Refugee Week is the world’s largest arts & culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Established in 1998 in the UK, Refugee Week takes place every year around World Refugee Day (20th June) and has since grown into a global movement.

The theme for 2025 is “Community as a Superpower” and GoodGym Brighton took part super-powering the Family event organised by Caroline (independent bookshop Afrori Books) for the Brighton Book Festival, a grassroots festival promoting writers from underrepresented backgrounds.

We helped kids to express their creativity and bring colour to flags, while learning where the refugees come from. Refugees in Brighton primarily come from Ukraine due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, but also from other regions like Afghanistan and Syria. In the year ending March 2025, the top countries of origin for people seeking asylum in the UK were Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Bangladesh, and Syria.

Brighton and Hove is a city of sanctuary, and GoodGym Brighton is proud to offer our superpower to welcome all!