Sheffield

As part of the Sharrow Fringe Festival, Creative Action Network and City of Sanctuary bring you a Celebration Evening at the newly refurbished Highfield Trinity Church, London Road. (Just after the Abbeydale Road turning)

5pm - 7pm, Saturday 27 June 2009

Tours, local artists exhibition, cake and refreshments, art activites, and poetry from the Voices in Exile.

There might even be some music.

Just drop by!

The theme for the evening is Sanctuary. The event is FREE and open to EVERYONE!

(The art exhibition is open from 10am - 7pm on the Saturday, and will be open again on Monday 29th June and Tuesday 30th June)

Sheffield City Council has voted unanimously to adopt the City of Sanctuary Manifesto, which aims to make Sheffield a city that takes pride in the welcome it offers to people in need of safety.

The Manifesto has been developed by the movement's 90 local supporting organisations, including schools, community centres, faith groups and community forums across the city. It sets out ambitious goals for the city, including making sure that ‘asylum-seekers and refugees are fully included in the activities and membership of local community groups', and that ‘host communities receive support to enable them to integrate asylum-seekers and refugees.'

There are also goals to ensure that people seeking sanctuary in Sheffield are able to access essential services such as education, health and transport.

At the Council Meeting on 4th February, Mr David Price, the Chair of Sheffield's Church Action on Poverty group, told Councillors,

"Sheffield has often given a lead to other parts of the country. This is what happened 18 months ago when the Council pledged its support for City of Sanctuary. Since then, at least nine cities are following our lead, including Coventry, Oxford and even mighty London. But leadership brings responsibilities. We must make sure that our arrangements for refugees and asylum seekers are of the high standard set out in the City of Sanctuary Manifesto."

Sheffield is the first city to develop its own City of Sanctuary Manifesto. It is an experiment in 'bottom-up democracy', and we are delighted that it has now become official Council policy. The Council motion also requires the Chief Executive to report back within 3 months on progress made towards our goals, so watch this space...

Are you from Sharrow?

Do you have a story to tell?

We have a new project at our centre, Learn For Life Enterprise, 241 - 243 London Road, Sheffield, S2 4NF.

We are looking for anyone from Sharrow who has a story to tell related to their background, to share their cultural experiences and personal journeys.The stories told will either be made into a film or/and displayed on a website, as pictures and a storyboard.

The five main aims of the project are:

1. To increase awareness and celebrate the cultural, religious and ethnic diversity of Sharrow through the ‘Story Board' films and website

2. To enhance communication skills, confidence and personal development

3. To break down barriers between communities within the area and encourage mutual awareness, understanding and respect

4. To provide opportunities to explore and find out about the Sharrow area and some of its history and uniqueness

5. To increase awareness of the various faiths in the area

If you are interested in taking part, please email me at:

hayley@learnforlifeenterprise.com or by phone: 0114 255 90 80

Do you have a story to tell? A voice to be heard? Do you think differences should be celebrated?
reACT's new project uses drama, story-telling, visual arts and music to explore cultural identity, inter-cultural understanding and communication between people of all ethnic origins.
The group is now meeting for one workshop every Friday between 11am-2pm at:
Point Blank Theatre Company
Unit 2, 67 Earl Street, Sheffield S1 4PY

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=67+earl+street&sll=53...
A small lunch provided within those times.
The group are working to devise and tour a multi art form performance
Please contact Shuna or Johanna on 0114 2496318 or 07908 782 712 or email shuna@squarecirclearts.co.uk for more information.