Home: A short film for Refugee Week
17 Jun 2024This year's Refugee Week (17-23 June) theme is 'Our Home', making Aardman & Save the Children's short film 'Home' a perfect resource to share with young people.
Reading time 10 mins
It goes without saying that refugees, migrants and other displaced people are often misrepresented and even dehumanised across society. Within this context, film can be an incredibly effective medium in revealing the human stories behind such complex political socio-economic issues and in encouraging a greater sense of empathy, respect and cultural understanding among young people.
As people seeking refuge in other countries around the world continues to rise, it has also never been more urgent to actively facilitate this knowledge and understanding. As per the UN Refugee Agency, after over a decade of conflict, Syria remains the world's largest refugee crisis. Since 2011, more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety, and more than 7.2 million Syrians remain internally displaced in their own country. And that's just one example.
Meanwhile, climate change is arguably the most pressing issue facing the world today and is set to produce an unprecedented number of migrants and refugees. According to the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), 1.2 billion people in 31 countries could be displaced by 2050 due to food and water shortages as well as greater exposure to natural disasters. Giving young people the necessary foundation and avenue for understanding these topics is therefore crucial.
When it comes to people moving or being displaced across nations, delving into questions of cultural identity can be particularly key, as refugees strive to maintain a sense of cultural and national identity even when leaving their place of origin behind, or in the struggles to assimilate into a completely new culture. Films to help you explore these themes include Last Resort, A Better Life, The Kite Runner, Dirty Pretty Things, Dheepan and Leave to Remain.
Below, we've collected all of our films, resources and articles regarding refugees and migrantion to help you bring discussions around these crucial issues into the classroom.
