A LEAP OF FAITH

Calais, 17.06.26

We arrived to overcast skies this morning, but as the day unfolded, the sun burnt through the clouds. Calais being on the border is a place where refugees face regular harassment from the authorities and endlessly variable weather conditions that making living outside very difficult. We heard yet again the living sites in Calais are continually experiencing evictions, tents clothes and even phones destroyed by the police.

Today we were based in the @calais.exilessc day centre and thinking about this year’s Refugee Week theme which is Courage. Courage is the choice and willingness to face difficulty. It is not the absence of fear, but the mental strength to persist, despite that fear. Having worked in Calais for over eleven years, we have consistently seen both courage and leaps of faith taken by those we work with and alongside. A Leap of faith is an act of courage - committing to something even though you are uncertain of the outcome, relying on trust and hope.

Today we were struck by the small step of courage needed to join The Community Table and make something. We noticed that several young men attributed their own meanings and memories to their constructions and specific items they found on the table. A 35mm slide of a tropical beach - which could have been anywhere in the world - led one young man to exclaim: “we had a poster of this exact beach in Lisbon at home in Sudan”. In this context, humour can also be an act of courage. At one point; another young man constructed a house and jokingly put it “up for sale.”

Another man hovered around The Community Table on and off throughout the afternoon until he eventually had the courage to join us. Building the tallest tower of the afternoon with the Jenga bricks, he proudly left it standing on the table.

Words by Miriam Usiskin & Bobby Lloyd.