COVID-19 cancellations of face to face teaching in some institutions, will be a change for all, but a significant loss for many AS/R students. Studying can help refugee students feel positive about the future. For Asylum Seekers particularly, classes provide a social space to share and learn with others as well as a constructive activity (as legally they are not permitted to work). The Universities of Sanctuary mailing list have shared some resources for remote learning for those whose English classes have been cancelled due to COVID-19.

These courses are free to access via COURSERA and are not just for refugees or asylum seekers. They can be run from some phones as well as other devices (e.g. library computers). Not all are running right now, but anyone can sign up to join when available.

S, an asylum seeker applying for a place next year, says:

‘It is such a great idea to make the most of these days.’

With thanks to @klovesbooks1 and @4bilingualism for highlighting these suggestions.

Marcia Vera Espinoza writes for Discover Society,

We question refugees’ motivations, scrutinize their stories, generalize their persecution, feel sorry for their plight, and invisiblize their individuality among the numbers that frame their displacement. The category that gives refugees international protection is the same that singles them out as a member of what seems to be a homogeneous group: refugees. By using this category in this way we generalize about their lives, we claim to understand their needs and we aim to find ‘solutions’ for them.