Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society. Refugee Week 2020 will commence on Sunday 14 June and run until Saturday 20 June, 2020.
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. Refugee Week is an umbrella participatory festival which allows a wide range of refugee community organisations, voluntary and statutory organisations, local councils, schools, student groups and faith-based organisations to host events during the week.
Past events have included football tournaments, public talks, exhibitions, music and dance festivals, theatre projects and film screenings. Everyone is welcome to participate in promoting the aims of Refugee Week – the more the merrier.
Through Refugee Week, we aim to provide an important opportunity for asylum seekers and refugees to be seen, listened to and valued.
When is Refugee Week?
Refugee Week in Australia is always held from Sunday to Saturday of the week which includes 20 June (World Refugee Day). In Australia, Refugee Week 2020 runs from Sunday 14 June to Saturday 20 June
