Refugees www.chiosvoices.com

Who is a refugee? 1. Ask the children whether they know what a refugee is? 2. Ask the children which of these people they think are refugees? Discuss why they think this. Is it to do with age, family, skin colour, background, clothes. They are all pictures of refugees – there is no stereotypical refugee, they are all human beings that find themselves in a certain set of circumstances.

A refugee is… … a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. Persecution = hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefs; oppression

Where do refugees come from? Discuss how at different times refugees can come from different places depending on what is happening in the world. In the 1990’s, there were refugees in Africa due to wars such as the Congo War and the crisis in Rwanda. At the moment the majority of refugees come from Asia.

Quick Quiz Asia No! No! 1. Do refugees choose to leave their homes? 2. Where are refugees coming from at the moment? Asia 3. Are refugees always children? No!

You are not your age. You are not your age, Nor the six of clothes you wear, You are not a weight, Or the colour of your hair. You are not your name, Or the dimples in your cheeks, You are all the books you read And all the words you speak, You are the things that you believe, and the people that you love, You are the sweetness in your laugh And the future you dream of. Who do you think wrote this poem? A refugee – this may bring up questions about education / ability to write in English etc. Discuss how there are schools that refugees can go to when they find a safe place to live. Discuss what message the poet is trying to convey e.g. you are not determined by what you look like or wear but instead by your character.

Who do you think created this artwork? What message is it telling us? Discuss how this was created by refugee children. It is telling us that although people are from different countries / speak different languages / look different they are all aiming for a common goal.

Are we the same as refugees? Same Different Discuss whether we are the same as refugees or different. Write down a list on either side showing how similar we are and how the differences are the hard things that the refugees need help with.

Meet Marvin from Eritrea He is a refugee talking about starting school in the UK… “I like it because it’s nice. It’s nice to learn English. I have learnt a lot about habits and culture. It’s very different. Eritrean people are very different from English people. Literally everything was new to me. I even had to learn the alphabet. I was shocked when I started school. The kids were so naughty... they didn’t listen to the teacher. They had a bad attitude. In Eritrea, everyone listens to the teacher. I have learnt so much. In Eritrea, everyone talks to each other. When you pass someone in the street you always say hello. All the neighbours know each other. I knew everyone in my village. Here it is very different. I had to learn not to say hello. I’ve found it hard to make friends. I love to play football, so I do make friends at lunchtime when we play, but the boys are so different from me. They’re scared of me because I’m new.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/f4e5143e-da00-48f7-92cb-9eb6f147c3c0

Discussion Why do you think all of the children listen to their teachers in Eritrea? Why do you think Marvin feels different? Is Marvin really that different or is he similar in some ways? Do you think Marvin is brave? Why? How would you feel starting a new school in a new country?

Your Challenge Imagine a refugee is about to join your school. What could you do to reassure them it is going to be okay? Create a piece or artwork / a card / writing / poem / video to help them feel safe and positive about coming to school. Make sure you reassure them about all the similarities between you, what you will do to help them and how you feel about their bravery.