Something to reflect on.... |
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What do you think connects these people? |
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Freddie Mercury - Singer
Albert Einstein – Physicist
Bob Marley – Reggae superstar
Madeleine Albright – first woman to be appointed Secretary of State in the USA |
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I’ve been a fan of ‘Race across the world’ since it first aired, and is currently on BBC1 for its fifth series (there’s also two celebrity series). Once a week I follow pairs of friends/family covering thousands of miles across a number of countries by land or sea, with a limited budget and no phones over 9 episodes. Once a week I enjoy with them, encountering the local communities, where they are often gifted with food and accommodation in return for work on the land, in shops or other interesting challenges. Once a week I feel their disappointment as they miss a train or bus by minutes, or because they are full. Once a week I appreciate their bliss in having a shower or a bed or a clean loo, after sometimes sitting on a bus seat for a day, with an overflowing loo. Once a week I witness the emotions and conversations they manage, sometimes well, sometimes they are in tears, or using words and displaying moods of frustration!
They do this with a cash prize-pot of £20,000 for the winners.
Meanwhile, almost daily I listen to someone on the radio rant about refugees; almost daily I see someone on TV show they don’t know the difference between a refugee, a migrant and an asylum-seeker; almost daily I read in the paper/online about the death of a child or adult desperately trying to escape persecution but belittled in our media.
These human beings, not just statistics or non-entities, are crossing land and sea, for their lives, with no cash prize-pot, but more than committed to work to keep themselves alive and contribute to the economy and taxes of the country they hope will rescue them. Many are unaccompanied children whose desperate parents see this as the only way they can help them survive probable death and persecution.
If you haven’t realised by now, or instantly know on reading the list above, the four famous names all have the ‘refugee’ adjective. Others we could add to that list are : |
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Jesus, Joseph & Mary
Hagar
Ruth
Moses
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Rita Ora – singer
Sigmund Freud – neurologist
Marc Chagall – artist
Jackie Chan – actor
Gloria Estefan – singer
Karl Marx – politician
And the millions who are not famous, but share the ‘human’ descriptor. |
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There’s a phrase that you might know ‘there but for the Grace of God go I’ – for a moment, would you add : ‘and because I just happen to live where I do, with the safety and security of law and order'. In these incredulous days in terms of political upheaval and upturning of the norm, the poem below may evoke further reflection - by former children’s laureate Professor Michael Rosen, illustrated by the first children’s laureate, Sir Quentin Blake. |
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The Migrants in Me – by Michael Rosen & illustrated by Quentin Blake
Maybe I look as if
you could spin a story at me,
about how threatening
and dangerous migrants are,
as if I nor you would ever dream
of upping sticks and living somewhere else
and being, you know, a migrant.
As if neither I nor you
might suddenly find ourselves
in a wrong place at a wrong time
carrying the wrong passport,
with a face that doesn’t fit,
and needing to get out,
move, find a safe place because,
what, is it only mad, bad and sad people
who do the sort of thing,
and neither I nor you
are mad, bad or sad enough?
No, don’t think you can take
the migrants out of me.
The migrants in me tell me
about criss-crossing Europe,
about criss-crossing the Atlantic.
They warn me – they remind me –
of long, long hours at work benches.
They remind me of relatives,
who at one moment,
were as safe as houses ,
and the next,
had no houses to be safe in. |
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The United Nations established World Refugee Day which is observed annually on 20th June. Thank you for supporting the refugee children and families who join our schools and communities, and other migrants and asylum seekers in our midst, and for being the face and voice of Christian inclusion and welcome in these situations.
Sincerely
Jeff |
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Book recommendation : Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah |
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‘Playful, obstinate and courageously humorous ....... hilarious and later heartbreaking' Guardian. The personal, funny and poignant tale of a young refugee, from acclaimed acclaimed performance poet and novelist Benjamin Zephaniah's honest, wry and poignant story of a child refugee left in London is of even more power and pertinence today than when it was first published.
Life is not safe for Alem. His father is Ethopian, his mother Eritrean. Their countries are at war, and Alem is welcome in neither place. So Alem is excited to spend a holiday in London with his father - until he wakes up to find him gone. What seems like a betrayal is in fact an act of love, but now Alem is alone in a strange country, and he must forge his own path….... |
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Book recommendation : My name is not Refugee by Kate Milner |
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The words of famous author Jaqueline Wilson say it all about this book : ‘A much-needed, lovely book for small children which explains the refugee crisis in a simple, child-friendly way’. |
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Refugee Week 16-22nd June 2025 |
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A few years ago we featured Trick Box at our Area Briefings and some schools took up this programme and rate it. The Trick Box programmes support children, young people and their families from EYFS1 to KS5. It’s evidence-based with over 1,000 children, studies found improvement in : General wellbeing by 80%, Positive behaviour by 67%, Interpersonal skills by 76%. Trick Box is offering a free zoom info session which covers all the key areas (so it's like a mini training session) and a 15% discount on all programmes and products. (This offer is not on the Trick Box website.) If interested please get in touch: https://trickbox.co.uk/contact/ You can read all about Trickbox here. |
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Chatting Faith Going National! |
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We are approaching the end of our two years of the Nationally Funded, Diocesan-led initiative we created, called ‘Chatting Faith’. We will shortly be moving into a new phase with other options for schools , homes and parishes to use our resources and ideas. Over two hundred families have benefitted from the book-bags and ideas we have offered to assist families in normalising conversations about God and Faith, through the lens of well-known secular story books. We are delighted that the CofE is going to roll-out our idea as an option for all dioceses to use! Jeff our Director of Education and Jane our RE & Children’s Spirituality will be leading a series of National webinars and workshops in the Autumn. They recently shared some of the anticipated and unanticipated but blessed outcomes with colleagues at Church House, Westminster. Lucy Moore, Head of the Growing Faith Foundation is pictured here – along with the Bear we were gifted! He’ll be appearing in many of the settings where families, schools and churches took part in the ‘Chatting Faith’ initiative, and he’ll be guest-appearing at a Summer Celebration we’re hosting for children. Watch this space! |
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New Net Zero Animation for Schools |
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A new animation to help schools take the first steps to lowering their carbon emissions has been launched by the Church of England’s Net Zero programme. The short ‘claymatian’ style animation offers tips for schools to help reduce carbon emissions from their buildings, as well as signposting to regional and national support. An updated digital guide has also been created, offering schools simple tips to get started on their net zero carbon journey. Read more here and watch the video here. |
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Reception Year Quality Conference |
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The summer network meetings will all be in-person at a range of locations across the two dioceses. These are always a great way to connect with other RE leaders, to share ideas and resources and to receive updates about what is happening in the wider RE world. This term we will also take part in some work moderation. Please see the flyer here for more details and let Jane.Kelly@portsmouth.anglican.org know if you or a colleague would like to attend. |
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The DfE are holding a Reception-year quality conference - South East region and this is taking place on the 2 July at 10am. More information about the conference and how to sign up via Eventbrite is here. |
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This year marks 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen. To mark this significant anniversary, our Cathedral joins local organisations to celebrate her legacy. You can find out about a whole range of events including lectures, tours, cream teas and more at the website: Winchester Cathedral | Celebrating Jane. Importantly, a newly commissioned statue of Jane Austen will be permanently located in the inner close. This will be unveiled on 16th October – meantime, there's a variety of events happening so do consider a visit! |
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This year’s project; a free Creation Care resource; and the Year 6 Cathedrals’ Installation instructions |
Our project booklet for schools and churches, packed with resources and ideas is available here. The project overview, explanation of the title and logo, as well as other background information is contained in the Introduction to the booklet. This provides an excellent opportunity for churches to work with their local CofE or Community school specifically on the focus areas of Creation Care, Outdoor Learning and Mental and emotional well-being. A free resource ‘Caring for creation together’ has been shared with schools, but you can access here under the licence I’ve agreed. Details and instructions regarding our Year 6 Installation at the Cathedrals can be accessed here. |
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