A Day of Welcome 2026
A Day of Welcome is an annual event in schools that promotes solidarity and understanding for people seeking sanctuary, offering free resources and activities to support Refugee Week.
VNET are delighted to support and sponsor the live, online events/webcasts that kickstart A Day of Welcome!
Schools signing up will be provided with:
- A Teachers’ Guide – A summary of this year’s offer for Day of Welcome 2026 and everything you will need to plan your Day of Welcome.
- Teaching & learning resources– Providing new lessons, guidance and activities for KS1-KS4. Available online 17 April 2026
- Free live events – By sharing books, art and stories, we will bring the voices and experiences of people with lived experience of seeking sanctuary into your classroom (for pupils 5-18 years old).
- Refugee Education support – Sharing the latest training and guidance on how best to support any pupils and families at your school who have experienced forced displacement.
These inspirational webcasts from authors and illustrators are free to access for any classroom or child across the country.Book tickets for the webcasts below:
Register for a Day of Welcome
Asylum Speakers: Giel
Audience: This event is for pupil voice groups at secondary schools in the UK but it would also be suitable for classes or year groups.
Asylum Speakers is a media platform amplifying the voices of those impacted by forced displacement. In this session, we will meet Giel, a South Sudanese refugee who recently set out to walk the length of the UK to raise money for charity. As an inspirational speaker with a remarkable story, he will motivate and inform your pupils, offering practical ways to build a community of welcome and belonging in your school.
Storytime with Michael Rosen
Audience: This event is designed for pupils aged 5-7 but is also suitable for older or younger children.
Join much loved author and poet Michael Rosen, as he reads his latest picture book The Big Journey - the heartwarming sequel to The Big Dreaming - which sees Big Bear and Little Bear set out on a Big Journey to find a new home.
Meet and greet with Dina & Ayman
Audience: This event is designed for pupils aged 7-9 but is also suitable for older children.
Come along and meet Dina and Ayman. They will share some aspects of their cultural heritage and reflect on their experiences of seeking sanctuary. Through stories and conversation, your pupils will build understanding and empathy while we celebrate our diverse communities and multicultural country.
The Cheat Book with Ramzee
Audience: This event is designed for pupils aged 9-11 but is also suitable for older children.
In this Day of Welcome and Empathy Festival collaboration, author-illustrator Ramzee will bring to life the laugh-out-loud The Cheat Book series. Drawing on his experiences as a cartoonist, storyteller and coming to the UK as a refugee, in this interactive session your pupils will be drawing, thinking and getting their empathy on!
Thanks to our partners in this event:
Schools of Sanctuary and Anglia Ruskin University have worked closely in the last 5 years to develop A Day of Welcome – an event for schools inspired by stories of refugee migration that raises awareness of refugee history and heritage, past and present, local and global. Schools of Sanctuary is a national network of schools committed to building a culture of welcome for refugees and asylum seekers.
Asylum Speakers is a media platform amplifying voices on those impacted by displacement. Asylum Speakers has a clear goal for every school-aged child in the UK to have heard a story of displacement firsthand in order to encourage empathy, understanding compassion and love for the most vulnerable members of our society.
Norwich 2040 Local Cultural Education Partnership is a network of Norwich’s creative and cultural organisations, educators, schools and young people. Our mission is to make sure that all of the children and young people in the city and surrounding areas have access to our rich creative sector and its opportunities.
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people in over 150 countries and territories who campaign to end abuses of human rights.
Empathy Lab develops, activates, and celebrates the power of stories to increase real-life empathy. Through reading, they help children and young people understand others, grow emotionally, and thrive, aiming to reach 1 million children each year by 2026.
EVENT FOR EDUCATORS
Teacher CPD with Giel and Gulwali
Tuesday, 22 September 2026 @ 4:00 pm – 5.00 pm
In partnership with Amnesty International and Asylum Speakers, in this session you will hear firsthand from people who have faced forced displacement, focusing on their experiences of UK schools as both parents and pupils. It will build your understanding of the challenges faced by families from a refugee or asylum-seeking background and provide guidance and support in how best to support them in your setting.