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World Refugee Day - June 20
Suggested Events and Activities
In the following pages various possible events and activities have been identified which highlight what can be done. Quite a few of the suggested events and activities have indeed been incorporated into past Refugee Days or have been part of refugee-oriented public awareness programmes.
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Displays or stalls of arts and crafts of various cultural origins can be a crowd-pleasing element of a World Refugee Day celebration, especially if the day is celebrated with a fête. They contribute to the atmosphere of a fair-day and emphasize the multiculturalism of such an occasion.
A World Refugee Day which includes arts and crafts sessions can provide an excellent opportunity for refugees and local people to get together on a social basis, to exchange ideas, or to share a similar interest in using their skills to produce arts and crafts. A display of refugee craft work can also function as a proud reminder of their cultural heritage.
If there is a market for their wares, refugees and local craftspeople could make a bit of money selling their products.
It is not necessary, however, to think of arts and crafts always in terms of displays or as money-spinners. The opportunity for refugees to show their craftsmanship is a good way to foster their participation in your World Refugee Day celebration.
CELEBRITIES AND DIGNITARIES
Many special events such as the opening ceremonies to mark Refugee Day are attended by the appropriate government officials and local sponsors.
The presence of government officials, from both local and national levels, lends weight to your event and helps to attract media attention. The presence of celebrities can also prompt considerable media interest which can draw public attention to your World Refugee Day celebration. Celebrities do not, however, have to be former refugees - any well-known people who would like to be publicly associated with a refugee-oriented humanitarian project can spark added public interest in you event.
CEREMONIES AND PRESENTATIONS
It is common to mark a Refugee Day with some form of ceremony or presentation. The ceremony can be quite short, with speeches delivered by representatives from UNHCR and other partner refugee-oriented agencies, local municipal administrators, government officials, politicians or local sponsors.
A ceremony can also be used as an opportunity to launch a local initiative which promotes an important refugee issue such as a new educational programme or public awareness campaign. Enlist your partners and sponsors to help organize and publicize the ceremony.
Unless there is a special "hook", such as the award of a prize for a local contest, (refer to the entry below on Competitions), or the presence of a celebrity, the ceremony is often of little interest to the media or the public at large. Consider carefully before investing your time in this often used and quickly forgotten form of commemoration.
COMPETITIONS
Drawing and essay competitions are excellent ways to involve young people in World Refugee Day celebrations. Such competitions can be held anywhere: shopping centres, civic centres, schools or refugee camps. For non-refugee children, learning about refugees through participation in an essay competition can produce a lingering memory of World Refugee Day and can also lead to more empathy for refugees. For refugees, drawing or writing about their experiences (and not necessarily for a competition) can be therapeutic.
Remember, if there is to be a competition, then there will be a winner and perhaps a few runners-up, who will expect some sort of public recognition and prizes. It is usual for winning written works to be published somewhere and for winning pictorial works to be exhibited. Sometimes, the drawing is mass-reproduced in poster form and widely distributed.
CONCERTS AND CULTURAL EVENTS
Various sorts of concerts designed to raise public awareness of refugee issues are possible, though ambitious. Deciding factors would be the target audience, opportunities for free or reduced fees for venues, willing and available performers as well as media interest.
Whenever possible, piggy-back: find out if concerts and other cultural events are being organized by other agencies or local groups and offer to help. Many civic groups, such as the local fire brigade or Rotary and Lions Clubs, hold annual charity events. You could discuss with the appropriate person from a civic group the possibility of holding a concert with a refugee-related theme as this year’s charity event for that civic group. Possibilities could include performances by refugee musicians; or it could be advertised that the concert is being held in honour of a refugee cause; or a refugee cause could be publicized as the recipients of the proceeds from the event.
World Refugee Day could be celebrated as a large festival, fête or kermesse. A temporary stage could be constructed and arrangements could be made for various musicians to perform either at set times or throughout the day on this stage.
DISPLAYS AND EXHIBITIONS
Displays are events which are often easy to set up and yet can produce a major impact. They also can be related to other activities, especially those involving public participation. For example, the entries to local drawing competitions could be displayed in schools, in local shopping centres or local civic buildings such as the public library. Prizes could be donated by local businesses. This would encourage more public involvement, as well as making limited World Refugee Day funds go further.
Another form of display could be a photo exhibition. Photos should be selected to illustrate the overall theme of World Refugee Day. A general theme for the exhibition could be every day life in a refugee camp. Such an exhibition could also have pictures and other forms of artistic work produced by refugee children and adults interspersed among the photos. If the exhibition took place in a refugee camp, this would increase the sense of ownership of the World Refugee Day event. Perhaps a photo exhibition could revolve around ‘famous refugees’ or the positive contributions of refugees. The finished product could be an exhibition that includes both photos of the former refugee and biographical information. A balanced exhibition should contain a selection of former refugees of both genders, different professions and different countries of origin and asylum. (The website dedicated to UNHCR’s 50th anniversary, www.unhcr-50.org contains a ‘famous refugee gallery’, as well as an extensive data base of refugee names, biographical data and some photos).
A poster display is also possible and is easily transportable. Posters are also very people- or public-friendly. If extra posters are produced cheaply, they can be given away to members of the public who visit the display. Displays could also be arranged in shop windows or on the premises of businesses which have been canvassed for local sponsorship of World Refugee Day activities.
FAIRS, FÊTES AND FESTIVALS
Where there are enough staff and volunteers, a fair or a festival to celebrate World Refugee Day could be possible. One big advantage to holding a fair is that the various events take place at a common, and most likely large, venue.
A variety of events is needed to make a World Refugee Day fair attractive and exciting to the general public. Cultural items, including live musical theatre performances, can be mixed with activities that involve audience participation. Stalls selling arts and crafts as well as food and drinks would complete the picture. ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’ is an excellent example of a refugee-oriented fair.
FILM
Film events can attract quite a crowd, which in turn can help draw sponsors. The films can be about refugees or about refugee-related matters; directed or produced by refugees; or they can have actors who are former refugees.
Film screenings can be stand-alone events or they can be incorporated into larger events.
Every year, the UNHCR video unit produces the annual Global View film which reviews UNHCR’s operations over the past year. The distribution of this video coincides with World Refugee Day. If you wish to receive a copy of the video, you will need to contact the UNHCR Office in your country.
INFORMAL RECEPTIONS
Many events can either be launched or be concluded with refreshments and hors d'oeuvres, depending on the budget. Informal receptions are appropriate for an exhibition’s opening night, a ceremony or presentation attended by government dignitaries, local sponsors, celebrities, artists and of course the people who worked hard to bring about World Refugee Day.
INFORMATION KITS
Information kits can be easily produced by downloading information from the UNHCR website (www.unhcr.org) or by requesting information from the UNHCR Office in your country. The kits could contain the High Commissioner’s World Refugee Day statement for the year, as well as information geared for specific audiences.
UNHCR provides some material each year such to help mark World Refugee Day.
LOCAL SPONSORSHIP
World Refugee Day events and activities that either pay for themselves or raise money would be those that provide entertainment (such as concerts with ticket sales) and those that sell things (such as food stalls selling international delicacies and stands selling arts and crafts), or those that bring in ‘rent’ (e.g. fees from commercial stall holders who wish to sell their wares at the World Refugee Day venue). The ideal situation would be to have participants who could either give their time, or donate materials and supplies, including a free or cheap venue and transport.
Although certain events can pay for themselves, initial seed money to get the ball rolling would be very helpful.
A clear and concise outline should be prepared and given to the targeted local sponsors or funding agencies. The outline should describe what the event will involve as well as highlight the positive contributions of the event to the local community and to the local sponsor. For example, businesses in a shopping centre where there will be a display of artwork entered for a competition could be asked to donate prizes for the competition. The businesses would receive free publicity in a published list of donors and perhaps extra customers as people are drawn to the shopping centre to view the display.
Remember that certain activities can achieve multiple objectives. Businesses which are canvassed for sponsorship of events and activities can also provide publicity for World Refugee Day and host activities such as artwork or poster displays.
POSTERS
Posters can be used to publicize World Refugee Day, and are a great way to reach a lot of people if they are attractively and prominently displayed. Schools and universities are prime targets for displaying posters as well as venues where World Refugee Day events take place. Churches, local businesses and markets may also be approached to display posters advertising World Refugee Day.
Posters can also be an effective medium for publicizing the participation of local sponsors by displaying their various logos.
Posters can either be designed professionally or they can be designed by refugees, members of the public, or even school children who have participated in a poster-drawing competition. Several series of posters have been produced by UNHCR over the years. Contact the UNHCR Office in your country to find out what is available. These could be incorporated into an eye-catching display.
PUBLICITY AND MEDIA COVERAGE
Media coverage is crucial for any World Refugee Day event. Media will help advertise the Day itself, its related events and its success, and ultimately will help to draw attention to refugee-related issues. If possible, arrange for a media partner such as a local newspaper or radio station to help in the promotion and coverage of your event as well as to help elicit sponsor interest by offering sponsorship visibility.
Always inform and invite the press to any planned event or activity. Engaging the local media as sponsors to promote the event ensures a large audience which in turn encourages sponsorship from local businesses.
Don’t forget the Internet. Prepared information can be distributed to the various NGOs, community groups and government ministries, to post announcements about World Refugee Day on their websites. (See also the entry on Websites later in this section).
Community radio channels often give free air time to advertise community events. Prepared announcements advertising World Refugee Day could be distributed to such channels and offers to do interviews with UNHCR staff can be suggested.
Do take photographs of all your events. They could be used to publicize the success of your World Refugee Day as well as to help promote the next one.
RELIGIOUS SERVICES
Religious services commemorating refugees and their plight have been held throughout the world. Indeed, many Refugee Day commemorations have been planned and developed by church groups.
An information kit could be made up and given to various religious groups and organizations, with a request that a service or a part of a service be dedicated to celebrate refugees’ achievements and contributions.
SPORTS
A sports event can take place anywhere, as long as you can locate a piece of flat land, whether it be in a refugee camp, or at a public or private sports field. It can also attract media attention.
Sporting events can bring people from all backgrounds together to interact in a positive way.
STORY-TELLING
Refugees’ stories can be collected and published, or they can be recounted orally in a special story-telling session.
WEBSITE
If you already have a website or have the resources to create an attractive and colourful website that provides information about your World Refugee Day, it is an excellent way to reach the public. To ensure that people click onto your website, advertise its existence on posters, TV, radio as well as in magazines and newspapers. Posting your event on the websites of partner NGOs, local sponsors and media organizations is great publicity, as it acts as free advertisement and has the potential to reach a large audience.
Often classified unfairly with economic migrants, refugees flee their country not for economic gain but to escape persecution, the threat of imprisonment and even threats to their lives. They need a safe haven where they can recover from mental and physical trauma and rebuild their hopes for a better future.
The intolerance that is often at the root of internal displacement and refugee flows is also present in some of the countries that refugees flee to. Instead of finding empathy and understanding, they are often met with mistrust or scorn.
On World Refugee Day, let's not forget that some day in the future any one of us could be knocking at a stranger's door hoping to find a safe and friendly shelter. We should extend refugees the same kind of welcome we would like to receive if we were in their position.
While most refugees want to go home, some cannot safely return. But wherever they are, refugees will always strive to pick up the pieces and start over. The courage and determination demonstrated during their darkest hours will serve them well in rebuilding a new life. On World Refugee Day, let us honour them for these qualities and recognise the richness and diversity they bring to our societies.