Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9

Each year, Refugee Week celebrates the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Refugee Week 2026 took place from 15th to 21st June, and this year's theme was Courage. It also marked the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which has protected people fleeing danger and persecution for three quarters of a century.

The word "courage" comes from the Latin cor, meaning "heart". For refugees, courage is part of everyday life: the courage to leave home, to make long and uncertain journeys, to learn a new language and to build a new life in an unfamiliar place.

But courage isn't only for refugees. We are all invited to show courage too, by opening our hearts to welcome others. Courage doesn't have to be loud or bold. It can be found in small, simple acts: a smile and a hello, inviting a new child to play, trying food from another culture, or reading a story that helps us see the world through someone else's eyes.

At St Alban's, we explore this through Catholic Social Teaching. We believe every person is made in the image of God and has equal dignity, and that we are called to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, especially those who are most vulnerable. Jesus himself was a refugee as a child, when the Holy Family fled to Egypt to keep him safe, and he asks us to welcome the stranger as we would welcome him.

We are proud to be a school where everyone is welcomed with an open heart, and we pray that our children will grow up with the courage to build a kinder, fairer world for all.

Our children at St Alban's immersed themselves in Refugee Week by;

- leading special prayer services in class where they prayed for refugees and asylum seekers all over the world including those who have joined our own school community,

- demonstrating their creative writing skills through the books they explored,

-making kites to fly, a popular Afghan tradition, as a symbol of all those whose lives have been torn apart by war, persecution or natural disaster. The kites were a message of hope and freedom.