REFUGEE WEEK EVENTS

Australian Capital Territory

Monday 7 June - 20 June - Commonwealth Park
Oxfam's Refugee Reality Project
The Refugee Reality project presents a compelling simulated experience of some of the hurdles faced by refugees when fleeing their homes and the daily hardships of life in a refugee camp.
Groups interested in taking the Refugee Realities journey can book online at www.oxfam.org.au/refugee.
Details: Stage 88, Commonwealth Park. For more information call 6230 6617.

Wednesday 9 - Wednesday 23 June - TBA
Creativity Competition - Catholiccare and Multicultural Youth Services
CatholicCare NAHS and MYS are looking for people to share their story and thoughts of the refugee experience through creative artwork like painting, drawing, story, sewing or music. There will be 1st, 2nd & 3rd prizes.
Details: Submissions due by 23 June201. Entries will be displayed at a Refugee Day Event. For more information contact Amie Hope on 6162 6118 or Rebekha Melville on 6247 1794.

Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 June - Holt
Refugee Resettlement Committee - Display and Mass
The Refugee Resettlement Committee will have a display of posters and information about refugees and World Refugee Day at St John’s , Kippax. Volunteers from the Committee will also speak about World Refugee Day at the Masses to be held on Saturday 12 June and Sunday 13 June. All are welcome to attend.
Details: 6:00pm Saturday 12 June 2010; 8:30am, 10:00am and 6:00pm Sunday 13 June 2010; Corner of Chave and Blackham Streets, Holt.

Tuesday 15 June - Canberra City
Canberra Refugee Support- Presentation of Refugee Scholarships
To celebrate World Refugee Day, Canberra Refugee Support will present scholarships to students with a refugee background to recognise meritorious performance and to encourage and support outstanding refugee students.
Mr Richard Towle, Regional Representative, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will be the Guest Speaker. All are welcome to attend.
Details: From 9:00am; Function Room, Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, Level 2, 180 London Cct, Canberra City. RSVP by 9 June 2010 to either actrefugee@gmail.com or PO BOX 3444, Weston Creek, ACT 2611.

Friday 18 June - TBA
Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services - Basketball Match with 'Harmony' Team Players
The Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services (MARSS) of the ACT are organising an exciting event to celebrate World Refugee Week this year. It will be a basketball match with community teams playing against the ‘Harmony’ team – a group of 14-25 year olds from multicultural backgrounds. Everyone of all ages will be welcome to play or cheer on the teams!
If you are interested in playing, or have a team of interested players please contact MARSS on 6248 8577 or email: marss@marss.org.au.
Details: TBC.

Saturday 19 June - Civic
Rally  for refugees  - A matter of life and death
A rally and interactive event to protest about the recent decision to freeze processing of applications for asylum by Afghanis and Sri Lankans and to raise awareness of the plight of asylum seekers.  There will be speakers and refugee stories will be presented.  Wear red and yellow.  Slogan: ‘Be a Lifesaver’.
Details: 1:00pm; Garema Place, Civic, Canberra. For more information contact the Refugee Action Committee (RAC) on 02 6161 0350.

Saturday 19 June - AIS Synthetic Field, Bruce
Companion House World Refugee Day Soccer Tournament
A team from the Sudan and Sierra Leone, Liberian, Chin, Karen and Mon communities will compete in a friendly soccer match. Following the game there will be a free BBQ.
Details: 10:00am - 2:30pm; AIS Synthetic Field, Bruce, Canberra.
Transport Guide: Action Bus from Civic Interchange Platform 8, No 980 (Hourly from 8: 52am) and from Belconnen Cohen Street Interchange Platform 1, No 980(Hourly from 8:21am) Community Bus: pick up from 9:00am at Civic Library and 9:30am at Belconnen Library.
For Further Information Contact: Glenn Flanagan, Companion House on 6247-7227 or glenn.flanagan@companionhouse.org.au

Saturday 19 June - ABC Radio National
The Five Fingers of Sri Lanka, Documentary Series
In May 2009 when the war in Sri Lanka ended the Tamil and Singhalese communities in Australia tried to make sense of the years of fighting. There was violence and protest on the streets of Sydney as Tamils maintained the rage for relatives and friends in Sri Lanka who were dead or missing. From the war zone of Northern Sri Lanka stories of violence and treachery on both sides of the conflict emerge; a woman whose leg was amputated out of revenge, a hospital filled with traumatised children, the daily threat of suicide bombers. For this program producer Johan Gabrielsson travelled to parts of Sri Lanka where no other media had access.
Details: 2:00pm; ABC Radio National.

Sunday 20 June - Commonwealth Park, Canberra
Refugee Realities World Refugee Day celebrations
This celebration marks Refugee Week and the end of the Refugee Realities project in Canberra. Beginning at 11.30am, the celebration will include speakers and performers. Following this, there will be an opportunity for you to experience the Refugee Realities simulation if you haven’t already by this date. Refugee Realties is an imaginative visual installation and simulation project that informs the Australian public about the journeys of people affected by crisis and conflict, and the experiences of refugees around the world. In allowing people to walk in the shoes of a refugee for a day, the project aims to creatively engage and inspire active citizens and communities around issues of refugee rights and conflict and humanitarian relief.
Details: 11:30am - 12:30pm; Stage 88 Commonwealth Park, Canberra ACT. The event is free, no RSVP is needed. For more information contact Nghia Nguyen-Le on 02 6230 6617.

Sunday 20 June - SBS TV
Movie - Kandahar
Mohsen Makhmalbaf's award-winning film about an Afghani-born Canadian
resident who goes to Afghanistan in the midst of war in search of her
sister. Joining a caravan of refugees returning to war-torn country for a
variety of reasons, Nafas soon gets a clear and disturbing portrait of the
toll the Taliban regime has taken upon its people.
Details:11.30pm, SBS 2. See www.sbs.com.au/refugees for more information.

Monday 21 June - SBS TV
Movie - Baran
A racist, naive Iranian labourer falls in love when he realises that the
Afghan boy who stole his job and whom he was angry with, is actually a girl. Directed one of Iran's most celebrated directors, Majid Majidi and stars
Hossein Abedidi and Mohammad Reza Naji. (From Iran, in Farsi, English
subtitles) (Drama) 2001 (Rpt) PG WS
Details: 11.30pm, SBS 2. See www.sbs.com.au/refugees for more information.

Wednesday 23 June - Holt
Refugee Resettlement Committee - Refugee Week Speaker Series
The Refugee Resettlement Committee will be hosting speakers from Canberra's refugee community who will talk about their experiences as a refugee and settling in Canberra. The event will be held at St John the Apostle Church. All are welcome to attend.
Details: 7:00pm, Wednesday 23 June 2010; Corner of Chave and Blackham Streets, Holt. For more information contact RRC.Secretary@stjohnkippax.org.au

Office of Multicultural Affairs - Refugee School Library Bags Pilot Project.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs, in collaboration with a University of Canberra student and with the support of the ACT Refugee, Asylum Seeker and Humanitarian (RASH) Coordination Committee, is undertaking a pilot project to support the adjustment and settlement of children who have recently arrived in Canberra as refugees and asylum seekers, and who are starting primary school in the ACT. Leading up to World Refugee Week, service providers from the RASH Coordination Committee will be provided with ‘school library bags’. These will contain items of use to primary school children connected. Items have been donated by ACT Government agencies, and Supabarn.
This project aims to support the following two objectives of the ACT Multicultural Strategy 2010-2013’s Children and Young People focus area: