diverse group age and culture

Refugee Week a sign of unity and acceptance

Refugee Week is held every year in June. The theme for 2021 is Unity

The theme urges all Australians to take the opportunity to start afresh and rebuild our lives together. Existing and emerging communities can work together to create a great way of life.

All over the country, refugee communities are building the lives they want by leading alcohol and other drug harm reduction responses.

Two such communities are the CALD Community Action for a Healthy Society LDAT and Empowering Young People – Preventing Harm LDAT. Hear about the amazing work these groups are doing, and what unity means to them.

“For us unity is living together in harmony, where there is peace and people value each other, despite where they come from or despite their colour,” says Grace.

Mothers unite to address challenge of alcohol availability

It’s the women from Brisbane’s Sudanese and South Sudanese communities who are taking the lead to protect their families from the harms from alcohol and other drugs (AOD).

CALD Community Action for a Healthy Society LDAT organiser Grace Oryem says the move to a new culture in a new country is not easy. The ready availability of AOD compared to their home countries is tough new ground for many families to navigate.

The community identified the need for information sessions educating adults and young people about AOD. From there, it wasn’t a big leap to expand the education program to include parenting strategies, legal systems, and also wellness and health care.

“All these things interlink, so at the end of the day families are stressed and this has impacted most on women’s mental health,” says Grace.In Sudan, alcohol is not as freely available as in Australia. When parents in their new society saw so many of their children being caught up in using alcohol and other drugs, they started to think different parenting strategies were needed to deal with the problem.

“Parenting and wellness is the need they have identified to help address the impact of alcohol on their family,” said Grace.

“We, the women, decided to find a solution. What can we do, rather than just sitting around when things are falling apart? We are mothers, and when we see what is happening to our children.”

This unity of purpose is reflected in the theme of Refugee Week. Grace, who was a refugee, especially values a sense of safety in her life.

“For us unity is living together in harmony, where there is peace and people value each other, despite where they come from or despite their colour,” says Grace.

“We are encountering challenges but at least our life is safe, and living in a multicultural country like Australia, which acknowledges our presence here by celebrating Refugee Week, shows a sign of unity. That encourages us to feel like we are being welcomed and that we are part of this community.”

workshop seated Brisbane Sudanese South Sudanese CALD Community Action for a Healthy Society LDAT

“The Tree of Life asks you to explore what are the roots for giving you a healthy and happy life in Shepparton,” Christine says

Fruitful strategy for putting down new roots

In Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, Christine Nunn, lead of Empowering Young People – Preventing Harm LDAT, agrees the Refugee Week theme of unity means living and working together harmoniously.

“It’s to be able to understand each other’s similarities and differences and respect that,” says Christine.

And in general, there are more similarities than differences. The fertile agricultural landscape around Shepparton is a drawcard pulling in many refugees and economic migrants who feel more at home in farming and regional areas.

And just as ‘Shepp’ is well known for its orchards, it’s the Tree of Life social learning model that is bearing fruit. It looks at people’s past, their cultural roots, and uses a personal strengths-based approach to grow and move forward.

The LDAT is using the Tree of Life strategy to bridge cultural divides between parents born overseas and young people raised in Australia. It also introduces culturally diverse service workers to local communities.

A recent LDAT cultural evening with Afghani women and girls plus community service workers was one example of the Tree in action.

“The Tree of Life asks you to explore what are the roots for giving you a healthy and happy life in Shepparton,” Christine says. “You might talk about family and community, and then you might talk about some of the barriers to that.

“Sometimes the discussion is about young people’s mental health, or how parents treat them, in terms of restricting their access to the broader community.”

And often it's the smaller day-to-day hurdles like sorting out bills or government letters that need to be dealt with first before taking on life’s bigger challenges.

“You have to spend quite a lot of time with people to gain their trust and for them to feel comfortable to explore some of the difficult things they are trying to deal with,” explains Christine.

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