Roads to Refuge

Useful websites

ONLINE EDUCATION RESOURCES

  • Amnesty International Australia
    • Respect my Rights is a virtual simulation resource that asks students to make choices about rights and gain empathy for those that may not have the same choices in life as other students (in Australia).
  • Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
    • Long Journey - Long Journey, Young Lives is an interactive documentary produced specifically for the AFC/ABC New Media Documentary Online initiative. The project features 40 ‘micro documentaries’ - each one a series of clips featuring either a refugee child discussing their experience or an Australian child sharing their thoughts on asylum seekers.
  • AusAID Global Education
    • Refugee activities for Years 5-6. AusAID is the Australian Federal Government aid agency.
  • Australian Human Rights Commission
    • The Commission is an independent statutory organisation that reports to Federal Parliament. It is responsible for promoting the legal protection of human rights in Australia. The Commission monitors law and policy affecting asylum seekers and refugees. It also produces education resources such as Face the Facts
  • British Broadcasting Service (BBC)
    • BBC UK Road to Refuge is an older website with some interesting international perspectives on refugee journeys. Click on each of the country links to find out what people are fleeing from, and where they are going to go.
  • Medecins Sans Frontiers
    • Searching for Safety - an online game that asks students to follow the path of a person seeking refuge.
  • Refugee Council of Australia
  • SBS
    • Go Back To Where You Came From - reality TV video series showcasing the lives of six Australians as they experience the refugee journey first-hand. Teacher’s materials and study guides are available online.
  • UNHCR
    • My Life as a Refugee- an online game that asks students to choose a character and then create a pathway out of danger.
    • Play against all odds- an online simulation game that asks students to test whether or not they would survive if they were in danger and had to leave their country.
    • Education resources and kids zone specific to curriculum areas
  • UNICEF
    • Through My Eyes is a series of books about children living in conflict zones (Allen and Unwin)
    • UNICEF Australia » Discover » What We Do » Rights of the Child
    • UNICEF Australia also has a series of photo stories online. They have questions for students to think about. Students can compare their own lives to those of the children in other countries. For example:
    • UNICEF » Education resources » Photo stories » A bitter winter- Syria

Refugee experiences

Country profiles

  • More information about the conflict occurring in countries that refugees flee from is available at:

Schools in the news

Interesting articles in the news

Documentaries

  • Go Back To Where You Came From - reality TV video series showcasing the lives of six Australians as they experience the refugee journey first-hand.
  • Once You’re Born You Can No Longer Hide (Italian) 2005- A young Italian boy accidentally falls overboard while yachting with his father on the Mediterranean. He is rescued by a boatload of undocumented immigrants attempting to reach Italy by sailing across the Mediterranean.
  • The invasion of Lampedusa, Ronachan Films and BBC1 UK, 2011, also available via https://vimeo.com/37444478 - issues of immigration in Europe highlighted by thousands of people from Tunisia and Libya arriving on an Italian island.
  • Nowhere Home (Norway), A documentary film that follows the lives of a number of children who are seeking an extension of their asylum status.
  • Mary meets Mohammed, Waratah Films 2013 (Australia), A documentary film that 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. (Filmmaker Heather Kirkpatrick)
  • Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Produced by Chris Kamen) is a 52-minute film about asylum seekers who make the journey to Australia by boat. An abridged version (11 minutes) is available for schools.
  • Villawood Mums (Film: 7 mins) by Curious Works ‘The Stories Project’ explores the experiences of detention in Australia through two different ladies.
  • Cuc Lam’s Suitcase, National Treasures (2004, 4min 55) A short clip about a small red vinyl suitcase, a symbol of a new beginning in a new country.
  • Lucky Miles, (2007) A film about three different blokes stranded in the Australian desert.
  • Was Nun, a film about a refugee journey by the stage 5 German class from Trinity Catholic College, Goulburn (Best drama 2013, NSW Modern Language Teachers Association (MLTA) Linguafest competition)