Tag: Reports

Refugee Week takes place every year across the world in the week around World Refugee Day on the 20 June. In the UK, Refugee Week is coordinated by Counterpoint Arts and is an umbrella festival with a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution, creativity and resilience of refugees, and encourages a better understanding between communities.

Refugee Week began in 1998 in response to hostility in the media and society towards refugees and asylum seekers. It is is now one of the leading initiatives working to counter this negative climate, defending the importance of sanctuary and the benefits it can bring to both refugees and host communities.

Anyone can take part in this open platform by holding relevant events or activities of all kinds.

Some of the aims of Refugee Week are to:

• Celebrate the contributions of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
• Challenge negative stereotypes and create a space where refugees can be seen and heard beyond their experience of displacement.
• Celebrate the contributions of everyone seeking safety, regardless of the legal status they hold.
• Create a space for many stories where people who have experienced displacement can express themselves on their own terms.
• Promote that the safety of each of us matters to all of us, and to come together around shared values of fairness, mutual support, kindness and respect for universal rights.
• Provide an open platform and which welcomes a wide range of responses suited to many different contexts, which are inclusive and remove barriers to participation.
• Create change through arts and culture to help us see migration and displacement differently.
• Involve people with lived experience of displacement in the planning and leadership of initiatives about refugee experiences.
• Recognise that refugees and asylum seekers are not a single group and have different experiences, including because of race, class, gender, sexuality, age and immigration status.
• Promote the right to safety – everyone deserves a home and has the right to seek safety for themselves and their families.

Find our more about the values and shared principles of Refugee Week here.

Cinema and Refugee Week

One of the eight Simple Act as part of Refugee Week is to watch a film. Simple Acts are everyday actions we can all do to stand with refugees and make new connections in our communities.

Counterpoints Arts have partnered with Other Cinemas in 2024 on a collaborative film programme, with feature films and shorts which can be screened at home or for a community screening. 

For even more films, take a look at the British Film Institute’s Refugee Week collection on BFI player.

Cinema

Refugee Week invites you to run an event and can support you to do this. If you have an idea for an event (online or in venue) or activity you’d like to run for Refugee Week, take a look at their event organiser pack.

Below are more guides and organisations who organise events which you can support, as well as case studies and platforms to watch relevant films on.

Organisations

Refugee Action has spent 35 years helping refugees build safe, hopeful and productive new lives in the UK.

In Place of War has worked with creative communities in some of the most challenging contexts in the world. It is a support system for community artistic, creative and cultural organisations in places of conflict, revolution and areas suffering the consequences of conflict.

Regional Refugee Forum North East is the independent membership organisation created by and for the North East region’s Refugee-led Community Organisations (RCOs), enabling them to unite and produce their Collective Voice and empowering them to be active agents in change.

Women for Refugee Women challenges the injustices experienced by women who seek asylum in the UK.

The Refugee Council is one of the leading charities in the UK working directly with refugees, and supporting them to rebuild their lives.

Stats

• The number of people with dementia globally is estimated to be 46.8 million. Currently, this is greater than the total population of Spain and is projected to nearly triple by 2050.^[1]
• In 2015 in the UK an estimated 850,000 people were living with dementia, of whom 40,000 were aged under 65 (younger people with dementia) and 25,000 were from black and minority ethnic groups in the UK.
• By 2051 there will be an estimated 2 million people living with dementia in the UK.
• A third of babies born today will develop dementia in their lifetime.
• Two thirds of people with dementia are women.
• One in six people aged 80 and over have dementia.
• 225,000 people will develop dementia this year, that’s one every three minutes.
• Two thirds of people with dementia live in the community while one third live in care homes where 80 per cent of residents have a form of dementia.
• Dementia is the leading cause of death amongst women and the third leading cause of death in men.
• The financial cost of dementia to the UK is £26 billion per annum.
• There are 670,000 carers of people with dementia in the UK.
• In 2015 only 44% of people with dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received a diagnosis of dementia.^[2]
• 72% of people living with dementia also have another medical condition or disability.
• A quarter oof hospital beds are occupied by people living with dementia who are over 65.
• 39% of people under 60 years and 52% of people 60 years and above said that Alzheimer’s is the disease they are most concerned about. It is the most feared disease for people 60 years and above.^[3]
• Dementia is ‘young onset’ when it affects people of working age, usually between 30 and 65 years old. It is also referred to as ‘early onset’ or ‘working-age’ dementia.
• It is estimated that there are 42,325 people in the UK who have been diagnosed with young onset dementia. (Ref Dementia UK, 2nd edition 2014, Alzheimer’s Society).  They represent around 5% of the 850,000 people with dementia.^[4]

^[1] Alzheimer’s Research UK – Statistics about dementia
^[2] Alzheimer’s Society – Dementia UK Report
^[3]  Alzheimer’s Research UK – Statistics about dementia
^[4] Young Dementia UK – Young onset dementia facts and figures

Organisations

Alzheimer’s Society believe passionately that life doesn’t end when dementia begins. They are there for anyone affected by dementia, and are committed to keeping people with dementia connected to their lives and the people who matter most.

Dementia Friends is a programme, led by Alzheimer’s Society. It is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia, aiming to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition.

Dementia Action Alliance is for organisations across England to connect, share best practice and take action on dementia. Members include leading charities, hospitals, social care providers, Government bodies, pharmaceuticals, royal colleges, and wellbeing organisations.

Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading dementia research charity, dedicated to causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and cure. Backed by scientists and supporters, they are challenging the way people think about dementia, uniting big thinkers in the field and funding innovative science that will deliver a cure.

Age UK‘s vision is to make the UK a great place to grow older, by inspiring, supporting and enabling in a number of ways.

Young Dementia UK is the dedicated national charity for younger people with dementia and their families.  They are committed to helping those affected to continue to live life, by providing support, social events and information.

Arts 4 Dementia develop arts programmes to empower, re-energise and inspire people with early-stage dementia and carers through challenging artistic stimulation, to help them live better for longer in their own homes.

Creative Dementia Arts Network create challenges and possibilities connecting artists, arts organisations and cultural institutions with commissioners of creative arts for dementia.

Created Out of Mind is aiming to explore, challenge and shape perceptions and understanding of dementias through science and the creative arts.

DEEP (Dementia Empowerment and Engagement Project) brings together groups of people with dementia from across the UK. DEEP supports these groups to try to change services and policies that affect the lives of people with dementia.

Innovations in Dementia’s work supports people with dementia to keep control of their lives, by running innovative projects, providing a training and consultancy service and influencing how others work with people with dementia.

Stats

• In the UK, asylum applications (excluding dependents) peaked at 84,100 in 2002 and reached a low point of 17,900 in 2010. After several years of increases, applications dropped by 6% to 30,700 in 2016.
• Asylum applicants and their dependents comprised an estimated 9% of net migration in 2015, down from 44% in 2002.
• In 2016, 68% of initial asylum applications were refused but 42% of appeals against initial refusals were successful.
• Men made up 75% of main applicants for asylum in 2016.
• The UK received about 3% of asylum claims made in EU countries (plus Norway and Switzerland) in 2016, and was the sixth highest recipient of asylum claims.^[1]
• According to the UNHCR, by mid-2015 there were 117,234 refugees, 37,829 pending asylum cases and 16 stateless persons in the UK. That’s less than one quarter of a percent of the UK’s total population (around 0.24%)
• Asylum applications to the UK are relatively low – 32,733 in 2015. Although they have increased a little in recent years, they’re still significantly lower today than the peak of 84,000 applications back in 2002.
• The vast majority of people who seek asylum in the UK have fled countries ravaged by war and human rights abuses. In 2015, the largest number of asylum applications to the UK came from nationals of Eritrea (3,695), Iran (3,242), Sudan (2,912) and Syria (2,539).
• Over 65 million people around the globe have had to flee their homes – that’s like the entire British population having to leave.
• It’s poor countries, not rich, western countries, who look after the vast majority of the world’s refugees. The UN’s Refugee Agency estimates that nearly nine in ten of the world’s refugees are sheltered by developing countries.
• Last year, 172, 362 people arrived in Europe via sea. Just under half were women and children. 3,119 men, women and children have lost their lives during their attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
• In September 2015, European countries agreed to relocate 160,000 refugees away from Greece and Italy to help ease the pressure. By September 2017, almost 27,700 refugees had been relocated.
• In 2017, an estimated 668,600 people sought safety in Europe. Britain received 26,350 asylum applications, a 14% decrease since the year before. Britain received less than 3% of all asylum claims made in the EU during last year.
• By the end of 2017 more than 14,600 asylum applications had been waiting for longer than six months for an initial decision on the case. That’s an increase from 8,820 compared with the previous year. In Germany alone, 199,200 asylum applications were made.
• The total backlog in cases pending a decision totalled 28,787.
• In 2017, 27,331 people were imprisoned in immigration detention centres; among them many people seeking asylum. 54% were released back into the community.
• The number of Syrian refugees resettled in the UK now stands at 10,538 since the conflict began.
• In 2017, 813 non-Syrian refugees were resettled in Britain via the Gateway Protection Programme run in conjunction with the UN’s Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Just 1% of the world’s refugees will ever be resettled.^[2]

^[1]Migration to the UK: Asylum – The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford
^[2]Refugee Council – Top 20 facts about refugees and asylum seekers.

Organisations

Refugee Action has spent 35 years helping refugees build safe, hopeful and productive new lives in the UK.

In Place of War has worked with creative communities in some of the most challenging contexts in the world. It is a support system for community artistic, creative and cultural organisations in places of conflict, revolution and areas suffering the consequences of conflict.

Regional Refugee Forum North East is the independent membership organisation created by and for the North East region’s Refugee-led Community Organisations (RCOs), enabling them to unite and produce their Collective Voice and empowering them to be active agents in change.

Women for Refugee Women challenges the injustices experienced by women who seek asylum in the UK.

The Refugee Council is one of the leading charities in the UK working directly with refugees, and supporting them to rebuild their lives.

University of East London – Directory of Services & Organisations for Refugees, Asylum Seekers & Migrants

Stats

• There are over 11 million people with a limiting long term illness, impairment or disability.
• The most commonly-reported impairments are those that affect mobility, lifting or carrying.^[1]
• There are 13.9 million disabled people in the UK. 8 per cent of children are disabled, 19 per cent of working age adults are disabled, 45 per cent of pension age adults are disabled.^[2]
• After housing costs, the proportion of working age disabled people living in poverty (28 per cent) is higher than the proportion of working age non-disabled people (18 per cent).^[3]
• Life costs you £570 more on average a month if you’re disabled.^[4]
• Over a quarter of disabled people say that they do not frequently have choice and control over their daily lives.^[5]
• Around a third of disabled people experience difficulties related to their impairment in accessing public, commercial and leisure goods and services.^[6]
• The spending power of families with at least one disabled person is estimated by the Government to be over £200 billion a year.^[7]
• Disabled audiences are over-represented amongst video buyers.^[8]

^[1] ONS Opinions Survey 2011
^[2] Family Resources Survey 2016/17
^[3] Households Below Average Income, 2015-16
^[4] Scope: The disability price tag
^[5] ONS Opinions Survey 2011
^[6] ONS Opinions Survey 2010
^[7] Department for Work and Pensions
^[8] BFI Audiences Research and Statistics 2015

Organisations

Scope exists to make this country a place where disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.
Disability Rights UK want a society where everyone can participate equally.

Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) provides consultancy, training, research and publications on building design and management to meet all user needs, including disabled and older people.

Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is the UK’s leading charity supporting blind and partially sighted people.

Action on Hearing Loss supports and helps people experiencing hearing loss, so they can take back control and live the live they choose.

Contact supports families with the best possible guidance and information. They bring families together to support each other, and help families to campaign, volunteer and fundraise to improve life for themselves and others.

Disability Arts has an extensive database of cinema and arts organisations

Sensory Trust also has a useful list

Stats

• In the UK, 87% of people are White, and 13% belong to a Black, Asian, Mixed or Other ethnic group.
• Asian people, at 59%, were significantly less likely to take part in the arts than White people (including White ethnic minorities), at 78%, or Black people, at 70%^[1]
• Black people are three times as likely to be arrested as white people
• People of white British and Indian backgrounds are more likely than other minorities to be homeowners
• Among poorer children, those of BME backgrounds have higher attainment levels than white pupils^[2]
• Only 1 in 16 of current FTSE 100 board members is from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background.
• 1 in 8 employees in the UK are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups.^[3]
• Diverse audiences tend to be heavier film consumers compared to the national average, especially Eastern Europeans (31% are “heavy” film consumers compared to 12% for the national average)
• Asian, Black, Eastern European and LGB audiences attend the cinema much more frequently than the national average (all over 30% for “very regular” compared to 14% for the national average)
• These audiences also have an above-average affinity for cinema, with over 1 in 2 Black, Eastern European and LGB audiences saying cinema remains the best place to watch film – even higher (3 in 5) for the Asian audience
• 7 in 10 of the general public say it is important for some films to portray real life issues facing our communities – our diverse audiences tend to think this even more important (e.g. 88% of the Black audience)
• Diverse audiences are also more likely to think it important that they can see stories, characters and settings to which they can personally relate – for example, 65% of the working class audience say it is important to see their own stories authentically reflected in the films they watch
• 67% of the general public say the portrayal of our nation’s diverse audiences has become more authentic over the last ten years – and this view is largely shared by diverse audiences
• However, when asked about the amount of work needed to be more authentic: 19% of the general public perceived “a great deal” more work needs to be done, comparing to 43% for the Asian audience and 58% of the Black audience
• The following are the proportions from diverse audiences who say they would watch more films if people from diverse backgrounds were portrayed more authentically: 59% of the Asian audience, 66% of the Black audience, 54% of the Eastern European audience^[4]

^[1]Ethnicity Facts & Figures, GOV.UK
^[2]The Guardian, Huge effect of ethnicity on life chances revealed in official UK figures
^[3]Diversity in the UK
^[4]Portrayal V Betrayal: an investigation of diverse and mainstream UK film audiences, 2011

Organisations

Diversity UK is a think tank to research, advocate and promote new ideas for improving diversity and inclusion in Britain. 

UK-BAME represents the diverse collective interests of the UK’s Black, Asians and Minority Ethnic communities who expressed interest or require assistance in developing businesses, community groups, lifestyles, and careers.

Refugee Action has spent 35 years helping refugees build safe, hopeful and productive new lives in the UK.

The British Blacklist offers reviews, news and social analysis striving to bring a voice to burgeoning talent, which rarely receive any visibility. Featuring an extensive database of African Caribbean British creative talent with a strong features-driven core.

The New Black Film Collective is network of film exhibitors, educators and programmers spread across the regions in the UK. As part of our range of services, we host screenings that matter to the local community featuring international and domestic films of black representation. 

Come the Revolution is a collective of curators, programmers and creatives from Bristol & Birmingham committed to exploring and challenging black life, experience and cultural expression through cinema.

We Are Parable believe in the power of events. They want to make events that leave a legacy and produce memories that last.

Birmingham Indian Film Festival – BIFF – brings you the best new Indian & South Asian independent cinema, with a rare window into a billion South Asian lives.

Gentle/Radical is a grassroots cultural organisation and platform for radical thinking, creative practice and social change.

In Place of War has worked with creative communities in some of the most challenging context in the world. In Place of War is a support system for community artistic, creative and cultural organisations in places of conflict, revolution and areas suffering the consequences of conflict.

Afrika Eye Film Festival, held annually in Bristol, is the South West’s biggest celebration of African cinema and culture. Our Festival brings films and diverse perspectives on Africa and the African diaspora to growing audiences in Bristol and the South West.

Desi Blitz is a digital magazine based in Birmingham, England. It’s the leading online magazine for British Asian communities in the UK.

Stats

Stonewall, as the leading organisation advocating for LGBT+ rights in the UK, says it is a reasonable estimate that there are between 5-7% people in the UK who are LGBT+.

Some further interesting statistics:

• One in five LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last 12 months
• Two in five trans people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months^[1]
• Nearly half (42 per cent) of trans people are not living permanently in their preferred gender role stated they are prevented from doing so because they fear it might threaten their employment status^[2]
• Nearly half (45 per cent) of LGBT pupils – including 64 per cent of trans pupils – are bullied for being LGBT in Britain’s schools. This is down from 55 per cent of lesbian, gay and bi pupils who experienced bullying because of their sexual orientation in 2012 and 65 per cent in 2007^[3]
• A quarter of the world’s population believes that being LGBT should be a crime^[4]
• 1 in 3 homeless youth are LGBT^[5]
• LGBT people are more likely to be substance dependent^[6]
• LGBT people are more likely to face mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety^[7]

^[1]Stonewall: The Gay British Crime Survey (2013) and LGBT in Britain – Hate Crime (2017)
^[2]Stonewall: Gay in Britain (2013) and Engendered Penalities (2007)
^[3]Stonewall: The School Report (2017) and The RaRE Research Report (2015)
^[4]Stonewall: Stonewall’s International Work and ILGA World (2016).
^[5]Crisis, 2005
^[6]University of Central Lancashire, 2014
^[7]King et al 2008

Organisations

Stonewall works for acceptance without exception for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

LGBT Foundation is a national charity delivering advice, support and information services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities.

See the downloads for a detailed list of organisations.