Refugee Week 2012: Restoring Hope
Refugee Week is celebrated nationally every year, aiming to inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society.
Marrickville Council celebrated Refugee Week 2012 with a day of activities that reflected the 2012 theme, Restoring Hope. Council participates in Refugee Week with the aim of strengthening networks and relationships between various refugee populations in the Marrickville areas, building on understanding, and acknowledging the social, economic and cultural contribution people from refugee backgrounds make to our community.
For the 2012 event Council took an 'intergenerational approach' in partnership with the Intensive English Centre at Marrickville High School.
Fatmata Bangura, Marrickville Council's Young Citizen of the Year 2008, who works closely with refugee communities in Marrickville, was the keynote speaker at the event. There were also presentations by Marrickville Intensive English Language students and the MYRC, a performance by an African dancing and singing group, and information for attendees on the Safdar Refugee Artists Project.
The event was supported by Centrelink, the Metro Migrant Resource and the Marrickville Youth Resource Centre.