Roads to Refuge

Teaching ideas

REFUGEES IN AUSTRALIA

Lesson 1: Supporting refugees

Learning outcome

Participants will develop understanding of government programs that support refugees in Australia.

Lesson resources

Step 1. Human rights

Ask students to brainstorm the basic human rights that we enjoy in Australia (shelter, access to food, education/ health care).

  • For more information on Child Rights refer to UNICEF Australia » Discover » What We Do » Rights of the Child.
  • Ask students to consider which of these rights refugees and asylum seekers can access or are denied.

Step 2. Investigation

Ask students to review the website Roads to Refuge » Refugees in Australia » Supporting refugees.

Divide students into groups and allocate each group a section of the Supporting refugees pages (On arrival, Education, Health, Communities). Ask each group to investigate and report back on:

  • the role that each sector (federal, state, local government and non-government) plays in supporting and promoting the rights of asylum seekers and refugees
  • the types of programs and partnerships that support refugees.

Step 3. Refugee experiences

Ask students to refer to the experiences provided in the corresponding Our experiences and DVD sections, and to identify the support that was provided for each person/ family.
Ask students to create a text for local media about one initiative they read about on the Supporting refugees pages.

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