To mark Refugee Week 2026 and the 75th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention, we invited our community to reflect on this year’s theme: Courage.
Staff, volunteers, clients and neighbours of Voices in Exile were all invited to create artwork exploring a simple question:
What does courage mean to you?
The result is a vibrant collection of artwork that celebrates the creativity, resilience and hopes of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in our community. Throughout Refugee Week, the exhibition was displayed at Brighton’s Jubilee Library, with the artwork also brought together in a limited edition zine to raise funds for the work of Voices in Exile.
Creating together
The project was led by ceramic artist Jane King, who has been volunteering with our groups programme over the past year.
Jane, who exhibits her abstract ceramic sculptures across the UK and Europe, also teaches ceramics to adult learners. Alongside her own artistic practice, she has brought creativity into our weekly groups, using drawing, collage and colourful origami papers to encourage participants to experiment, share ideas and enjoy making together.
Working alongside our Group Facilitator, Hayat, Jane developed a series of creative workshops exploring this year’s Refugee Week theme.
Rather than asking people to define courage, the sessions encouraged participants to think about something deeply personal: the courage to imagine a different future.
The courage to dream
At Voices, our groups programme is an important part of the holistic support we provide. Alongside English language learning, digital skills, city orientation and practical advice, the groups create opportunities for people to build confidence, friendships and a sense of belonging.
For this project, those conversations became something visual.
Together, participants explored the idea of “the courage to dream” – recognising that dreaming of a better future often requires extraordinary bravery, particularly after experiences of displacement, uncertainty or loss.
People shared their hopes for themselves and their families, including:
- I dream of being a famous Arabic teacher in England.
- My dream is to pass my exams.
- I dream my children will learn and have a good education.
- I dream of being independent.
- My dream is to write and speak good English.
- My dream is to learn English and pass my driving test so I can work.
Each dream was carefully written onto hand-crafted paper forms before being arranged together into one collective artwork.
The finished piece became a flourishing “Courage to Dream” garden of butterflies, birds, flowers and climbing vines – symbols of hope, resilience, adaptation and new beginnings.
Like the people who created it, every element is unique. Together, they form something far greater than the individual pieces alone.
More than an art project
The workshops were about more than creating artwork. They created space for conversation, creativity and connection. They offered people the opportunity to express themselves in ways that didn’t rely on perfect English, while sharing stories, laughter and aspirations with one another.
Projects like this reflect what our groups are all about: creating welcoming spaces where people can build confidence, learn new skills, make friends and feel part of a community.
We’re incredibly grateful to Jane for sharing her time, creativity and generosity with our groups, and to everyone who contributed their artwork, ideas and dreams.
Together, they’ve created something that reminds us that courage isn’t always loud or dramatic.
Sometimes courage is simply allowing yourself to imagine a brighter future, and taking the first step towards it.
