Refugee Week is the annual celebration of positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society. The week aims to create a culture of welcome. The theme for Refugee Week 2023 (18 – 24 June) is Finding Freedom. A range of resources are available to event organisers including the official 2023 Refugee Week poster, logo, editable social media and templates, resource kits and much more! Read more: Home – Refugee Week
Book a Refugee Ambassador Today
Through increased interest and support, our National Refugee Ambassadors Program has expanded with the training of a new group of Ambassadors. As Face-to-Face speakers at school, business and community events, our Refugee Ambassadors draw from their lived experience to help change the national conversation about refugees across Australia. You’ll be able to read more about these Ambassadors and engage with their stories in the coming weeks.
Booking an Ambassador to speak at an event in your library is a wonderful way to take part in Refugee Week 2023, which runs from 18-24 June.
We are now welcoming bookings for in-person or live online presentations; as Refugee Week is one of our Ambassadors’ busiest periods in the year, all bookings should be made by 19 May 2023.
Read more: Face-to-Face: school and community program
Meet Sidiqa Faqihi, Project Officer of Face-to-Face Program
My name is Sidiqa Faqihi. I am a Hazara born in Afghanistan and a former refugee. Systematic discrimination, persecution, war, and ongoing genocide forced me, my family, and thousands of others from Hazara ethnic minority to leave our motherland of Afghanistan in search of safety in other countries. I had to make the difficult decision of leaving my homeland in 2013 seeking protection in Indonesia.
I spent two decades of my life living as a refugee in different countries. There is no doubt that this profound life experience will shape my identity for years to come as it is a constant reminder of how I made the journey from persecution and fear to sanctuary. Knowing that I have not lodged to return home as there was no home to return to. My refugee journey was filled with uncertainty, hardships and challenges, but what kept me going was my resilient spirit and my ever-present hope for a better future.
I and my family were fortunate to arrive in Australia, on the land of the Wurundjeri people, in 2022, after nearly a decade of living as a refugee in Indonesia. Few month after our arrival, I started my studies and work journey with the Refugee Council of Australia.
I am currently working with RCOA as the Project Officer for the Face-to-Face Schools and Community Program. Through this program, I support refugee speakers share their personal stories of their journeys to safety and give listeners a unique opportunity to learn directly from refugees and gain insight into their lived experience and their valuable contributions to Australia.
Book a speaker today: https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/f2f-bookings/
A search for Afghan-Australian identity: Watandar
When former Afghan Refugee Muzafar Ali, discovers that Afghans have been an integral part of Australia for over 160 years, he begins to photograph their descendants in a search to define his own new Afghan-Australian identity. Then the Taliban take over Afghanistan and his old country comes calling.
Join us for the screening of an incredible story, inspired by the journey of being a refugee and rediscovering your identity in a new homeland. Refugee Council CEO Paul Power will also speaking at the Newtown, Sydney screening on June 12 as part of Refugee Week 2023, alongside guests. For a full list of screenings around Australia visit: https://www.watandar.com.au/