As an organisation supporting the City of Sanctuary, C3SC is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for people seeking sanctuary. As part of this commitment, we participated and highlighted various projects and initiatives that are supporting people seeking sanctuary in Cardiff during Refugee Week including the following:
We were joined by Bridging the Gap project at the start of Refugee Week at our weekly Tuesday community drop-in session at Cardiff Central Library. Bridging the Gap aims to empower asylum seekers in Wales to access higher education by providing clear, accessible information, tailored guidance, and support. Their purpose is to break down barriers – especially misinformation that prevent sanctuary seekers from pursuing academic opportunities.
Our staff joined a walk organised by Displaced People in Action in collaboration with Invisible Cities Cardiff. It was an opportunity to hear from people with lived experience of seeking sanctuary and the support they’ve received in Cardiff. Participants shared their journey in Wales and highlighted local projects and organisations that made a difference to their lives here, such as The FAN (Friends and Neighbours) Charity, The Dreamers Project, City of Sanctuary, Sherman Theatre, and National Museum Cardiff.
The walk finished at the Ukrainian Hub Cymru which is located at Lower Ground Floor, 24 St Andrew’s Crescent. We had an opportunity to hear about projects running in the Hub for the Ukrainian community supported by 20 volunteers, including 15 hours of activities a week. The Hub is a home of the Ukrainian Library with 500 books in Ukrainian language which was funded by The Reading Studios Foundation. Participants watched short films made by young Ukrainians of Film4Teens, the Ukrainian Film School for young people in Wales who are displaced by the war. The funder of the school Larysa, is also one of the tour guides of Invisible Cities Cardiff – another amazing project supporting people experiencing homelessness into becoming local tour guides.
C3SC hosted a stall at a Refugee Week event at Sherman Theatre which was an afternoon of activities and performances. It was a celebration of diversity of Cardiff with performances from cultural groups such as Ukrainian Singing Circle, Kurdish All Wales Association and Oasis One World Choir and craft activities organised by the Aurora Project based at the Trinity Centre. Cardiff Volunteer Centre @C3SC shared information about volunteering opportunities and how volunteering can help people seeking sanctuary to learn new skills, practice their English and enhance their chances in finding employment in the future.
Finally, we were pleased to be invited to join the International Day at Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) which was a celebration of diversity of 1500 ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students who attend English language classes at CAVC! Most of the students come from Asia, Africa and Europe and study full time or part time on six different levels of English language, from pre-entry to Level 2. Higher level ESOL learners also study math, hospitality, accounting, healthcare, and other subjects. The celebrations included awards for the best students, and artistic performances.
Do you have an event that you would like for us to promote or attend in support of your volunteering initiative and projects? Please get in touch with the team at volunteer@c3sc.org.uk – we’d love to arrange a visit and find out more about what you do!
Not a member? Become a C3SC member today and sign up here – membership comes with a range of benefits including support from C3SC to promote your activities or to offer advice, support and guidance in any area you’re not confident in if you’re just starting out. Get in touch today.
