REFUGEE WEEK

The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) works with agencies around Australia to coordinate Refugee Week, a national celebration held each year since 1986. Each year, Refugee Week coincides with World Refugee Day, being held in the week (Sunday to Saturday) which includes June 20.

Over the past 15 years, Refugee Week celebrations have developed in a number of other countries.  While there are minor differences in the dates for Refugee Week, all include World Refugee Day (June 20).  In Australia, Refugee Week is scheduled to ensure that it does not clash with public holidays in any Australian state or territory.

NSW Refugee Week Small Grants Program now open

Applications are now open for the NSW Refugee Week Small Grants Program. The grants are designed to enable grass-roots community participation in events in NSW that include refugee communities during Refugee Week. The Refugee Council of Australia and the NSW Refugee Week Committee will be offering a limited number of small grants of $250 or $500. These grants are made possible through the generous support of the NSW Community Relations Commission. Applications close 5:00pm, Thursday 1 April 2010.

For information on how to apply, download the Guidelines and Application form below:

• Printable version (PDF format)
• Clickable version (Word format. This can be filled in and submitted electronically, except for the final page which must be printed and signed. The final page can be submitted separately via post, fax or as an e-mail attachment).

Dates for Refugee Week 2010

Refugee Week 2010 will be held from Sunday, June 20 to Saturday, June 26.

Our theme - "Freedom from Fear"

After careful consideration of options for themes for Refugee Week in Australia, RCOA has chosen to retain the 2009 Refugee Week theme in the lead-up to next year's 60th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention. This means that the theme for Refugee Week in 2010 and 2011 will be "Freedom from Fear". Our hope is that, by retaining this theme for Refugee Week over three years, we will be able to focus greater attention on the realities of the refugee experience.

The quest for freedom from fear is at the heart of a refugee's flight from danger. This is acknowledged in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (and its 1967 Protocol), which defines a refugee as:

Any person who owing to a well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his/her nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country.

The importance of freedom from fear is also affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the preamble of which describes the "the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want" as the "highest aspiration of the common people."

When refugees flee, they are forced to abandon everything they know and love. They are separated from family members, lose belongings, are left with little or no money. Some are traumatised by what they have experienced. Many spend years in camps, lost in no-man's land whilst their fate is decided. Most have no idea what kind of future awaits them.

In seeking refuge in another country refugees are hoping to find freedom from that fear. They are looking for the opportunity to lead a normal life, as part of a community, where they can live in safety and security, find work and send their children to school.

In choosing our theme as "Freedom from Fear" we are hoping to draw attention not just to the fear that compels refugees to run, but the relief they feel when they are welcomed into another country and given the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Logo for Refugee Week

In sharing ideas and strategies, the UK Refugee Week Consortium has given permission for its Refugee Week logo to be used in Australia. The many colours in the logo speak of the diversity and energy brought to the welcoming country by refugees from many backgrounds. The logo is available for use by any organisation holding events in conjunction with Refugee Week which are in keeping with the Refugee Week objectives of:

Each organisation using the Refugee Week logo is required to inform the Refugee Council of Australia of the event, for inclusion in the national Refugee Week calendar. Events can be registered by sending an email, outlining the event details, to info@refugeecouncil.org.au

The Refugee Week logo can be downloaded from the links below:

REFUGEE WEEK 2009 - June 14-20

Refugee Week 2009 was held from Sunday 14 June to Saturday 20 June, focusing on the theme “Freedom from Fear". Major launches were held in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane and more than 160 local events took place, including community celebrations, arts events, seminars, information expos, sporting events, film screenings and competitions.

Major sponsors for Refugee Week 2009 were the Victorian Multicultural Commission and AMES Victoria. RCOA is also indebted to the NSW sponsors of Refugee Week offering financial and in-kind support, including NSW Community Relations Commission, ACL, AMES NSW, Leichhardt Council and City of Sydney. In South Australia, Refugee Week is coordinated by the Migrant Resource Centre of SA.

At the NSW launch of Refugee Week 2009, the speakers were John Gibson, president of RCOA, and Yasmeen Fatimah, a member of the Rohingya community in Sydney. Their speeches can be found on our Speeches page.

Choose from the links below for more specific information about Refugee Week: