Religious Education and Social Justice
Refugee Week
Refugee Week begins next Sunday, 20th June. The week provides an opportunity to inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society, to create better understanding between different communities and to encourage successful integration enabling refugees to live in safety and to continue making a valuable contribution to Australia.
The aims of Refugee Week are:
- to educate the Australian public about who refugees are and why they have come to Australia;
- to help people understand the many challenges refugees face coming to Australia;
- to celebrate the contribution refugees make to our community;
to focus on how the community can provide a safe and welcoming environment for refugees; - for community groups and individuals to do something positive for refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people, within Australia but also around the world; and
- for service providers to reflect on whether they are providing the best possible services to refugees.
Refugee Week is a unique opportunity for us all to experience and celebrate the rich diversity of refugee communities through theatre, music, dance, film and other events which take place all over Australia and highlight the aims of the Week, as outlined above.
Donations to support refugees
One way we can support the people seeking asylum and refuge here in our local community is to donate to the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre in Footscray.
The center is always in need of the following items to assist people who are in need:
- Healthy snack food (for lunch boxes)
- Healthy breakfast cereals
- Dried fruit, nuts, seeds
- Spices
- Tea (black, green, herbal) and instant coffee
- Tuna, salmon, sardines
- Canned vegetables such as tomatoes, corn, peas
- Lentils, chickpeas, beans (No baked beans please)
- Tomato paste
- Small jars of honey
- Long life milk
Toiletries and Household Items
- Shampoo
- Soap
- Toothbrushes
- Sanitary products
- Shaving items
- Dishwashing detergent
- Washing powder
- Nappies (especially larger sizes)
If you are able to make a donation of any of the above items please deliver them to Asylum Seekers Resource Centre 214 - 218 Nicholson Street Footscray.
Prayer for Refugees
We pray for your children,
all over the world,
displaced by human disaster.
We hear the cries of the suffering;
we see the violence in our midst.
You sent your Son to be the refuge
of people on the move.
We ask you to grant all refugees peace, protection, comfort and hope.
Help us to recognize that whenever we welcome our sisters and brothers in your name, we welcome you.
Teach us to recognize your presence
in every human being.
Bring us together as one family
at the banquet table of your love.
Amen
Jane Wilkinson
Religious Education Leader