Refugee Week in Australia is always held from Sunday to Saturday in the week which includes 20 June, which is World Refugee Day. In 2022, it will be held from Sunday 19 June to Saturday 25 June.
The first Refugee Week events were organised in Sydney in 1986 by Austcare. In 1987, Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) became a co-organiser of the week, and the occasion became a national event the following year. RCOA took on responsibility for the national coordination of Refugee Week from 2004.
Adama Kamara, RCOA’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, says one of the aims of Refugee Week is to celebrate the positive contributions refugees make to the Australian society.
Adama Kamara- Deputy CEO of RCOA Source: RCOA
“It’s really an opportunity to provide positive images of refugee communities across Australia [and] their contributions. Also, for communities to think about how they can welcome refugees into their community and how they can make their community safe for refugees. The overall aim is for us to have a better understanding between refugee communities and non-refugee communities…and be more welcoming of each other.”
Each year, Refugee Week has a different theme. This is to raise awareness of the issues affecting refugees in Australia and around the world, to help the broader community understand what it is like to be a refugee.
Oliver Slewa is a Sydney-based lawyer and one of the Refugee Week ambassadors. He grew up in an Assyrian family in Iraq and travelled through Jordan, Turkey, and Greece as a refugee before finding safe haven in Australia in 1994.
Oliver Selwa- RCOA Ambassador Source: RCOA
“The traumatic experiences that they faced fleeing their war-torn countries, being in refugee camps, being on a boat for several days, for nights, [and] being stranded on a boat. I was stranded on a boat between Turkey and Greece for 40 days, and I was the youngest on the boat. I don’t have memories of that, but I have [memories of some] vivid scenes. But that healing stage starts from the day you set foot in Australia.”
There are many different programs and activities run by RCOA during Refugee Week and beyond.
Face-to-Face is one of these programs that runs throughout Refugee Week. It is an incursion presentation and workshop by RCOA ambassadors and representatives.
The refugee speakers share personal stories of their journey to safety and give students the opportunity to learn about refugees, their experiences, and their contributions to Australia.
Click on the player above to listen to this information in Punjabi.
