Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees and celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society.
During Refugee Week we:
- reflect on the needs faced by millions of people forced from their homes
- come together to celebrate the courage of refugees resettling in Australia
- recognise the generous acts of welcome displayed to refugees by so many caring Australians
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has named SSI as a key event partner for Refugee Week 2022. This year’s Refugee Week theme is “Healing”, which can occur through storytelling, through community and through realisation of our intrinsic interconnectedness as individuals.
SSI Group’s Refugee Week campaign, “Where You Belong”, shows that healing can occur by connecting, engaging and supporting the newly arrived in their new home.
Key SSI events for Refugee Week
May 24 – June 25: Second Chances - exhibition
This free exhibition showcases a collection of works by refugee artists who have come through SSI’s Creative Pathways program.
Featuring artists: Anmar Al-Zuhairi, Feryal Mohammad Zadeh, Elham Marvi, Shiva Dadvar, Silva Karakhanian, Zuhir Youkhanna and the Australian Rohingya Women's Development Organisation led by Sajeda Bahadurmia.
Presented in partnership with Bankstown Arts Centre at 5 Olympic Parade, Bankstown NSW 2200.
For more info: www.cbcity.nsw.gov.au/arts-centre/whats-on/Exhibition
June 19: The spirit of welcome
The Spirit of Welcome is a family-friendly event organised by the Community Refugee Welcome Centre to celebrate Refugee Week.
This free event will showcase the cultural and artistic contributions refugees make to their new home and will enhance Inner West's place as one of the most welcoming, thriving, and diverse communities in NSW. We have live music performances, workshops, food for purchase, markets and much more! Everyone is welcome!
Click here for the Facebook event.
The event is a partnership between Settlement Services International and Inner West Council, funded by the 2021 Inner West Arts Projects Grant, 11 am - 4 pm, 504 Wharf Road Lilyfield NSW 2040.
June 24 - July 31: Settled/Unsettled: Art on the refugee and migrant experience – exhibition
This multidisciplinary exhibition project explores issues around refugees, asylum seekers, and the theme of cultural displacement.
Through paintings, film, ceramics and installation, Mehwish Iqbal, Kathrin Longhurst, Angus McDonald and Penny Byrne convey their concerns about social justice issues that matter so much in Australia today. Works by artists Hedar Abadi, Mehrdad MehrAeen and Raneen Shamon explore personal refugee experiences and unique interpretations of life as new Australian artists.
Presented in partnership with Settlement Services International and supported by Community Northern Beaches and The Social Outfit, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, West Esplanade Reserve Manly NSW 2095.
For more info: www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/whats-on/settled-unsettled
June 25: Homelands Bankstown
A free, intimate festival with live performances, workshops and market stalls.
Homelands brings together refugee communities from Western Sydney and the wider community in a celebration through song, dance, live music, workshops and market stalls.
Presented in partnership with Bankstown Arts Centre and Create NSW, 4 – 7:30 pm, Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade, Bankstown NSW 2200.
June 30: Where you belong. (Sydney)
A long-tabled lunch, hosted by SSI, where refugees share a meal with others from the community. (Private.)
Events hosted by member and partner organisations
June 23: Refugee Week Celebration – Healing through Story-Sharing
SydWest is hosting a special event to raise awareness of the issues affecting refugees, highlight aspects of the refugee experience and help the broader community to understand what it is like to be a refugee. It is also an opportunity to connect and celebrate with individuals and advocates of the refugee community.
Guest speakers include:
- Jasmina Bajraktarevic-Hayward, President of Refugee Council of Australia
- Ibrahim Bangura, writer and personal trainer
- RCOA Ambassador
The event will also feature a selection of entertainment from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, 10 am – 1.30 pm, Blacktown Workers Club, 55 Campbell St, Blacktown NSW 2148.
For more info, contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This page will be updated regularly as new events are scheduled.