Refugee Week: Courage

Emma shares an update from Leeds Craftivists…

The theme of Refugee Week this year is Courage. We are celebrating both the huge courageous act of seeking sanctuary in a new place, and the everyday courage it takes to speak to a stranger, try a new food, or ask someone for help.

For us at the Leeds Craftivists, we understand that creativity takes courage. When you carefully craft something, you put a little bit of yourself into your creation – your ideas, your beliefs, your personality.

The reason craftivism works is that creating something beautiful and intriguing takes vulnerability. We put time and work into something that we know may simply be discarded or ignored. We invite questions and hope for the best in the people we engage with, and that leaves us open to disagreement and disappointment.

But that hope is central to the craftivist ethos – if we enter into dialogue with those we disagree with, whether that’s powerful decision-makers or passers-by in public spaces, we might be the spark that leads to a change of heart and mind.

So this Refugee Week, we invite you to get courageously creative! If you want some inspiration, the Leeds Craftivists have made these beautiful lino-print cards to send to residents at the Britannia Hotel who are seeking sanctuary. You can add a card to our mailbox and show some solidarity and kindness, by sending it to 43 The Calls, LS2 7EY before the 15th June.

And if you’d like a community to courageously create with, join us! We meet on the first Monday of each month at the Wellbeing Hub on Reginald Terrace in Chapeltown.

For more ways to celebrate Refugee Week, join our Sketch Walk on Tuesday 16th June to explore the gifts and and experiences of people arriving in Leeds throughout our city’s history, while we sketch local landmarks with artist and historian Clifford Stead.