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Our Path To Sanctuary

OUR PATH TO SANCTUARY

On 23 April 2024 Queen’s University announced plans to officially seek University of Sanctuary recognition. Through this process, the University will welcome people seeking sanctuary through facilitated access to higher education and support to local refugee communities.

Five people standing at the sides of the Sanctuary board.
Our Sanctuary Pledge

The next step took place on 6 June 2024, when Queen's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer, and Mehrshad Esfandiari, Chair of Belfast City of Sanctuary, came together in a significant gesture of synergy and solidarity, signing a pledge to affirm Queen’s University commitment to the vision of City of Sanctuary by integrating its Charter’s values and principles; recognising the invaluable contributions of Sanctuary seekers; vowing to welcome, include, and support them within our University; and expressing the willingness to engage with City of Sanctuary, embracing further ideas and opportunities to advance a shared vision of sanctuary and solidarity.

Our Path To Sanctuary Signatories: from L to R, Dr Ryan Feeney (Vice-President Strategic Engagement and External Affairs), Beth Elder (President Queen’s University Student’s Union), Professor Sir Ian Greer (President and Vice-Chancellor), Kieran Minto (President (Elect) Queen’s University Student’s Union) and Mehrshad Esfandiari (Chair of Belfast City of Sanctuary).

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Below, you can explore the existing support systems, opportunities, projects, and research initiatives already in place at Queen's University for our migrant, asylum seeker, and refugee communities.

A very diverse group of adults posing and smiling
Our Internal Networks

These networks are established within Queen's University Belfast and are dedicated to fostering inclusion, addressing inequalities, and supporting specific communities or initiatives within the university environment. They aim to provide spaces for networking, support, and collaboration among their respective communities or individuals, as well as creating a sense of belonging and addressing systemic issues.

iRISE: a peer QUB network open to all academic and professional services staff who identify as, or are characterised as, BAME and/or international, aiming to contribute to addressing misrepresentation, inequalities and unbelonging within the academic functions at Queen’s University Belfast.

Racial Equity Champions (REC) Network: a network established to support Queen’s University in its work on REC, and racial inequality more broadly. The network is made up of staff from all of our Schools and Directorates who are passionate about advancing race equality, and have knowledge and expertise in this area.

African Scholars Research Network (AfricanSRN): a QUB network aiming to develop a network for African scholars engaged in research.

QUB Sanctuary on Teams: In 2020, the Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility Team collated a contact list of staff (and some students) across the University working on or with an interest in relevant issues, and created the QUB Sanctuary Team (on Microsoft Teams) as a forum for staff members to keep each other informed about initiatives and events. Please, contact us to be added to the Team.

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Our External Networks

Queen's University is forging new relationships and expanding its networks with local, national, and international organisations. Among these collaborations are currently Belfast City of Sanctuary and Anaka Women’s Collective: they exemplify our university's commitment to partnering with organisations dedicated to fostering inclusion and supporting marginalised communities. By working together with these groups, we continue our journey towards creating a more equitable and welcoming environment for all.

Belfast City of Sanctuary: the group’s aim is to promote and build a culture of welcome and hospitality for people seeking sanctuary and a home in Belfast.

Anaka Women’s Collective: a Belfast-based women's collective, led by women with direct experience of the asylum system, who use their collective skills to educate, advocate for and celebrate each other.

Queen's University, through the Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility Team, has increasingly been offering practical support for meetings and events by providing spaces, logistical assistance, and refreshments. Examples include logistical support and room provision for a June 2022 workshop on refugee accommodation, organised with groups like Asylum Seeker Voices NI and the British Red Cross; rooms and refreshments for mental health workshops in late 2023 run by the Starling Collective; support for a January 2024 Barnardo’s workshop for Afghan families about pharmacy services; a teaching room for a Cambridge English course for young refugees; an opportunity for an Afghan artist to present her work on campus in March 2024; hosting a Sanctuary symposium in partnership with the Starling Collective and Corrymeela in April 2024; taking part in a number of Refugee Week 2024 events, including the Refugee Picnic where Queen's University had an information stall.

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two young people, male and female, from an Asian ethnic background
Our Scholarships

Queen’s University currently has two scholarships for asylum seekers per year. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition and provide an £8,000 award to support costs associated with education and attending university for one year of study for the duration of the programme.

Also, the University will be covering the cost of extending the existing Copty scholarship for Palestinians from one to four students. This is a fully paid, one-year postgraduate programme open to applicants with Palestinian nationality who live in Gaza or the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and belong to a family normally resident there.

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Our Fellowships

To support academics from conflict-affected regions, Queen’s has partnered with the Council for At Risk Academics (Cara) to create and fund three Queen’s University Fellowships per year. These fellowships will run for two years and offer academics at risk around the world an opportunity to come to Queen’s to continue their academic pursuits safely.

diverse group of researchers sitting at their desks working
Our Research

Queen's University Belfast is actively engaged in sanctuary research, focusing on issues affecting migrants and ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland. Through collaborations with various organisations such as the Migrant and Minority Ethnic Council NI and Belfast City of Sanctuary, Queen's is facilitating scholarship and research activities to address these issues and create further connections within the community.

Click here to find out more about Queen's University Belfast Sanctuary-related research and engagement.

Our Engagement

Various initiatives and projects at Queen's University aim at fostering understanding, supporting marginalised communities, addressing key societal issues, also by exploring migrant experiences through creative methods and promoting mental health support.

Click here to find out more about Queen's University Belfast Sanctuary-related research and engagement.

Four students sitting
Our Sanctuary Languages

Asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland come from a variety of countries, the majority of which are Arabic-speaking.
If you'd like to be able to converse with your new neighbours, why not study Arabic at QUB Language Centre - the Arabic language is taught at many levels, from beginners (with an online option) through to intermediate.

The Nigerian Languages and Cultures Taster Series (NLCTS) is a collaborative initiative of the Nigerian Society (NS) and the Language Centre (LC). It is an opportunity for the Nigerian Society to share Nigeria with the Queen’s community and for Queen’s to have institutional investment in Nigeria and the Nigerian student community. This will help to encourage prospective students from Nigeria, as well as helping the current Nigerian student cohort to feel more at home in Belfast.

NLCTS will focus on providing free taster sessions on three major Nigerian languages: Hausa, Igbo, and Yorùbá. These sessions, which will also offer insight into Nigerian cultures, will be facilitated by society member volunteers and will take place on a fortnightly basis. NLCTS is for members of the QUB community, both staff and students; language enthusiasts; Nigerians (in Diaspora); Nigerians interested in learning another Nigerian language etc. 

People will be able to sign up from Autumn 2024. If interested, please contact Dr Poppy Boyd (from the Language Centre at Queen's and member of the Racial Equity Champions Network) at poppy.boyd@qub.ac.uk, and you can also listen to her interviewing Dr Femi Omotoyinbo, to find out more about the recently established Nigerian Society at Queen's.

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Other Ways We Can Support

Queen's University's efforts to promote access to resources and support services for our migrant communities are reflected in the Widening Participation Pathway Opportunity Programme now including Newcomers, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers aged 16 to 19, and the McClay Library providing free six-month Associate Personal Memberships to academics or students displaced by conflict seeking sanctuary in Northern Ireland.

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