Schools and young people
On this page, you'll find resources for schools, as well as news and stories about how young people have supported JRS UK.
These resources have been designed to meet learning points in the new RE curriculum for Catholic schools, introducing how the Catholic Church approaches refugees and migrants in its social teaching, lived experiences of people around the world and in the UK, and puts out calls to action, with suggestions for what schools can do if they’d like to get more involved.
These are new resources, and we welcome feedback and input from schools so that we can continually update and improve our materials. We will continue to add more resources to this page, including resources for confirmation classes.
KS3 & KS4 resource: A Catholic approach to refugees [new]
A four-lesson module on a Catholic approach to refugees & accompanying worksheets.
- Lesson 1 – the asylum system: an overview of some key definitions & the UK asylum process
- Lesson 2 – CST & refugees: a look at key Catholic Social Teaching principles and how they connect to our approach to refugees
- Lesson 3 – the work of JRS UK: a look at how charities like JRS UK live out CST in their services
- Lesson 4 – responding to the call: exploring further ways students can get involved & live out their faith in action
- Activity pack: activity worksheets to accompany each lesson
If you use these resources and would be happy to share any feedback or reflections, please email uk.outreach@jrs.net
A double-sided poster showing how JRS UK lives out the Jesuit Pupil virtues. There are three versions available, all with different visual styles.
If another version of the poster would be helpful to you and your school, please get in touch. Possible adaptations include the addition of reflection questions & Scripture quotes.
If you use these resources and would be happy to share any feedback or reflections, please email uk.outreach@jrs.net
Jesuit Pupil Profile resource [new]
A-Z fundraising ideas [new]
26 ideas for fundraising for refugees and JRS UK. These ideas can be adapted to suit your school or community group.
If you use these resources and would be happy to share any feedback or reflections, please email uk.outreach@jrs.net
Activities & further resources
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A safe place to call home
Finding somewhere safe to live is one of the biggest challenges facing refugees. Destitute asylum seekers are often forced to seek rest on night buses, rely on friends who might let them ‘sofa surf’ for a night or two, or sleep on the streets.
We need your help to keep our Accommodation Project going. Can you help?
Below are a few ideas for fundraising – feel free to come up with some of your own!
- Host a fundraiser for JRS UK – a bake sale? A charity run? A raffle?
- Host an appeal at your church on Sunday – ask your church for permission to hold a collection for JRS UK’s accommodation project. Need a script?
- Do a sponsored walk – could you go on a sponsored nature or history walk in you area?
- Or take part in other sponsored events… you could give up your favourite treats for a week, or take up some other kind of challenge!
- Host a film night – why not screen a film at school to learn more about the experiences of refugees? You could combine this with a bake sale too – everyone likes snacks whilst watching a film!
- Organise a collection of essential items such as toiletries, food, and clothing.
- Learn more and raise awareness at school – you could prepare an assembly at school, or create a display board about refugees!
- Hold a fundraising competition between classes – could you award a pizza party or something similar to the class that raises the most money?
A message to young people in schools
Without recourse to public funds, many of the refugee friends JRS UK work with are not able to attend college or university. In this letter, our refuge friend shares her hope to study, a message to young people in schools, and some insight into her experiences of seeking asylum in the UK. There are some suggested questions for reflection & possible next steps.
P’s letter to young people in schools
Books for English classes
Every Thursday afternoon, the centre is busy as refugee friends arrive for their weekly English class. We have three classes – beginners, intermediate, and advanced – where refugee friends practice reading, writing, and conversation skills.
Could your school organise a collection of books to help people seeking sanctuary improve their English?
CSAN: Love the Stranger Youth Version
“At a time when fear can dominate the headlines, this resource invites young people to choose a different path of welcome and understanding. We hope that this resource will inspire a generation to recognise that when we welcome others, we welcome God and in doing so become beacons of hope in our own corners of the world.”- Siân Thomas-Cullinan, Caritas Brentwood Director
Want to support JRS UK?
Here are some ideas of what you can do:
- Hold a fundraiser for JRS UK – a bake sale? a charity run? a raffle?;
- Write letters to people held in immigration detention;
- Organise a donation of essential items such as toiletries, food, and clothing;
- Learn more and raise awareness at school – prepare an assembly for other year groups? create a display board?;
- Invite JRS UK to come and speak!
For more information, please get in contact: uk.outreach@jrs.net
