Day of Welcome Line-Up Revealed! - Schools of Sanctuary

A Day of Welcome is an annual day of solidarity and learning in schools that aims to build a culture of welcome and understanding for people seeking sanctuary. Celebrated by more than 550 schools in 2024, it supports teachers to develop refugee education and to kickstart Refugee Week (16-22 June 2025) by providing FREE live events, resources and activities for pupils of all ages.

The line up for the live events for this year’s Day of Welcome in June have now been revealed and schools can now register to take part.

Register for our fully-funded live events – for schools and for families

These free events for, for pupils 5-18 years old, bring the voices and experiences of people with lived experience of seeking sanctuary into the classroom and have been developed in partnership with Asylum Speakers and Amnesty International.

Bobble’s Community with Gulwali Passarlay

Author, Refugee Rights Campaigner and Speaker Gulwali Passarlay, will be joining us to share his story and what community means to him. By meeting Gulwali (and his fictional friend Bobble), the children will gain an understanding of who refugees are, and explore how to make more welcoming communities.

For pupils aged 5-7 years-old: 9.30-10.00am on Friday 13 June

The Waiting Place with Dina Nayeri

Dina’s book The Waiting Place explores the lives of ten young refugees in Greece, revealing their dreams and struggles. In this session, Dina will share her family’s story of seeking sanctuary, help your pupils better understand refugee migration, and guide us to think about how to create more welcoming communities.

For pupils aged 7-9 years-old: 10.30-11.15pm on Friday 13 June

What Are Our Superpowers? Art workshop with 8bitfaz

Meet Hossam Fazulla (8bitfaz), the Egyptian-born illustrator, filmmaker, and producer behind Refugee Week 2025’s Community as a Superpower artwork. In this interactive session, bring your coloured papers, scissors and glue to get creative with Faz. Together we’ll explore what makes a community strong and make our own superhero-inspired artworks.

For pupils aged 9-11 years-old: 1.30-2.30am on Friday 13th June

Asylum Speakers with Jaz and Giel

Join Jaz and her friend Giel, a South Sudanese refugee rights advocate. Giel overcome huge adversity to arrive in the UK aged 16. Today, as well as being an inspirational speaker, he is a student and a model. This session will inspire and inform your pupils while giving them practical ways to build a community of welcome and solidarity in your setting.

For pupil voice groups at secondary schools: 2-3pm on Tuesday 6th May

NEW FOR 2025 Community as a Superpower: Storytime & Art Workshop

A creative event for the whole family! Join us for a special retelling of a Moomins story, in which Moominpapa is forced to find a new home. After the story, we’ll meet Hossam Fazulla (8bitfaz), the artist behind this year’s Refugee Week poster. Known for blending art, technology, and identity, Faz will guide a live art workshop where we’ll create our own superheroes!

For families: 10-11pm on Saturday 21st June. Share this event with your families to continue the conversations at home

NEW Teaching Resources

In addition to these live events the Day of Welcome team and partners are working on several new teaching resources that speak to the Refugee Week theme: Community as a superpower.

Download the Teachers’ Guide for 2025 to see what to expect in 2025 and to support your planning – resources, events, suggestions and guidance.