The launch event for Our Stories is going being held at 6:00pm – 7:00pm on Tuesday 11 December at 10 Kingston Street, Richmond.
We’re hoping to see you there. Register for free at EventBrite
About Our Stories
Our Stories features the stories of four refugees building a new life in Australia. Alpha, Shabnam, David and Aya each arrived in Australia at a different time and from different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. Our Stories explores our common humanity and highlights both the common and unique challenges faced by our newest Australians. Through the website, users are encouraged to step into the shoes of a refugee as they start a new life in Australia and face a series of difficult scenarios encountered by that refugee.
In partnership with Cool Australia, we have also developed free Years 8 and 9 civics & citizenship lessons. The lessons draw on the experiences of refugees building a new life in Australia to deliver real-world learning and develop values of inclusivity and tolerance. The lessons can be downloaded here.
In the lesson
Challenges for Refugees Settling in Australia students form groups and are guided through scripted scenarios containing difficult decisions that refugees and asylum seekers face after arriving in Australia. The groups step forward, step back or stay where they are to indicate their decisions. The exercise helps students to understand why it is important to treat refugees building a new life in Australia with compassion, respect and kindness.
The lesson
Shabnam’s Refugee Experience Settling in Australia guides students through a series of scenarios based on the real experiences of a young female. Hazara refugee, Shabnam, who arrived in Australia at the age of 14. Students engage interactively with the challenges Shabnam faced during her first few months in Australia, watch video clips and brainstorm tangible and practical positive actions they could take to support Shabnam (or a refugee or person seeking asylum like her) to overcome her challenges and achieve her potential.