WHAT IS REFUGEE WEEK?
Refugee Week has been celebrated in Australia since the 1980s. It provides a platform where positive images of refugees can be promoted in order to create a culture of welcome throughout the country. Our ultimate aim is to create better understanding between different communities and to encourage successful integration enabling refugees to live in safety and to continue making a valuable contribution to Australia.
The aims of Refugee Week are:
- to educate the Australian public about who refugees are and why they have come to Australia;
- to help people understand the many challenges refugees face coming to Australia;
- to celebrate the contribution refugees make to our community;
- to focus on how the community can provide a safe and welcoming environment for refugees;
- for community groups and individuals to do something positive for refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people, within Australia but also around the world;
- for service providers to reflect on whether they are providing the best possible services to refugees.
Refugee Week is a unique opportunity for us all to experience and celebrate the rich diversity of refugee communities through theatre, music, dance, film and other events which take place all over Australia and highlight the aims of the Week, as outlined above. Refugee Week is an umbrella participatory festival that allows a wide range of refugee community organisations, voluntary and statutory organisations, schools, student groups and faith based organisations to host events during the week.
Past events have included football tournaments, public talks and exhibitions as well as music and dance festivals, theatre projects, and film screenings. Everyone is welcome to participate in promoting the aims of Refugee Week – the more the merrier!
In 2009 the Refugee Council of Australia is encouraging organisations to celebrate a unified Refugee Week. The date coincides with the celebration of World Refugee Day on June 20 offering greater opportunities for creating awareness of local, national and international issues affecting refugees. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is globally promoting the theme of ‘Real People, Real Needs’. This corresponds to the Australian national theme of ‘Freedom from Fear’. The 2009 Refugee Week will be celebrated from:
Sunday 14th June to Saturday 20th June
Through Refugee Week we aim to provide an important opportunity for asylum seekers and refugees to be seen, listened to and valued.
Choose from the links below for more specific information about Refugee Week:
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