On 4th April, we held a Refugee Employment Workshop and Networking event, followed by the opening of our Pilot Exhibition.
The day began with our Co-Chairs, Alan Thomas and Carlos Ibarra Rivadeneira (pictured left to right below), who gave an introduction to the session.
Co-Chairs, Alan and Carlos
Following this, lunch was provided, with an opportunity to network with individuals within the field. Those invited included: mainstream employment providers, pledged supporters and members of Swansea City of Sanctuary, refugees with lived experience, along with employers and potential Businesses of Sanctuary.
We then had an introduction to Refugee Employment. This included:
- Findings and future plans of the Welsh Government Restart: Refugee Integration Project
- The role of the employer by The Smoke Haus
- Videos of Refugee Experiences
- New Programmes for Support into Employment from YMCA Swansea and Gower College Swansea
Video of Refugee Experience
Attendees then entered into groups for discussion:
- Mentoring, session run by Better Welcome to Swansea
- Work Placements, session run by EYST
- Employer Engagement, session run by ReStart: Refugee Integration Project
- Future Networks, session run by Swansea City of Sanctuary
The findings from these sessions are available to read in full in our Refugee Employment Workshop Report.
After the session, we were joined by the Lord Mayor of Swansea, Councillor Mary Jones, who kindly opened our Pilot Exhibition: Home Away from Home.
Hannah Sabatia and The Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor and Alan Thomas
Attendees were then invited to have the first look around our Pilot Exhibition!
Otis with his panel!
Bie with her panel!
Three of six panels with stories of lived experience
Three of six panels with stories of lived experience
The full Home Away from Home Exhibition will be launching in June at The National Waterfront Museum.