World Refugee Day 2021 was celebrated at the premises of the Bosnian House . BH UK Network , in collaboration with the Celebrating Sanctuary and Near Neighbours organizations from Birmingham, decided to host a workshop at the Bosnian House. We are proud of the fact that the first “Conversation with a Walk” event was held right in our premises as the start of the celebration of Refugee Week.
The premises of the Bosnian House were filled with creativity, pleasant conversation and smiles. Unfortunately due to Due to Covid measures, the number of attendees was limited. However, this did not stop members of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian and Syrian communities and students of the BEY (Be educated yourself) elementary school from holding a creative workshop with the help of artists Jane and Margaret.
This was an opportunity for people to socialize and participate even though they do not know enough English. Workshops like this are proof that communication between different peoples is also possible through smiles, body language, and creation and creativity at the workshops.
The theme of Refugee Week 2021, ‘We Cannot Walk Alone’, is a call to reach out to someone new. Someone who is outside your current circle, who has had an experience you haven’t, or who is fighting for causes you haven’t yet embraced.
After the workshop, the attendees went to the nearest park and took a walk together to show unity and empathy. and community spirit in Birmingham. Birmingham is celebrated as a city of refuge, a place of welcome and inclusiveness. After last year when we were forced into isolation due to Covid-19 restrictions, the present need to come together is even more fundamental.
In the UK, World Refugee Day is a seven-day national programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrates the contribution of refugees to the UK and encourages better understanding between ethnic communities.
