Refugee Community Advocacy Program
People with lived experience are invited to participate in our intensive four-day program to develop skills to advocate the issues affecting their communities.
Why should you participate?
As people with lived experience of seeking asylum, we are best placed to advocate for the policy changes that affect us. Yet too often our voices are absent from public and community discussions around refugee rights in Australia. Our media, political and cultural narratives are dominated by the voices of those without personal experience and legitimacy and often, by those who seek to demonise people seeking asylum.
Coming to Australia, after escaping persecution from our country of origin, we often face unfair and punitive treatment by the Australian government. Some of us have been detained for nearly a decade, while 30,000 of us, who are on TPV, SHEV and Bridging visas are constantly living in fear of deportation, fear of not being able to ever reconnect with our families and fear of not being able to contribute socially and economically.
We need your help. A need for public disclosure and for our communities to be aware of the limitations and restrictions they face, because of Australia’s cruel refugee policies, to shift political powers.
It's time for a permanent solution to this problem.
By participating in this program, participants can be a part of the movement for human rights for refugees. After the program, Refugee Voices will provide support for graduates to take part in public talks, media activities and advocacy events, providing opportunities to put new skills into practice while growing their own networks across Australia.
Our primary goal is to build the skills of members with lived experience and those from the refugee community to advocate for a change to government policy.
Participants will learn about:
the Australian political system and history of racism;
organising and mobilising communities to take action to shift decision-makers;
storytelling and public speaking;
media and communication;
advocacy and campaign;
contemporary refugee issues in Australia.
Our second goal is to build community support. By empowering the community and building broader community support around them, we will pressure the government. Together, we will use storytelling and advocacy to highlight refugee issues to change the narrative around people seeking asylum in Australia and secure a fair and humane policy for our community.
When?
Workshop dates:
Saturday 27th February
Sunday 28th February
Saturday 27th March
Sunday 28th March
How to Apply
If you are someone with lived experience or are living on TPV, SHEV or a Bridging visa, please apply by clicking on the link here.