REFUGEES and migrants studying English at Wiltshire College & University Centre’s Salisbury campus were invited to Stonehenge to mark Refugee Week.
Two parties of 20 students from all over the world who are building new lives in Wiltshire spent a morning at the stones as guests of English Heritage. As well as having a tour of the site and trying out some stone age thatching, they will be contributing to an art project to be displayed at the site.
Lecturer Tom Evans said the students enjoyed the visit and returned full of ideas for the art project. “It was a lovely day in the beautiful sunshine and really worthwhile for the students,” he said.
“The English Heritage education team were very welcoming and gave the students a full guided tour. Getting out of the classroom is a nice team building and bonding exercise where everyone’s happy and getting to know each other.”
The art project will involve students drawing an outline of their hand and filling it with some artwork, a poem or just thoughts on their visit. “English Heritage are going to build a collage using those hand prints,” said Tom.
“Obviously it took many people, many hands, to build Stonehenge so it must have taken an amazing community effort. It’s really fitting in Refugee Week because we are looking at its theme of ‘community as a superpower’ and what you can achieve as a community.”
He said the visit will build on the lessons designed to help migrants integrate. “Stonehenge is part of life in the UK and it will help them broaden their understanding of British culture and history and also the local community,” he said.
“If they feel they understand more about our history – the bigger picture and local – then they feel more able to connect with people more.”
As part of the week staff and students, including ESOL students, from the Salisbury campus came together for a Refugee Week event. Art created by ESOL students was on display which used words, images and memories that reflected their journeys to the UK.
The event also included a talk from Wiltshire Council’s Refugee Resettlement and Migration Service, about the UK’s refugee and asylum systems. Senior Refugee Resettlement & Migration Officer, Lisa Martin and Interim Team Manager, Homes for Ukraine & Asylum Dispersal, Olivia Byrne spoke about the legal processes asylum seekers face and the support available, as well as the emotional intensity of the work.
PSD & Employability Tutor Sophie Klien-Alfred said: “The artwork was a way to help students open up – it gave them a space to express their journeys in a creative and personal way. Once we saw how powerful that was, it just made sense to build on it. Bringing in the speakers added another layer – it connected their stories to the real-world systems and support that’s out there.
“Sometimes refugee issues can feel distant or just political, but this made it real. These are our students, our neighbours and, our community – and they have powerful stories to tell.”
She said the week’s theme of community as a superpower was appropriate. “When I think of that theme, the word that comes to mind is strength,” she said.
“That came up a lot in our sessions too. The strength it takes to leave everything behind – your home, your family, your culture – and start over somewhere new.”
A book charting some of the perilous journeys – and the circumstances that prompted them – has been published by ESOL students to raise money for a refugee charity. Journey To Wiltshire is available from the WCUC website, Salisbury Museum, the Ukrainian Community Hub at Salisbury Methodist Church and the Rocketship Bookshop.
“We have already raised around £600,” said Tom. “It is full of very moving stories that really underline the ordeals some of our students have been through.”
