Connected communities celebrated through Refugee Week activities

A programme of workshops, film screenings and community events will be held across Darlington as Teesside University’s Institute for Collective Place Leadership (ICPL) marks Refugee Week 2026.

The ICPL is leading the creative and community-led activities as part of its participatory arts project, Connected Communities: Stories and Cultural Practices.

Taking place from June 15 to 21 June, the programme will bring together refugees, migrants, members of the local community, artists, cultural organisations, and community partners through exhibitions, film screenings, storytelling events, and creative workshops.

Developed through a year-long participatory arts programme, Connected Communities explores themes of belonging, cultural exchange, heritage, and community connection through creative collaboration with new arrivals and long-term residents across Darlington.

The Refugee Week programme includes a public exhibition at Friends Community Hub, a series of public events at Hopetown Museum, film screenings at The Forum, community storytelling and creative activities across the week.

Professor Azadeh Fatehrad, co-Director of the Institute for Collective Place Leadership at Teesside University, said: “Connected Communities is about creating spaces where people can share stories, cultural practices, memories, and experiences through creative participation.

“Refugee Week offers an important opportunity to celebrate the richness that migrant and refugee communities bring to our towns and cities, while also building dialogue, understanding, and a stronger sense of collective belonging.”

The project is led by the Institute for Collective Place Leadership at Teesside University in collaboration with Creative Darlington, Centre for Local Studies, Hopetown Museum, The Forum, and Darlington Assistance for Refugees.

It is supported by the AHRC Impact Acceleration Account and Creative Darlington and developed in partnership with the Stockton and Darlington Railway 26 Miles Heritage Project, funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund. Further details from Professor Fatehrad on a.fatehrad@tees.ac.uk.

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