Refugee Awareness Festival

Australia is home to a considerable refugee community that is misunderstood and whose needs are oftentimes overlooked. The media, our own pre-existing misconceptions as well as limited interaction with the members of this community have all contributed to a situation where little knowledge regarding the issues, problems and horrific experiences facing this community is known in the general public.

Settling successfully into a new country with a completely different culture is intimidating and it understandably takes time to adapt. Furthermore, the pre-arrival experiences of many refugees and asylum seekers mean that they have very specific settlement needs which can be inadequately addressed by government-provided services. Oftentimes it is left up to the community to aid in the successful settlement of refugees in the long term.

ECNA has organised a series of events focusing on bringing students more information on this issue as well as a range of opportunities to volunteer in a number of community organisations working with the refugee community, and it all starts off with the Refugee Awareness Festival! Getting involved doesn’t have to be a complicated and uncertain task. The Refugee Awareness Festival will bring together a range of community organisations who offer a number of skills-based volunteer opportunities that aid the transition of many refugees into ‘settled’ everyday life. So whether you have a background in accounting, law, psychology, science or just want to volunteer your time come along!

The festival is not only a way to highlight the pressing needs of refugees in trying to settle successfully, but it is also a celebration of what they can contribute to our existing community. Music, food and a number of performances by members of the refugee community in Melbourne will be taking place at the event, so grab some lunch and come along if you’re interested in getting involved, or if you just want to learn more!

The ECNA Refugee Awareness Festival is taking place on the 20th April (TUESDAY) from 12pm – 2pm at Union Lawn, The University of Melbourne

The Refugee Awareness Festival is the first in a trio of events ECNA has organised that are focused on refugee and asylum seeker rights for this year. Look out for more information on our Get Involved! Workshop and our upcoming ECNA Campus Challenge!

If you would like more information on the refugee community in Australia and the refugee situation worldwide there are a number of online resources which may be of use:

Australia’s Humanitarian/Refugee Program

http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/arp/faqs.html

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/60refugee.htm

Settlement services provided to refugees:

http://www.apo.org.au/research/australias-settlement-services-migrants-and-refugees-2009

http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/current/settlement.html

http://www.cmy.net.au/Assets/305/2/SettingIn.pdf

Myths surrounding Asylum-seekers and Refugees:

http://www.erc.org.au/index.php?module=documents&JAS_DocumentManager_op=viewDocument&JAS_Document_id=246

Global refugee issues

http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/current/international.html

http://www.oofras.com/International-Refugee-Issues-pg3946.html