While the stories of the refugees and asylum seekers in Chichester are incredibly diverse, every individual has lost everything they had ever known and are unable to return to their country. They also have a completely uncertain future in alien surroundings, and they are facing all of this at the same time as trying to heal from trauma and bereavement. Unaccompanied children spend years travelling alone, in constant danger, and without parenting, a proper childhood or an adolesence it is very difficult to adjust to any kind of ‘normal’ life. Many of us in the Chichester area live such privileged lives, it may be difficult to imagine what it is like to experience any of this. These resources might help…

Games

Against All Odds – a UNHCR game about the obstacles refugees face.
www.playagainstallodds.ca

A Syrian Journey: Choose your own escape route  – a short interactive BBC film showing the choices a refugee must make.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32057601

Refugee Republic – a multi award-winning virtual experience of life in a refugee camp
https://refugeerepublic.submarinechannel.com/

An Oxfam general knowledge quiz about the refugee crisis www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/refugees-quiz?cid=rdt_oxfam-school-groups-refugee-quiz

Passages – an UNCHR game to download about the plight of refugees. www.unhcr.org/473dc1772.pdfe

Films

For Sama – ‘an epic and intimate journey filmed through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria. Waad al-Kateab tells the story of how she fell in love, married and gave birth to her daughter Sama.’

BBC film about Yusra Mardini, who swam for her life in the Aegean Sea – helping to save 17 others in her boat – and went on to swim in the Rio Olympics.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKLnG_W83DQ

Fereshta’s story – UNICEF film about family life in an Afghan refugee camp.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKLnG_W83DQ

Family life in a Turkish refugee camp – IFRC film.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OENTor011hI

Education Above All film about difficulties in finding education for refugee children.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTmWxrUaa8k

Refugee Crisis: children’s dreams – CAFOD film looking through children’s eyes at the refugee experience.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhEDB_H0A8M

Syria’s Lost Generation – TIME film about Syrian refugee children.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iaJPafQrqY

Afghan author Khaled Hosseini’s visit to an Iraqi refugee camp – UNCHR film.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaC577iC8Wg

Tell me why? Reportage on the Syrian refugee crisis
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuJ8qgZWwrY

Lebanon’s Millionth Refugee – UNHCR film on the 1m Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2mSPDsfoJ8