Refugee Week 2026
Refugee Week is the world’s largest arts and culture festival spotlighting the experiences and cultural contributions of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. This year it took place from 15 – 21 June. Refugee Week brings people together through art, culture, food, film, music, sport and conversation, and creates opportunities to meet neighbours, hear new stories, experience different cultures and recognise what connects us all.
This year’s theme for Refugee Week was Courage. Community Action: MK write: For people seeking sanctuary, courage is often a daily necessity. It is the courage to leave behind everything familiar, navigate uncertainty, learn new languages, rebuild lives and create a sense of home in a new place. But courage belongs to all of us. It is also the courage to welcome, to listen, to stand alongside one another, and to build communities where everyone can belong.
During Refugee Week our friends at the Ukraine Appeal launched a new wellbeing programme, Telling My Story. This pilot project, in Milton Keynes, supports people affected by trauma, displacement and major life changes, helping build confidence, resilience and community connections. The programme has been designed as a model that can be adapted and delivered with a range of communities, particularly those with refugee, asylum-seeking or migrant backgrounds. Find out more about the project, as well as Ukraine Appeal’s wider work supporting the Ukrainian community in Milton Keynes here.
You can read Community Action: MK’s Refugee Week blog here, Special Newsletter packed with information about groups in MK here and blogs on different refugee groups in MK here.
Refugee Week invites us to reflect on the kind of society we want to be: one where everyone has the chance to belong, contribute and thrive.
Milton Keynes Refugee Support Network
Community Action: MK, with funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, facilitate the Milton Keynes Refugee Support Network which brings together local charities, community groups, volunteers and partners to share information, build connections and strengthen support for refugees, people seeking asylum and migrant communities across the city. Through collaboration and partnership working, the network helps create opportunities for learning, joint projects and community action throughout the year. If your church would like to get involved you can find out more here.
Community Action: MK is the local infrastructure organisation for Milton Keynes. They strengthen communities, support voluntary organisations, grow volunteering, and bring partners together to create long-term change across The City.
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