Event Description:
Schools of Sanctuary Ireland (SoSI) was formed in 2019, following the ongoing success of the
initiative in the UK (incl. Northern Ireland). SoSI is now proud to support a network of more than 70
Irish primary and post primary schools who are working towards or have become a ‘Champion
School of Sanctuary’.
This event will provide information about how schools curate their Sanctuary ‘journey’ to enhance and strengthen their efforts to ensure that all students, particularly those who fear marginalisation or prejudice, have a valued and respected place in the school community.
SoSI staff and teachers from Champion Schools of Sanctuary will talk about the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of the programme and look at the impact on students of belonging to a school that expressly and visibly places welcome and inclusion at the heart of the school’s identity.

Speakers:
Tiffy Allen, Homayoon Shirzad (Schools of Sanctuary Ireland)
Josephine Nyamuranga (Teacher & Sanctuary Lead, Donabate Community College, Co. Dublin,
Champion School of Sanctuary)
Tom Cousins (Principal, Kilrane National School, Co. Wexford, Champion School of Sanctuary)
Olga Ray (Ukrainian Sanctuary Ambassador, Co. Wexford)
“Honestly for us here in Nano Nagle College, being a School of Sanctuary and having teachers as Sanctuary Ambassadors is something that is engrained in the culture of our school. We understand that Champion Sanctuary status is not a tick-the-box exercise and instead is inherent in all that we do here” (Ms Moloney, teacher and Sanctuary Lead, Nano Nagle College, Cork)

Learning Outcomes:
- How being a School of Sanctuary enhances the student voice in the school and community,
particularly the voice of the newcomer student and their family.

- How being a School of Sanctuary helps staff and students to learn more about forced
migration and facilitate the needs of those who seek sanctuary here, especially in the
context of increasing anti-migrant actions.

- How being a School of Sanctuary gives a platform, strategy or structure to schools within
which to address issues around misinformation, racism, marginalisation in the school, in the
community or in the wider national or international context.