By Dan Thompson
An art exhibition by young refugees opens this Saturday (June 17) at Discovery Planet in Ramsgate.
In the last year, youth charity Pie Factory Music has welcomed more than 50 unaccompanied refugees, the youngest aged 13, to its Open Arms sessions.
The young people have had to flee their homes in Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Kurdistan, Ukraine, Syria and other countries. Together, at the Open Arms sessions, they make music and art, play games, dance, and cook traditional recipes from their home countries. The aim it to help them make friends and connections, and to learn life skills.
“The programme demonstrates how people from different backgrounds can support and befriend each other, bridging cultural differences in a celebration of diversity and unity,” says Pie Factory Music CEO Zoë Carassik-Lord, “and we would love for as many people in our community to celebrate these young people by coming to the exhibition.”
To celebrate the project’s first anniversary, the charity is exhibiting work by the young people during Refugee Week. The work is inspired by the powerful stories of the journeys the young people have made, the resilience it took to get here, and the compassion they found along the way.
The exhibition is at Discovery Planet, 47 High St, Ramsgate and is open from 17-22 June, 10am-4pm.