Celebrating Refugee Week with the Leeds United Foundation
The UK-wide event takes place from 15th to 20th June.
The Leeds United Foundation are celebrating Refugee Week throughout the next few days as they continue to work with refugees in the local community and encourage participants to embrace diversity and welcome those from different backgrounds.
Refugee Week is a UK-wide event celebrating the contributions, creativity and the resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Founded in 1998 and held every year ahead of World Refugee Day, which takes place on 20th June, Refugee Week is also a growing global movement that enables people from different backgrounds to connect beyond labels.
The Leeds United Foundation work hard to promote the importance of diversity, learning about different cultures and embracing those who have a different background to yours, through the workshops and sessions they deliver as part of the Premier League Primary Stars and Premier League Kicks programmes. Refugee Week encourages this mindset and helps to increase understanding around why people are displaced, and the challenges they face when seeking safety.
The Premier League Kicks team also hold weekly football sessions in partnership with the Syrian Refugee Centre to ensure young people who may have not been given opportunities in the past to play football, have the chance to play and improve their skills now – whilst also giving them the opportunity to meet new people in the community and make friends in a safe environment.
Ahmad, a Premier League Kicks participant, spoke to LUTV about the sessions he attends every week and he said: “We just come along to play a bit of football, drills and games and practicing teamwork which also really helps us in school, improving leadership and communication skills which is especially important for people who learnt English as a new language.
“I am looking to go to university in the future and I genuinely believe these sessions will help make that happen, they help me improve lots of key skills I have and that is a fantastic thing.
“The sessions are also great as it helps to get people together. You know we are from the same country but most of us live far away from each other, so this community programme brings us back together to take part in activities and have fun.”
For more information on the Premier League Kicks programme and the work the Foundation do with the Syrian Refugee Centre, please contact Richard.Foye@leedsunited.com.
To take a look at the work being done as part of the Premier League Kicks programme, watch here.
