WHO IS A REFUGEE
Lesson 2: Myths and facts
Learning outcome
Participants will be able to identify the difference between myths and facts when discussing asylum seekers and refugees.
Lesson resources
- Who is a refugee
- Refugees in Australia » Myths and facts
- Excerpt 2 Are students aware of the myths and facts surrounding refugees?
Step 1. Brainstorm
Ask students to brainstorm a list of comments about refugees and asylum seekers that they have heard:
- at school
- in the media
- in the community
Step 2. Definitions
Discuss as a group. Which ones do students think are true? Which ones might not be true? Why or why not?
Step 3. Watch the video
Show the Roads to Refuge DVD » Myths and Facts. Ask students to consider whether students in the DVD came up with any similar or different myths. Discuss why myths are circulated throughout society. How do such myths affect the lives of refugees living in Australia?
Step 4. Research
Ask students to identify the myths in their original list (Step 1) and to research and clarify the facts. For example, students could research statistics around humanitarian protection visas in Australia or the countries that asylum seekers arrive from.
There are many web resources suggested on this website that will help students identify myths from facts:
- Refugee Council of Australia Fact check
- Refugee Week Myths and Facts
- Red Cross Refugee and Asylum Seeker Facts
- Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Resources
- The Guardian Five myths about the refugee crisis (article)
- Edmund Rice Centre Debunking the myths about asylum seekers
- Kaldor Centre Asylum seekers in Australia: facts and myths (video)
Step 5. Concluding discussion
As a class, discuss the main myths about refugees that students came across. What new information was learned?