Welcome to the journey of becoming a School of Sanctuary. You will be joining a family of hundreds of schools in Ireland and UK, all committed to a promoting a culture of welcome and inclusion for people seeking International Protection.
Mount Sion CBS Secondary School is a school in Waterford City that decided in 2019 to make a commitment towards becoming a School of Sanctuary. This video will give you a feel for the energy and unity the decision created.
What is a School of Sanctuary like?
A School of Sanctuary is a school that works on providing a sense of safety for those whose lives may be in danger in their own country, who have troubles at home or are just looking for a space where they can feel safe.The whole school is committed to making it a safe and welcoming place for anyone seeking sanctuary. The school consciously helps students, staff and the wider community to understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary. Schools of Sanctuary welcome everyone as equal, valued members of the school and the community. It is a school that is proud to be a place of safety and inclusion for all. A School of Sanctuary develops intercultural awareness through the gradual acquisition of intercultural skills and celebrate all cultures within its community.
How do we become a School of Sanctuary?
To become a recognized School of Sanctuary, you will need to adopt the three principles – Learn, Action and Share.
Learn: What it means to be seeking sanctuary; this may include hearing refugees describe their experiences first hand.
Action: Decide on actions that are needed in the school to help develop a culture of welcome and inclusion.
Share: Share your findings with the wider community and other schools.
You will find out much more in our free Resource Pack.
Get Started
Contact your local City/County or Place of Sanctuary Group, inform them of your School’s intention. You could also email us directly on [email protected].
Click here to Download the Schools of Sanctuary Charter and the Pledge Form. This is your starting point and a good way to get your whole community involved.
Follow the guidelines of the Schools of Sanctuary Resource Pack. Following the three guidelines, LEARN, ACTION and SHARE, begin to prepare your portfolio.
When you are ready, we can arrange for a monitoring team to visit your school to help decide if you are ready for a School of Sanctuary Award.
Thanks for taking time to go through the resources and information provided here. To learn more about Schools of Sanctuary or the practical steps to start your journey , you can
Download the Schools of Sanctuary Resource Pack here or visit the Key Resources Section.
You could also navigate through the UK Schools of Sanctuary website to access a wide range of case studies, resources, news and other related information by Clicking here