Refugee Week at Moss Side Powerhouse

Libraries are places of sanctuary and welcome for all. We practice this all year round but sometimes it deserves a special mention. Like last week when Manchester Libraries celebrated Refugee Week to ensure that sanctuary seekers are welcome and that their stories are heard. 

The theme this year was Our Home with beautiful artwork by Manjit Thapp which was used for a lovely window display. 

At Powerhouse Library all class visits and activities that week had a refugee-theme and generated a lot of conversations about why people might have to leave their homes, what they might encounter on their journey, and what happens when they arrive somewhere. Some children and adults shared parts of their migration stories and created moving maps of their families’ journeys. 

Many of the children showed great empathy towards refugees and their stories and tried to imagine what they would feel like in that situation. Many had read stories about refugees before, and this shows both the importance of storytelling and access to books. 

If you want to find out more about Refugee Week please click here.