One thing that the recent Black Lives Matter protests has emphasised is that talking the talk is not enough.
When it comes to fighting for equality and achieving systemic change, we need to walk the walk.
This week is Refugee Week — Australia’s annual activity to raise awareness about issues affecting refugees and celebrate their positive contributions to Australian society. While it is an important event to mark, taking action to better the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in Australia needs to happen on a daily basis.
You can start here, right now, with these seven practical actions.
Get informed
- There are 70.8 million forcibly displaced people worldwide
- 25.9 million of them are refugees, and half are children (under the age of 18)
- 18,750 refugees have been resettled or permanently protected in Australia in the past year
Understanding the complexities of the refugee experience is important. There are a number of resources available both locally and globally, online and offline, to learn about refugee rights, protections and migration. Clue yourself up!
Amplify voices
Invite people from a refugee or asylum seeker background with expertise and knowledge in different disciplines to speak at your next event (or webinar).
Not only does this bring diverse voices to your event, it magnifies their lived experiences. It could also support their settlement outcomes and integration.
Volunteer
Organisations providing support to people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds are always looking for people with specialist knowledge and skills to help.
Visit the Humanitarian Hub, or Refugee Council of Australia to see how you can volunteer your skills. (If you are a UTS staff member, you might also be able to your UTS Social Justice Leave for this.)
Donate
Too many organisations operate on very little government support and rely largely on the generosity of the Australian public and volunteers. Donating to organisations like the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre or Refugee Council of Australia ensures that they can continue their advocacy work and provide much needed support to those who need it.
You can also donate to the UTS Humanitarian Scholarship Program, which supports undergraduate students from a refugee or asylum seeker background to pay for textbooks, some living expenses and essential learning materials.
Create employment opportunities
Finding meaningful and sustainable employment helps drive successful resettlement outcomes. Advocate for your organisation’s leadership to provide employment to people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds. You can even partner with organisations like CareerSeekers or Refugee Talent who specialise in refugee recruitment.
Support refugee and asylum seeker businesses
Many people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds are self-determined and entrepreneurial (partly because they have to be).
As part of their resettlement into Australian society, many have participated in initiatives like Settlement Services International’s Ignite Small Business start-ups program or Catalysr, a pre-accelerator for early stage start-ups. Visit the Ignite website for an extensive list of refugee owned businesses that you can support.
Sydney-based businesses or individuals can have your next event catered by the team at Parliament on King – a social enterprise that trains and employs people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds looking to forge careers in the hospitality industry.
Be a mentor
Connecting with professional mentors can be a very valuable experience, especially for individuals who face society-imposed barriers to success. These relationships can help with everything from self-development, to career goal setting and coaching. Join an existing mentoring program or encourage your organisation to start their own.
Examples of existing mentoring programs include:
- UTS Humanitarian Mentoring
- AMES Australia
- Core Community Services
- Edmond Rice Centre
For everyone reading this article, it is within your power to do at least one of these seven things. Every positive action helps, and it is these actions that create the society we live it.