To counter the hostility and division from our politicians and press, it’s important we platform positive and inspiring stories of hope and solidarity.
If you are working with newly resettled Afghan families, here are some simple digital project ideas that people could participate in. We hope they’d be both fun and also great opportunities for press coverage.
Some suggested ideas for press coverage:
- Nowruz: Persian New Year: This important festival falls on Sunday 20th March. It would be great to know how families are planning to celebrate. This could be a great opportunity for cultural exchanges between communities.
- Cricket – As cricket is popular in both the UK and Afghanistan, are there any Afghan families involved with their local team? If so, it would be great to share pictures of the Afghan players with their new team, or, if that’s not possible, pictures taken from behind or close up that don’t reveal someone’s identity, but still capture something about the feeling of joining a team.
- Letters – Invite local schools to send welcome postcards and letters to newly arrived families, and then invite the families if they would like to write back. Even if it’s in Dari or Pashto, we might be able to find a volunteer to translate the letters and share them, with the writer’s permission.
- Photography – If families have access to a camera or cameraphone, invite them to take photos ofsomething they’ve discovered in their new neighbourhood, or something new that they’ve discovered in the UK that they hadn’t seen before.
- Kites – As kite flying is popular in Afghanistan, a craft activity with families could be to make kites, perhaps decorated with orange hearts or messages of hope. Photos of these homemade kites being flown would be a fantastic news story.
If you need any support in pitching stories to your local newspaper, get in touch with City of Sanctuary UK communications manager: [email protected]