Amala students participate in Refugee Week 2024
This year's Refugee Week, themed "Our Home," took place from 17-23 June.
Amala Global Secondary Diploma students participated in various ways. In Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, students Chance, Cathy, Mohamed, Eric, Sadik, Sabry, Choko and Yesu created short videos exploring what home means to them. The videos touched on concepts like freedom, security, community, family, positive memories, and hope.
Two students in Amman, Bahaa and Abdulrahman, also made videos in response to the question, “what does home mean to you?”
Meanwhile, in Amman, Jordan, Amala students volunteered at "The Encounter," a festival hosted by Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) to celebrate refugee cultures. Eight students from Amman also performed at the event, showcasing their talents and sharing their stories. At the centre in Amman, students brainstormed what home means to them on the walls.
The "Our Home" theme invited everyone to reflect on what home means to them. For many refugees, finding a new home is a journey. Home can be a place, a feeling, a community, cultural practice or something more concrete.
The majority of Amala students come from refugee backgrounds, and through their responses we see the importance of spaces of sanctuary in which young people can learn and feel able to express themselves. By creating videos, volunteering, and performing, Amala students not only expressed what home means to them, but also shone a light on why belonging and community is so vital for refugees to feel at home.
“What does home mean to you? A place that accepts who we are truly.”