World Refugee Day 2018

World Refugee Day 2018 is June 20th!  This international observance honors the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. Commemorate this day by pledging, sharing, and learning.

The Mortenson Center for International Library Programs and the American Library Association (ALA) invite libraries to commemorate World Refugee Day 2018. See the ideas below. As partners on the IMLS-funded planning grant: Project Welcome: Libraries and Community Anchors Planning for Resettlement and Integration of Refugees and Asylum Seekers, we invite you to join us at the 2018 ALA Conference in New Orleans to learn what we and other librarians are doing to support refugees (see below).

Pledge #WithRefugees

Support UNHCR’s #WithRefugees Campaign by adding your signature and sharing the petition with your community: http://www.unhcr.org/refugeeday/us/.

Share #WithRefugees

The World Refugee US Toolkit from 2017 provides you with ideas of images, videos and text to share on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Use #WithRefugees, #WorldRefugeeDay and Project Welcome hashtags:  #projectwelcome, #librariesrespond, #libraries4refugees

Statement by UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi on World Refugee Day 2018

Live Blog: World Refugee Day events span the globe as displacement hits record

Learn #WithRefugees

ARE YOU ATTENDING the ALA Annual Conference 2018 in New Orleans, June 21-26? Please search “refugees ” on the scheduler and attend the many sessions focused on libraries serving refugees, including:

Friday, June 22, 2018
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM  “Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses: How libraries are serving immigrant and refugee populations” – IRRT Preconference.  Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 221.  (Pre-registration required)

Saturday, June 23, 2018
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM  Libraries Saving Lives: Serving immigrants and refugees – IRRT Chair’s Program.  Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 391

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Support for Services to Immigrants and Refugees through Sister Libraries.  Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 283

Sunday, June 24, 2018
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. Libraries Supporting Social Inclusion for Refugees and immigrants – IRRT Paper and Projects Committee.  Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 285

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM  Seekers: Graphic Novels and The Refugee Crisis.  Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 227

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM  Project Welcome Recommendations and Action Plan: Implications for Libraries Serving Refugees.  Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 343

Monday, June 25, 2018
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM  How Libraries Abroad Address the Worldwide Refugee Crisis.  Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 288

What else can you do #WithRefugees?

  • Read a book or watch a film to learn and better understand the experience of a refugee. Visit your local branch library to check out our books with inspiring and compelling stories about “real people with real needs.”
  • Wear light blue, the international color of UN aid workers, on the day of the event and let others know why you are wearing this color.
  • Join the Justice for Immigrants Campaign so that you can learn about further advocacy related activities in which you can participate.
  • Hold an information session or speaker panel with a refugee or immigrant member of your community or parish.
  • Host a potluck or dinner with newcomers in your community to try new foods and encounter and learn about new cultures.

Find a World Refugee Event near you: http://www.unhcr.org/refugeeday/us/events/ AND http://www.unhcr.org/withrefugees/world-refugee-day/