Week recognises refugees

WITH Refugee Week starting this Sunday, community groups are doing their part to celebrate the occasion.

Events will take place over the seven days, hosted by organisations like the Ballarat Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Network, Ballarat Rural Australians for Refugees and the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council.

Refugee Week was established in 1986, and with this year’s theme of ‘healing’, BRMC’s executive officer Ann Foley said the groups are diving deep into what that means.

“The agreement was let’s not have healing as a footnote to the pandemic but as healing, emerging and growing as a more fulfilled, connected society,” she said.

“This is also a really crucial opportunity to remind people who’ve come here as refugees how valued and appreciated they are with their contributions across all fields.”

Following a film screening and Mental Health Awareness Walk, Refugee Week will launch via flag raising ceremony on Monday, 20 June at Queen Victoria Square.

Multicultural feasts will be on offer, and BRMC will invite the community into the Welcome Centre at Barkly Square for a Winter Warmer Open Day.

An anti-racism workshop is also on the agenda, and it’ll aims to educate attendees about how they can help eliminate the prejudice.

With Ballarat’s status as a refugee welcome zone, Ms Foley said the week allows the city’s groups to showcase their capabilities.

“Relative to some other regional cities, we’re sort of a secondary migration destination,” she said.

“We think Refugee Week’s one of the times of year where we can highlight how ready Ballarat is to step up and see more people coming here.

“We have so many different community groups from church groups to charities to individuals stepping up from food to films to workshops.”

To see Ballarat’s Refugee Week program, visit brmc.org.au/news-events.