News
30th January 2025 |
Join the IKEA UPPNÅ Employability Programme
Are you a refugee in Wales? Fancy working for IKEA? Applications for the 2025 IKEA Employability Programme are now open! Apply for the IKEA UPPNÅ programme. The much-loved UPPNÅ Employability programme is a partnership between IKEA Cardiff and our Employability team helping refugees rebuild their lives in Wales. What does the programme involve? The …
24th January 2025 |
Aberystwyth University creating pathways to peace in Wales.
Yesterday, the Welsh Refugee Council had the privilege of joining Aberystwyth University for an event that struck at the heart of what we stand for: amplifying voices, sharing stories, and building understanding. “Digital Storytelling: A Welsh Pathway to Peace” was a day of shining a light on how storytelling can connect people and inspire change. …
14th January 2025 |
Spread of online misinformation, January 2025
“We are concerned by the circulation of misinformation by individuals in positions of influence. We urge everyone to seek the facts before sharing or endorsing inaccurate content, including fake images, doctored videos, and misleading claims. Spreading such material can escalate threats toward our organisation and staff, and seek to divide communities. In 2023, a video …
16th December 2024 |
From Namibia to the Principality: A memorable day for Utumuna
On a typically Welsh Sunday afternoon in November—cloudy skies and all—the Welsh Refugee Council had the privilege of watching Wales take on Fiji at the Principality Stadium as part of the Autumn Internationals. Thanks to the generosity of our fantastic partners at the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), we had tickets in hand for a day …
12th December 2024 |
Statement: The situation for Syrian sanctuary seekers and refugees
The Welsh Refugee Council is deeply concerned by recent developments surrounding the situation for Syrian sanctuary seekers and refugees, particularly the suspension of asylum processing in the UK. We echo the position of the UNHCR that the situation in Syria remains one of the most complex displacement crises in the world. The ongoing instability …
11th December 2024 |
Become our brilliant new ESOL volunteer
Could you be our new ESOL volunteer? We are looking for a friendly face to support sanctuary seeking families at our Play Project in Cardiff. From our experience, mums can find it hard to access mainstream ESOL classes. The timing of classes and lack of childcare can create barriers to learning a new language. That’s …
6th December 2024 |
Move On period extended to 56 days
By Gareth Lynn Montes, Housing Policy and Research Lead. A version of this article was published in Wales Housing Quarterly in January 2025. We are extremely pleased to hear that the UK Government and Home Office have finally extended the move on period to 56 days. While we await an official announcement and communications on …
29th November 2024 |
Building a Nation of Sanctuary: one step at a time
By Sabiha Azad, Coordinator for Sanctuary Coalition Cymru Sanctuary in the Senedd 2024 was sponsored by Jenny Rathbone MS at the Pierhead Wales has an extraordinary opportunity to establish itself as a true Nation of Sanctuary—a place where refugees and asylum seekers can rebuild their lives with dignity, safety, and hope. It’s a vision we’re …
27th November 2024 |
Growth in calls to increase the Move On period for refugees
Good news isn’t always easy to find in the realm of asylum policy in the UK. So we were glad to hear the Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle MP, acknowledge that steps are needed to help refugees smoothly settle into life in the UK. However, this was back in …
22nd November 2024 |
WRC launch new financial well-being workshops
by Souleymane Ouedraogo Last month the WRC launched their new financial well-being training workshops in their Cardiff office. The first of its kind, the workshop was attended by sanctuary seekers and refugees, including women, young families, and older people. The aim of the workshop was to inform people about the various forms of support and assistance …