Coventry launched it’s quest to become a City of Sanctuary in September 2008 with an event which over 100 enthusiastic people attended.
Since then, a working group has met monthly to spread the word and initiate and support various activities across the city. Nearly 70 organisations have now signed up and we have run a host of events and activities – some for specific groups like employers and others out in public spaces. We are currently running a project on health – to make GP surgeries more welcoming – and on hate Crime. We use the arts to celebrate and to raise awareness.
Coventry is a multi-cultural city and is known as a ‘City of Peace and Reconciliation’. We would like to see in practice that:
- the skills and cultures of people seeking sanctuary are valued, they are included in local communities and able to contribute to the life of the city
- community groups, local government, media, business, schools and colleges have a shared commitment to offering sanctuary so that it is seen as part of the city’s identity by local people
- people seeking sanctuary can easily build relationships with local people as neighbours, friends and colleagues
- through these relationships, local people come to understand the injustices refugees face and become motivated to support and defend them.
The images below are by Year 9 pupils at Blue Coat School. They were asked by their teacher what sanctuary means to them. We displayed their work in the window of an empty city centre shop throughout Coventry’s two-week Peace Festival in November and then made them into a City of Sanctuary calendar.
You can spot more of their work on other pages
