April saw the graduation ceremony for over thirty refugee and migrant students from all over Ireland at Ireland’s fifth Sanctuary in Politics course.

Sabir Zazai, CEO of Scottish Refugee Council and Chair of City of Sanctuary UK was the inspirational keynote speaker, and students were inspired by his testimony of arriving in Coventry from war torn Afghanistan as a penniless asylum seeker speaking no English.

 

 

With teaching on campaigning from Amnesty International, visitors from across Ireland, and certificates handed out by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, there was a great atmosphere of festivity and joy as the students poured out into the spring sunshine to celebrate their achievement.

This ground-breaking and unique course, which trains students in understanding and engaging with Ireland’s political system, working with the media and public speaking skills for awareness raising, has gained the attention of groups across UK and we are being invited to help get courses started in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The contribution of a team of trained mentors, including several graduates from previous SiP courses, was further testimony to the potential of the course to equip refugees and migrants and bring about lasting tools for integration and social inclusion.