News > Newsletters > Refugee Week Update - January 2010
Refugee Week Update - January 2010
Happy New Year from the Refugee Week UK team. Sorry January’s Update is a little belated – we’re busy gearing up for the conference. We’ve also had some great news about a new four year project we’ll be running (more inside). This newsletter also has a new Simple Act of the Mois, events from Rich Mix and free creative writing workshops from English PEN...
News Bulletin
Refugee Week Update - January 2010
Happy New Year from the Refugee Week UK team. Sorry January’s Update is a little belated – we’re busy gearing up for the conference. We’ve also had some great news about a new four year project we’ll be running (more inside). This newsletter also has a new Simple Act of the Mois, events from Rich Mix and free creative writing workshops from English PEN...
Arts and Refugees - National Events and Website
We are delighted to announce that the Refugee Week UK Team, in partnership with Oval House and ArtReach, have been appointed by Arts Council England and the Baring Foundation to run an exciting new project for developing and promoting refugee related arts. The main purpose of the new project will be to create a dedicated website and run national events on arts and refugees, but also to improve networking and practice development amongst relevant stakeholders.
The jointly funded four year project was initiated by the two funders after the publication of Arts and Refugees; History, Impact and Future which indicated a need for such networking and professional development.
We are of course very excited to be able to coordinate such an initiative and will be keeping you informed of its development in the coming months.
Simple Act of the Month
Each newsletter we flag up something which lets you complete a Simple Act. This month, mostly ‘cos one of us has started a Mandarin course, we thought we’d learn to say a few words in another language!
To begin with, here’s how to make friends in Mandarin
Check out January’s Simple Act of the Month pages for more ways to start a conversation in Arabic, Mandarin and Somali.
WORKSHOPS: Free creative writing and reading workshops with English PEN & Migrants Resource Centre
English PEN’s education department is running a new series of creative writing and reading workshops at the Migrants Resource Centre in Westminster.
The tutors are published writers – Nii Parkes and Monique Roffey – and each workshop series will look at poetry through to memoir and fiction. The course is suitable for beginners and people will more writing experience alike. The course will feature guest writers including prize-winners Mimi Khalvati, George Szirtes, Blake Morrison and Romesh Gunesekera. The places are free and begin January 18th and January 19th – a crèche is available.
Visit www.englishpen.org/readersandwriters or call Laura at the Migrants Resource Centre directly on 020 7834 2505.
EVENTS: Voices of Freedom
Rich Mix is holding a week of special events to celebrate and question our notions of freedom at the start of the year of the next General Election.
Ben Okri will join the debate with a special In Conversation event on Tue 19 Jan and the week terminates on an amazing contemporary live music+VJ event: Let Freedom Ring! By Denys Baptiste, Sat 23 Jan.
The week also includes a performance of the Uninvited on Wed 20 Jan.
The Uninvited is a performance tour de force telling the extraordinary stories of refugees and exiles, from all over the world, past and present. Performed by Elizabeth Mansfield, Olivier Award nominee for ‘Best Actress in a Musical’.
Followed by a discussion panel led by Veena Torthia and Nahid Behzadi (CRISIS UK)
Dan Hodges (Communications Manager, REFUGEE ACTION) and Alison Harvey (General Secretary, IMMIGRATION LAW PRACTITIONERS' ASSOCIATION).
More information at http://www.richmix.org.uk/rm_winter10.htm#freedom
