Susana Nunez, Education Officer, Educate Together
In the rich tapestry of diversity that defines our network of schools, there is a deep commitment to nurturing inclusivity and understanding. Our motto “Learn Together to Live Together” is testament to this. This commitment is exemplified by the inspiring journey that many of our schools have embarked on to become “Schools of Sanctuary champions,” becoming beacons of hospitality for all.
“Schools of Sanctuary are schools that are committed to developing a strong culture of welcome and inclusion for all, especially families from refugee, migrant or minority backgrounds.” says Tiffy Allen, National Coordinator, Places of Sanctuary Ireland:
“This is a whole-school programme where the key Sanctuary principles of Learn Act and Share are implemented in all aspects of school life, including communications, curriculum and activities. Schools join a vibrant national network of over 100 schools, working towards the point where they can be nationally awarded as Champion Schools of Sanctuary.”
Schools of Sanctuary have teams of coordinators and teachers ready to help primary and post primary schools to get started on their School of Sanctuary journey, and to send resources and links to help schools to get started. They can also help schools to link in with Sanctuary Ambassadors, a team of refugees willing to share some of their experiences with schools. They can be contacted at schools@ireland.cityofsanctuary.org for further information.
Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School
In 2020, Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School became the first Dublin School of Sanctuary. You can read more about Stepaside ETSS’s School of Sanctuary journey here written by Sallie Ennis.
Galway Educate Together Secondary School
The school has been working to become a School of Sanctuary. As part of this endeavor, the school recently undertook a Project-Based Learning (PBL) initiative. This initiative enabled students to delve into diverse cultures, raise awareness about marginalised groups, and develop actions for systemic change. For more details, you can read about it here .
Bremore Educate Together Secondary School
Bremore Educate Together Secondary School has been continuing their School of Sanctuary journey this school year.
“We recently received our yellow flag so we are anticipating we will achieve our School of Sanctuary status soon too. We have been heavily student led on this part of our journey, for example our students have created a student friendly guide for our anti bullying policy! We are looking forward to more actions and activities to share, at the moment we are planning our Wear Red Day on March 21st for anti-racism, showing racism the red card.” – the Bremore School of Sanctuary team.
Watch Mike Kiernan (deputy principal) and Áine Mooney (teacher) share insights into their school’s motivations and aspirations on its path toward becoming a School of Sanctuary.
Schools of Sanctuary have some exciting national events this term that schools may be interested in:
Thursday February 22nd 2024 – Open Book Day – Celebrating Sanctuary and Understanding Refugees in Schools and Universities. Click here to register.
Thursday, March 21st 2024 – Wear Red Day (in partnership with the Immigrant Council of Ireland). Wear Red Day is an opportunity for schools and communities to show that they are united against racism. This is a day when schools and other groups can show their unity against racism by wearing red and participating in a variety of age-appropriate activities to help equip young people to take a positive stand against racism.
