5 minute read
Shelter from the storm
In May 2023, Oxford was awarded University of Sanctuary status in recognition of its commitment to being a haven for people forcibly displaced from their homeland. This distinction acknowledges the success of work carried out by two trailblazing colleges: Somerville and Mansfield.
Shukria Rezaei Communications Officer
Given the appalling conflicts currently scarring our world, the need for a place of sanctuary has rarely been more apparent. UK universities are well-placed to offer refuge to students and academics from countries in turmoil – and our College was swift to recognise this. Together with Somerville, Mansfield was granted College of Sanctuary status back in 2021, paving the way for the University to follow.
On hearing of the University’s award, Mansfield’s Principal, Helen Mountfield KC, commented: ‘I am pleased and proud that the pioneering work done by so many at Somerville and Mansfield, as the first University Colleges of Sanctuary, to create a welcoming, supportive environment to learn with and from people seeking sanctuary from conflict or oppression, has now been adopted by the University of Oxford as a whole.’
So, what does being a College of Sanctuary mean? First, we have our sanctuary scholars. These past three years, Mansfield has been the intellectual home of several such scholars: from Venezuela, Somalia, and Ukraine thanks to the support of the Council of Lutheran Churches and many Mansfield alumni. As a former Sanctuary Scholar myself at the University of London, I can attest to the lifesaving nature of these scholarships – both for those coming from abroad and refugees living in the UK. As a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, with a limited visa when I first arrived, I would never have received a higher education without one.
Beyond the scholarships, though, sanctuary is about creating friendships and networks for mutual support. Here, the intimate character of a college can be a real advantage. At Mansfield, we have been building special ties with refugee communities within the city of Oxford through our partner charity, Asylum Welcome, and the unique Sanctuary Arts programme, funded by the AB Charitable Trust (the Bonavero Family Charitable Foundation).
Our Writer in Residence, Kate Clanchy, has made Mansfield accessible to many who would otherwise walk past the guarded gates of an Oxford college. Kate works in the Ethnic Minority Business Service (EMBS) Community College in Cowley, which provides education and training to young people (aged 16-18) and adults. The city’s many refugees from Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Eritrea, and East Timor come to EMBS to learn English. Kate creates anthologies of student work and regularly brings her students into Mansfield to share their poems. Their poetry anthologies are displayed proudly in our Library, and together with the EMBS students, we have celebrated International Poetry Day, Yalda Night (Persian Winter Solstice), Nowruz (New Year), Ramadan and Mansfieldmas. Bringing students to a talk by new honorary Fellow, Lemn Sissay, was a special pleasure.
The College buildings and the warm welcome never fail to impress the visitors. As Sean, an EMBS tutor put it: ‘You can see when they were reading their poems in that beautiful Mansfield Library they just felt like the most important person in the world. All the phones going and the Instagrams - the messages were going back home “this is where I’ve got to. I’ve arrived”.’
But the exchange is mutual. Mansfield students volunteer at EMBS and EMBS students work in Mansfield. Students and tutors alike were delighted when Andrii, a refugee from eastern Ukraine, read his poem ‘I believe in my bicycle in all the weathers of my life’ in the Chapel: truly a creed for so many at Oxford.
In November 2023, Mansfield facilitated a panel discussion on ‘creating a community’. I was proud to share my experiences as a Sanctuary Scholar with Kate Clanchy, current Sanctuary Scholar Erick Moreno Superlano, and former Head of the Refugee Studies Centre, Professor Alex Betts.
The panel shared important insights on how Mansfield can draw from its experience to encourage more colleges and departments to become spaces of sanctuary. There are plans for our College to work alongside the first Oxford University Sanctuary Community Coordinator, Natasha Treunen, to mobilise the various sanctuary initiatives within the University and the city. It is hoped this will produce a greater impact and reach without losing the special warmth and intimacy that is Mansfield. To finish, we reprint a poem by one of Kate’s EMBS students from Ukraine.
What do I really believe?
I believe in my own smile, the easy openingof people’s souls and friendliness without borders.
I believe in my legs which have replaced my car and carry my life around the world.
I believe in my children’s success as the leaving gift of my knowledge and skills.
I believe in the present, currently serving me for both future and past. I believe in peace.
People are not wild beasts. I believe in kindness, which always returns with the help
of the sky, where we send this message.
