Refugee kids
Focus Questions
1. Retell the Refugee kids story.
2. Why do people flee their home country?
3. Who is the program `Imagine the Future’ for?
4. What is the program trying to achieve?
5. What sort of activities do the kids do?
6. Why do you think learning to trust people is important for the refugee kids?
7. Describe how the refugees’ attitudes towards the police may change.
8. What difference has it made to the refugee kids’ lives?
9. Post a message about this story on the BtN guestbook http://abc.net.au/btn/guestbook.html
10. How did this story make you feel?
Refugee kids
Students will develop an understanding of what a refugee is. In small groups, ask students to brainstorm and record words they associate with `refugee’.
As a class, share what each group brainstormed. Record all responses on a large sheet of paper. Ask students to consider the following questions:
· Which words have a positive or negative meaning?
· Where they have heard the words used - media, friends, family?
· What has shaped their understanding and opinion of refugees?
Come up with a class definition of what a refugee is.
Students can choose one or more of the following activities to complete:
Which countries around the world resettle refugees and people in humanitarian need each year? What proportion does Australia accept? Display the information in a table.
The UN Refugee Agency website has a game that gives some insight into what it’s like to be a refugee http://www.playagainstallodds.com/ What did the game teach you about refugees that you didn’t already know?
People don’t plan to become refugees. Usually circumstances beyond their control force them to flee. Imagine you had to flee your home in a hurry leaving your family and belongings to move to another country. Think about where you will go, how you will travel and what resources you will need. Write a story or draw a picture that describes the experience.
How does Australia help refugees? What support do they get to resettle? Work with a partner to find out what is being done and make a list of things that could be done to help refugees. What is done in your school or local community to help refugees resettle? Present your information to the class.
Explore how some refugees use art to tell their stories. The following website has artwork created by refugees. http://www.multiculturalaustralia.edu.au/learning/flashpaper/refugee_art.swf
Choose one artwork to respond to. What story does it tell about the artist’s experiences?
8 Related Research Links
730 SA – Program delivers lessons in trust
http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2011/05/13/3216658.htm
Australian Human Rights Commission – Refugees
http://www.hreoc.gov.au/HUMAN_RIGHTS/immigration/asylum_seekers.html
UNHCR – Refugees
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c125.html
Department of Immigration – How Australia helps refugees
http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/pdf/A_New_Life_3.pdf
© ABC 2011