‘Love The Stranger’ School Resources Launched

Ahead of Refugee Week 2024 CSAN members, led by Caritas Brentwood, have created resources to help schools engage with Refugee Week and understand the Catholic response to migrants and refugees.

In March 2023, The Department of International Affairs at the Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales (CBCEW) published a new document, Love the Stranger, presenting a Catholic response to refugees and migrants, with 24 guiding principles rooted in Catholic Social Teaching. Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) has been promoting the document to the Catholic community. In advance of Refugee Week 2024, we have worked with the Bishops’ Conference and members of the social action network to make the document accessible for schools.

Refugee Week 2024 will take place from 17–23 June, with World Refugee Day held on 20 June. Caritas Brentwood, with support from Clifton Diocese and the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP), has produced resources for Refugee Week to introduce the principles of Love The Stranger to schools. The resources include a PowerPoint presentation and 5 worksheets, one for each day of the week, designed to inform and facilitate discussion, as well as a document signposting other available resources and support. Resources are available for both primary and secondary schools.

Pope Francis, in his publication for the Jubilee Year 2025, Spes in Confundit, has invited us to offer “signs of hope” to people whose dignity is under threat, including migrants and refugees. We would like to make support for migrants and refugees a key theme as we prepare for the Jubilee Year and look forward to sharing further resources with you, including a youth version of Love The Stranger.

We encourage you to share these resources widely and would appreciate your feedback on the materials. For any queries or feedback, please contact the CSAN Migration Officer at aliya.zahin@csan.org.uk.

Downloads:

The resources are available for download below but they can also be downloaded via our Do Justice site, where you will find a range of other resources: Downloads – Do Justice: A Vision for Spiritual and Civic Renewal in England and Wales

Secondary school resources

The PowerPoint presentation can be found online here.

The class resources can be downloaded below:

Primary school resources

The PowerPoint presentation can be found online here.

The class resources can be downloaded below: