Community SupportRefugees & Asylum SeekersRochdale Community
Lasts week, the world came together to mark World Refugee Week 2025 — a global moment to honour the strength and resilience of displaced people, to reflect on the journeys they’ve taken, and to reaffirm our collective commitment to inclusion and human dignity. This year’s theme, “Community is our Superpower,” could not be more aligned with our ethos here at Caring and Sharing Rochdale.
For us at CAS, community isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a lifeline. It’s the quiet, e8veryday miracle that takes place when a newly arrived refugee is welcomed with open arms, when someone walks into our drop-in centre feeling unseen, and leaves feeling heard, supported, and stronger.
We Listen, We Learn, We Act
Over the past year, we’ve seen firsthand how acts of community, no matter how small, become superpowers in themselves. From our ESOL classes that help individuals find their voice in a new language, to our immigration advice sessions that guide families through complex systems, to our Refugee and Asylum Seeker Drop-Ins that offer warmth, tea, and togetherness — each initiative at CAS is built on the foundation of solidarity.
World Refugee Week was a time of reflection but also celebration. We hosted conversations, shared meals, and held space for the stories that shape our work — stories of heartbreak, yes, but also of healing, hope, and the radical power of belonging.
From Surviving to Thriving
Many of the people we work with have crossed oceans and borders, fleeing war, persecution, or the simple, haunting threat of not being able to be themselves. And when they arrive here in Rochdale, we want them to find more than safety. We want them to find home.
Through programs like Women’s Wellbeing Workshops, Friends of Shamwari, and our Senior and Carer Support Services, we intentionally build intergenerational, intercultural bridges, because integration isn’t about asking people to shrink who they are. It’s about creating room for everyone to be fully human.
A Shared Responsibility
At CAS, we don’t believe in charity from the top down. We believe in change that starts with listening. Community conversations have taught us that refugees and asylum seekers are not just recipients of support — they are leaders, teachers, mothers, fathers, artists, and advocates in their own right.
As we look beyond World Refugee Week, we’re reminded that solidarity is not seasonal. It’s daily. It’s structural. And it requires all of us.
How You Can Stand With Refugees
- Volunteer your time or skills at local support centres like CAS.
- Educate yourself and others on the policies impacting displaced communities.
- Challenge misinformation and dehumanising narratives.
- Choose language that affirms dignity.
- Support refugee-owned businesses and amplify refugee voices in your spaces.
In a world that often tells refugees they are alone, we say this, loudly and clearly:
You belong. We see you. And together, we are stronger.
This World Refugee Week may have passed, but at CAS, the work, and the welcome never stops. Because when we show up for each other, when we build bridges instead of walls, when we turn strangers into neighbours, that’s when community becomes our greatest superpower.
To learn more about our work or to get involved, visit https://caringandsharingrochdale.org/become-a-volunteer/
