Voices of Refugees

Experiences to challenge and encourage
Every refugee has a unique story to tell. Each testimony is special because it describes a journey towards hope, a painful step-by-step process towards safety and, where possible, a new life. For those in the middle of this journey, it is sometimes too unbearable to share. For others who have come through, it can be a source of courage and encouragement to others. For those who are there to accompany, it is a privilege to listen. 

Big Writing for a Small World
Refugees from the JRS-UK Day Centre have been taking part in creative writing sessons run by English PEN, who campaign to defend writers and readers in the UK and around the world whose human right to freedom of expression is at risk. Their education programme, Readers & Writers, aims to give refugees, prisoners, detainees and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds transformative creative writing and reading experiences and the chance to explore literature and free speech. Several poems from refugees connected with JRS-UK were published in Big Writing for a Small World, a publication launched in 2012. More workshops will take place in 2013.