find out more.
Here are a few other things you can do:
- Practise simple acts with your group, like a shared meal or film screening, to stand with refugees.
- Find and take part in events and activities in your area. You can do this either by getting in touch with the organisers in advance and asking whether you can hold a stall or run an activity, or else just by turning up in person to make some connections.
- Get in touch with regional organisers to see if they have any plans and how you can support them.
- Use the Refugee Week resources to plan your own event. Get in touch with us for support if you'd like to do this.
If you’re looking to turn up to a Refugee Week or migrant solidarity event to make connections, remember to introduce yourself and say a bit about your group, listen to the other person’s story and why they’ve come, and if you see an opportunity to collaborate, ask them directly.
Get in touch if you'd like some recommendations on good activities to run for Refugee Week 2025. Whatever you do and no matter the size, let us know so we can help you celebrate. You can email us or tag us when you post on social media:
- Twitter: @friends_earth
- Instagram: friends_earth
Apply for funding
If you're a member of our network, you can apply for funding through our partnership fund to support your actions and events throughout Refugee Week and the rest of the year.
