How would YOU respond if asked to house a young refugee?

STUDENTS at Lord Williams’s School in Thame have been exploring the issues of immigration by debating how they might respond to a (hypothetical) request for the community to accommodate young Syrian refugees in Thame.

An 18 year-old Syrian refugee – Picture: UNICEF/Yurtsever

During the of-timetable, conference-style debate, the Year 11 students heard from a panel of speakers including a refugee from Iraq, a local charity representative (Convoy2Calais) and Graham Hunt, Thame’s Town Clerk. Graham was impressed by the discussions that took place amongst students: “They offered a wide range of responses and valuable insights to the issues,” he said. “I will remember the event for a long time to come and will endeavour to ensure that the output can be used in a constructive way.”

Nicky Stallwood, Careers Manager at Lord Williams’s School, helped co-ordinate the event on January 17, and commented: “For many students, the experience was powerful and several mentioned how it had changed their views on immigration and asylum seekers. The students were able to empathise with the refugee perspective and were very keen to talk further. For many it was the first time that a global issue had become personalised.”

One Year 11 student spoke for many when he said: “We don’t talk about current issues enough in school. If we want people to get involved and to feed the debate, there has to be more opportunities like this for young people.”

Nicky Stallwood added: “Working with local refugee interest groups provided students with a real insight into the experience of the refugee and the role of support charities.”

John Cormino James from Thame’s Bread and Roses for Refugees, found inspiration from the students’ responses: “What was most wonderful was the grounded passion with which the young people presented their conclusions,” he said. “An energy to nurture and also to give us hope.”