Mid Ulster Refugee Week
15/06/2026-21/06/2026
Various
Free admission
Taking place from 15–21 June, Refugee Week is the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
Mid Ulster event listings:
Mid Ulster Sanctuary Forum
Monday 15th June 2026
10am-12pm
The Hub, 14 Burn Road, Cookstown.
A special Refugee Week meet-up for the Mid Ulster Sanctuary Forum. Members will participate in a 'Speak Up for Sanctuary' workshop. Registration required. Contact deirdre.mcaliskey@stepni.org for details.
English Language Café & Social event
Wednesday 17th June 2026
10am-12pm
The Junction, 12 Beechvalley Way, Dungannon.
2 events in 1! Come along at 10am if you want to practise your English by chatting with others over a cup of tea. Drop in from 11am to join the sanctuary social event with music and more tea!
Youth Service Information & Inclusion Event for Parents & Young People
Wednesday 17th June 2026
6-8pm
Cookstown Youth Centre, SWC Campus, 1st Floor, Cookstown
A drop-in night with free hot food buffet for parents and young people from minoritised ethnic communities. Find out about everything Cookstown Youth Centre has to offer young people aged 9-18 years old!
Post-Primary School Toolkit for Diversity Launch
Thursday 18th June 2026
10am-12pm
Integrated College Dungannon, 21 Gortmerron Link Road, Dungannon
This is an invite-only event, organised by the Education Authority’s Intercultural Education Service to launch their newly-digitised post-primary school toolkit for diversity. Once launched, schools will have access to a range of free, downloadable resources, templates, and guidance materials, all of which can be tailored to reflect
individual school identity and contact details. Participants and students at Integrated College Dungannon will have the opportunity to view the new ‘Wear Our Courage’ exhibition from Barnardo’s NI Ubuntu youth advocacy project.
English Language Café & Social event
Thursday 18th June 2026
10am-12pm
The Hub, 14 Burn Road, Cookstown.
2 events in 1! Come along at 10am if you want to practise your English by chatting with others over a cup of tea. Drop in from 11am to join the sanctuary social event with music and more tea!
Sanctuary Runners Lunchtime Walk
Thursday 18th June 2026
12.30pm
Ranfurly House steps, Market Square, Dungannon
Take an hour to recharge and connect with others! Bring your legs, runners and Sanctuary t-shirt if you have one. (We’ll bring spares) Fresh air, good company and chat! Register here:
Summer in the Courtyard
Friday 19th June 2026,
6-9pm
Benburb Priory, 10 Main Street, Benburb
Relax, recharge and celebrate the diversity of community with some beautiful food and music in the serene courtyard of Benburb Priory. All welcome to what promises to be an uplifting evening of creativity and courage from an amazing array of performers.
Sanctuary Runners at Parkrun
Saturday 20th June 2026
9.15am meet up for 9.30am start
Dungannon Park, Moy Road, Dungannon
Lace up your trainers and join the Sanctuary Runners group as they take part in the weekly parkrun in Dungannon Park on Saturday 20th June! Whether you're running, jogging, or walking, it's a wonderful chance to come together as a community, celebrate shared humanity, and show solidarity with refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers. All are welcome - bring a smile and run/walk with us!
Community Picnic
Saturday 20th June 2026
3-5pm
Hill of O’Neill, Market Square, Dungannon
First Steps Women’s Centre’s Unity in Diversity project invites everyone to bring their own picnic and enjoy the fresh air together, with a range of free, hands-on, fun and creative activities! NI Libraries will inspire with rhythm and rhyme sessions for all ages. Kite flying will fill the hillside with colour and laughter. Further activities include: Walk & Talk, Get Drawing & Painting, Share Food & Stories, Let Nature Inspire You, and more - with something for every member of the community.
Wear Our Courage exhibition
Saturday 20th June 2026
3-5pm
Hill of O’Neill, Market Square, Dungannon
A youth-led creative exhibition developed by the Barnardo’s NI Ubuntu Youth Voice Network. Young people aged 12–21 from sanctuary-seeking backgrounds have designed and created T-shirts that visually express their personal journeys of courage, resilience, and hope. Each T-shirt becomes a powerful storytelling object, an artwork and a message for social change.