Imagine……… You’re in your room one evening, getting on with your homework like you always do. Then your mum bursts and throws a suitcase onto your bed. In a panicked tone she tells you “get packing. We’ve got to leave, and we won’t be coming back ever. You’ve got ten minutes.” What would you pack into your suitcase?

10 minutes to pack and leave your home forever! This has been a grim reality for many, many people all around the world – they are called asylum seekers and then later refugees.

A refugee = someone who has had to leave their home country because they are in danger. The words “asylum seeker” literally mean “someone who is looking for safety”. When a person enters a country because they are in danger they are called an asylum seeker. The government check to see if their story is true and once they confirm it is they are called a refugee. Illegal Immigrants are people who come into the country without letting the authorities know they are here, or they might have come into the country legally, but then stayed longer than the government said they could.

Refugee Danger What sort of danger might a refugee be escaping? It is very high risk situations. They might be escaping war or famine. Or they might be running from a government that wants to imprison or even kill them because of their race, or religion or political beliefs. They have to leave behind the people they love, their homes, their possessions, their money – everything – and often at very short notice.

There are 16.7 million refugees worldwide. 3% of the world’s refugees are in the UK. 2/3 of the world’s refugees live in developing countries, often in refugee camps 50% of refugees are under 18 years old. There is more refugees today than at the end of World War II

Download free game from United Nations Players contemplate the same life-changing decisions refugees make in a true-to-life quest to try to survive, reach safety, reunite with loved ones and re-start their lives.

YOU CAN HELP If everyone does at least one of these simple actions, we could make a big change to the way refugees are perceived in the UK.

Just go to Can you be someone who makes a difference?

Brighton and Hove is in the last stages of officially becoming A CITY OF SANCTURY The aim is to have a community that celebrates the contribution of those that have come here for safety. Brighton and Hove hopes to reduce isolation, fear, and exclusion.