Dan, who is Associate Professor in English Language in the Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities, runs the English for Refugees Scheme (ERS). In this blog, Dan tells us about the power of shared values and the impact the scheme has had on students facing adversity.

Helping people from marginalised backgrounds

I’m an associate professor in English Language but also look after the International Programme for the Department of Language Studies. I oversee courses such as the pre-sessional, and I run the English for Refugees Scheme, which I launched in 2022. I feel fortunate to be able to work in a place where there are so many people who care about helping people from marginalised backgrounds, such as forced migrants.

Shared goals and values as a University of Sanctuary

Sussex is a University of Sanctuary and Brighton & Hove is a city of sanctuary, so we have many shared goals and values. The ERS has received funding from Brighton & Hove City Council for three years now and that’s been very important. Without this funding it would have been very difficult to continue running the scheme. Everyone I have worked with at the Council has been incredibly supportive of the ERS and I think this collaboration is mutually beneficial.

Supporting forced migrants in their studies

The ERS is one of a number of important initiatives for the University in terms of its sanctuary activities. Many of the people on the University of Sanctuary committee have been instrumental in getting the scheme off the ground. The committee itself is full of people who are very passionate about supporting people from forced migrant backgrounds and I find it very inspiring to hear about all the work that they are doing.

So far, the scheme has awarded 50 students places on the Intensive English course to develop their English. Around 50% of the students who have graduated from the scheme so far have gone on to study on degree programmes at Sussex and many others have gone on to other higher education institutions or further education colleges. Many of these students would not have been able to access higher education without a scheme like this as their English was not at a high enough level, and intensive programmes like this are very few and far between.

Using music to share stories

I studied music at university for my undergraduate degree and music is still a big part of my life. I love writing songs and arranging music. I sometimes write about topics like migration; there was one song on a previous album called Human Flow which was inspired by Ai Wei Wei’s film of the same name which documented human migration round the world.

Perseverance in the face of adversity

The students I work with inspire me every day. Despite facing the kind of adversity that most people never have to experience, they manage to persevere and make a life for themselves here. One particular student who comes to mind came to the UK from Afghanistan as an asylum seeker after fleeing the Taliban and hasn’t been in contact with his family since. When he arrived, he had a relatively low level of English but managed to develop his language level very quickly in a short space of time while studying on the ERS. He is now studying a medical degree at Sussex which was always his dream. That’s inspiring.

Find out more about our University of Sanctuary status and our commitment to promoting a culture of welcome, safety and inclusion.