Sanctuary Runners & Swim Ireland Launch Sanctuary Swimmers
January 20, 2023
Sanctuary Runners and Swim Ireland have launched a first-of-its-kind community integration initiative to bring locals together with refugees and migrants currently living in Ireland's Direct Provision system through open-sea swimming. The joint venture expands on Sanctuary Runners’ model to break down social barriers between migrants and locals across Ireland through running, jogging and walking.
Sanctuary Runners launched in Cork, Ireland in 2018 to strengthen ties between asylum seekers and local Irish residents. The movement now includes over 10,000 members across 8,000 runner groups in 30 locations spanning Ireland and the UK. It strives to foster community integration and improve physical and mental health under the principles of solidarity, friendship and respect.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the country has seen an influx of asylum seekers and refugees. According to recent data, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland will exceed 90,000 by March, with numbers expected to rise to 107,000 by the end of June 2023.
"As with our core work with the Sanctuary Runners, we believe sport has such a vital role to play in community integration, in bringing people together no matter their nationality or legal status and helping natural positive friendships develop while always championing solidarity and respect to all,” said Graham Clifford, CEO of Sanctuary Runners.
“We live on an island; open sea swimming is a liberating gift we can all enjoy. And even for those who may have developed negative views of the open sea because of their journey to Ireland, conquering those alongside locals is so important.”
The initiative follows a successful pilot program in Autumn of 2022 in Cork and will grow to Kerry, Cork, Wicklow, Galway and Dublin. Groups will consist of 18 people made up of locals and asylum seekers who have moved to the area. Swim Ireland will supply instructors and design the programs to teach participants how to swim in the open sea.
Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane explained the importance of the Sanctuary Swimmers initiative, stating: “The open water can, for some, invoke a feeling or fear, for others a sense of adventure. Those emotions are heightened for those who have never been in the sea before. Transcending these is the power of the Sanctuary Swimmers’ initiative and doing it all alongside people we care about and who support us is what makes it truly unique.”
The launch of Sanctuary Swimmers coincided with the release of two short films and comes during celebrations of Sanctuary Runners' fifth anniversary. The films document the pilot project and ends with a message from Refugee Olympian and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Yusra Mardini, whose story is told in ‘The Swimmers’ film on Netflix.
Network member Sanctuary Runners was an entrant of the 2019 Beyond Sport Global Awards.