Refugee Week

Refugee Week

This week has been Refugee Week (June 14 to 20)  and it is important to celebrate this event given that our college is proud to have 25% of our students  who come from a refugee background and have arrived in Australia in the past seven years.

This Years’ 2020 theme is 'The year of Welcome'.  Our College is made up of a rich tapestry of cultures and many of our students and staff are from refugee backgrounds.  This week we would like to acknowledge the contributions they make to our college and local community.  

Refugee Week helps us understand the challenges refugees face overseas: 

• fleeing from persecution, war and serious conflict and years of uncertainty
• coming to a foreign country without family support
• little or no knowledge of English or having had first language education
• totally different culture to their own

To gain a deeper understanding of the myths and misconceptions about refugees, please spend 5 minutes looking at this presentation.

WELCOME

This newsletter introduces us to one of our outstanding students whose life is now spent as a happy young woman at Northern Bay College. However, the journey to this place in time has been impacted by growing up as a refugee.

Aye Point

Aye Point commenced at Goldsworthy in 2018 after  graduating from Hendy campus. To learn English she also went to classes at the Geelong English Language Centre (GELC) outpost at Hendy (there is also one at Wexford).

Aye Point was fortunate to go to school in Thailand when she was 8 and was taught in Thai. She speaks Thai and can read and write Karen. Aye Point lives with her grandmother and uses Messenger to talk to her mother in Thailand.

When Aye Point started at Goldsworthy her favourite subject was PE. Aye Point said her hardest subject in year 9 was science.  

Now in 2020 Aye Point is in year 11 and studying for her VCAL certificate. As part of her VCAL program she studies Hospitality and is taught by Chef Belle. 

With classes suspended, she did online classes for Hospitality and working both onsite and independently at home during the period of remote learning through COVID-19. She is really happy to again be back on campus and attending classes.  

We all have moments that possibly define our future and Aye Point had one of these moments  after being involved in the CALD Community Kitchen Program which took place after school in partnership with Catholic Care in 2019. During the Community Kitchen Program Aye Point learnt to make coffee and began cooking. She received her certificate in Food Preparation safety and has led her to became interested in studying hospitality.

Aye Point is currently applying for a School Based Apprenticeship at Bakers Delight in Lara. Aye Point is hopeful of succeeding at her interview since a School-Based Apprenticeship will provide her credit towards her VCAL Certificate through industry hours. Aye Point would also like to save any money she might earn to be able to return to Thailand to see her mother and her new baby sister.   

Next year Aye Point will be in year 12, her plans are to complete her VCAL in year 12 and go onto The Gordon to study English and be able to then apply to continue her Hospitality training and become a chef. Aye Point has tried out her cooking on her grandmother and grandma appreciates her Thai cooking but,  is not keen on her pasta!  

Aye Point plans to work whilst studying at TAFE to assist her grandmother financially and we. wish her all the best in pursuing her dreams and congratulate her on her success so far.