Thanks for being a part of the Changing the Conversation about People Seeking Asylum Campaign!

Here are a few more suggestions on how to get involved...

Sydney Alliance People Seeking Asylum Team

People seeking asylum are some of the most vulnerable people in Sydney. With a diverse team of people from faith, community and union backgrounds we hope to change the conversation on Asylum seekers in Sydney and improve the lives of Asylum seekers in Sydney.

For more information visit: http://www.sydneyalliance.org.au/asylum_seekers

Volunteering Opportunities

Settlement Services International
The SSI Volunteer Program provides friendship and practical support for recently arrived refugees, humanitarian entrants and asylum seekers. Regular induction courses provide volunteers with a detailed introduction to the organisation and its services. Volunteers have a choice of several programs which they can support, from assisting new arrivals to do their shopping to facilitating recreational activities.

For more information visit: http://www.ssi.org.au/support-ssi/volunteer/

The Give Hope Campaign
The Give Hope: Uniting for asylum seekers campaign is an initiative of the Social Justice Forum and its partners. It was founded in response to growing community concern about how asylum seekers and refugees were being treated in Australia. The plight of refugees and asylum seekers was identified by Forum affiliates as a key concern for their members. Activities include winter appeals, advocacy and other practical ways your congregation could get involved in helping those seeking asylum.

For more information visit: http://www.givehope.org.au/get_involved

Jesuit Refugee Services
Jesuit Refugee Service is an international Catholic organisation with a mission to accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. Volunteers offer invaluable assistance in a variety of practical ways: accompanying refugees to interviews, helping them settle into temporary accommodation, cooking meals, chairing house meetings, teaching English, visiting asylum seekers in detention, and performing office administration or repairs at JRS’ shelters.

For more information visit: http://www.jrs.org.au/get-involved/volunteer/

House of Welcome
The House of Welcome’s mission is to welcome, shelter, and empower asylum seekers and refugees regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, nationality or religion. Volunteers can help out through English Lessons, Social Outings & Activities, Mentoring & Befriending, Employment Support, Housing Support, Fundraising and Community engagement and Food Bank.

For more information visit: http://www.houseofwelcome.com.au/volunteers/

Information on people seeking asylum

Asylum seekers and refugees: what are the facts?
A research paper put together by the Parliamentary Library which aims to present information (in a simplified format) that may help address some of the popular misconceptions that surround asylum issues. It includes information on asylum claims, new arrivals and irregular migration in Australia and Europe.

For a copy of this research paper click here.

UNHCR
For over 65 years, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been protecting the rights and well-being of refugees all over the world. They work to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge, having fled violence, persecution, war or disaster at home.

For more information visit: http://www.unhcr.org/en-au/

Refugee Advice and Casework Service 
Refugee Advice and Casework Service is one of Australia’s leading refugee legal centres providing free, specialist legal assistance to asylum seekers and refugees seeking to reunite with their families and we fight for their human rights every day. Through individual advice sessions, community education and public advocacy, RACS strives to ensure that individuals and families, at risk of persecution or other forms of significant harm, gain access to equal and fair representation before the law, and are granted protection by Australia, and opportunities to seek family unity, in accordance with Australia’s international obligations.

For more information visit: http://www.racs.org.au/factsheets/

Refugee Council of Australia
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is the national umbrella body for refugees and the organisations and individuals who support them. It has more than 200 organisational and over 900 individual members. RCOA’s own work is centred around five key areas: policy, support for refugees, support for its members, community education and administration. In addition, RCOA seeks funding for specific projects that directly relate to our objectives and enhance our capacity to serve the refugee community.

For more information visit: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/ 

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) is an independent not for profit, whose programs support and empower people seeking asylum to maximise their own physical, mental and social wellbeing. They mobilise and unite communities to create lasting social and policy change for people seeking asylum in Australia.  

For more information visit: https://www.asrc.org.au/about-us/ 

Kaldor Centre, UNSW
Through high-quality research feeding into public policy debate and legislative reform, the Centre brings a principled, human rights-based approach to refugee law and forced migration in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, and globally.  It provides an independent space to connect academics, policymakers and NGOs, and creates an important bridge between scholarship and practice.  

For more information visit: http://www.kaldorcentre.unsw.edu.au/centre

Stories from people seeking asylum

Cast from the Storm (Film)
Cast from the Storm tells the tender story of a group of teenage refugees who share their extraordinary stories when they join Treehouse Theatre, an after-school theatre group. A coming of age story, this uplifting documentary shares the reality of what it means to be a teenager and a displaced person. This is the story of what comes after, and what it means to remake your home.

For more information visit: http://www.castfromthestorm.com/ 

Chasing Asylum (Film)
Chasing Asylum exposes the real impact of Australia’s offshore detention policies and explores how 'The Lucky Country' became a country where leaders choose detention over compassion and governments deprive the desperate of their basic human rights. 

For more information visit:  http://www.chasingasylum.com.au/

Mary Meets Mohammad (Film)
This film follows the arrival of Tasmania’s first detention centre through the eyes of local Christian woman and knitting club member Mary and Muslim Afghan Hazara asylum seeker Mohammad, who is detained inside the centre, as they connect through the gift of a knitted beanie.

For more information visit:  www.marymeetsmohammad.com/

Freedom Stories (Film)
Freedom Stories is a collaborative documentary project from Flying Carpet Films. It explores the achievements and stories of former ‘boat people’ who arrived in Australian waters seeking asylum from the Middle East around 2001, a defining year in Australian politics. Locked in remote detention centres and then placed on temporary protection visas, their limbo lasted for years. Now Australian citizens, they are finally building secure lives and contributing to their new country.

For more information visit: http://freedomstoriesproject.com/

Humans of Detention (Stories and Artwork)
Inspired by Humans of New York (HONY), we seek to tell the stories of refugees and asylum seekers locked up in detention. To protect the anonymity of the people, we have chosen to represent them through artworks from Sydney based artists.

To view this art work like the facbook page: https://www.facebook.com/HumansOfDetention/