Family Week 2016 Classroom and fundraising activities
Classroom and Fundraising Activities The following activities are suggestions that have been tailored to year level groups. They encourage discussions about social justice, refugees and asylum seekers, and what it takes to be a social justice hero. The classroom activities can be coupled with a fundraising component to help CatholicCare deliver programs for refugee and asylum seeker families in need. What is a Champion for Change? Years: 3-9 Students discuss our Champion for Change poster and conduct research into the following quesitons: What are some of the social issues that are affecting our community today? (eg homelessness, crime, poverty, family violence, refugees and asylum seekers) What could our future look like if things were different? What are some of the ways that people can change things for the better? (eg education, awareness, advocacy, voting for social policy) What commitment can you make to be a Champion for Change? Discuss Refugee and Asylum Seeker Families Years: 3-9 Students can discuss or conduct research into the following questions: Why might a family come to live in Australia? What sorts of things might they need when they arrive? What has been happening around the world that has brought more families to Australia? What ways can we care for refugees and families seeking asylum? What does the government do to help migrant and refugee families? What organisations help refugee families and families seeking asylum? How do the Catholic Church and other religions teach and act to show they care for refugee families and families seeking asylum? In what ways can our school community celebrate Family Week and help refugee families and families seeking asylum? 2
Classroom and Fundraising Activities Celebrate Social Justice Heroes Years: 7-12 Choose one inspiring person, past or present, who has fought for social justice. Discuss their struggles, achievements and lasting impact for a better world. Identify the character traits that set them apart as a Champion for Change. Students can then choose to research their own social justice hero, past or present. They can write a short essay or give a brief talk about that person. Embrace a Multicultural Dress-Up Day Years: Prep - 6 Students Dress up in the national costumes or cultural clothing of another country or region. Explore Families around the World Years: 3-9 Students can research different family structures around the world. For example, do grandparents normally live with grandchildren in Australia? What about gender roles? This activity can be tailored toward different age groups, with older students conducting research into different issues for families around the world. Discover Family Festivals and Rituals Years: 3-9 Students can research and discuss festivals and religious experiences around the world that relate to families and children. Examples include the Japanese Children s Festivals, Children s Day, the Doll Festival and Coming of Age Day. Other examples include Easter celebrations around the world, or even Christmas traditions and New Year s celebrations, for example Chanukah and Kwanzaa. Feast on Multicultural Food Years: 3-6 Students can bring and share a dish of food and discuss the recipe and where it is from. 3
Classroom and Fundraising Activities Discuss Diverse Families Years: Prep - 12 Teachers and students can discuss the different kinds of families that exist in the school community. This activity encourages acceptance and tolerance of differences. Examples could include: Nuclear and extended families Single parents De-facto parents Blended families Migrant families Stay at home dads/mums Guardian/foster care families Family Drawing Competition Years: Prep - 12 Students can draw a picture of their family and write a short description of what family means to them. Creative Writing Competition Years: Prep - 12 Students can write about a family that is different to theirs, highlighting how the families are different and how they care for each other. Some writing ideas include: Non-traditional families in Australia Refugee/migrant families in Australia Caring families (where a family member has a disability or mental illness) Develop a Family Creed Years: 3-6 Family creeds help families to decide what kind of family they want to be. Students can write a creed based on their values and how they think families work best together. 4
Classroom and Fundraising Activities Host a School Family Picnic Years: Prep - 6 Families can bring a plate of food to share at school. This activity can be linked with a Walkathon or Grandparents and Special Friends Day. Organise a Family Walkathon Years: Prep - 12 Students and their families can walk a certain distance one afternoon during school hours. Families can provide a donation to participate, and can also ask their friends and neighbours to sponsor them. The Walkathon can be followed by a BBQ or bake-sale. Host a Karaoke or Talent Show Years: Prep - 12 Teachers can organise a Karaoke or Talent Night. Students, parents and teachers can compete either individually or as a group. People can add coins to jars to vote for the best performance. Create a School Recipe Book Years: Prep - 12 Students, parents and teachers can submit their favourite recipes; to be published and sold to the school community. Screen a Multicultural/Family Movie Years: Prep - 12 Students, parents and teachers can watch a multicultural film or a film about family. Organise a Trivia Night Years: Prep - 12 Teachers can organise a Trivia Night. Students, parents and teachers can compete in teams. 5
Classroom and Fundraising Activities Bring Grandparents and Special Friends to School Years: Prep - 6 Students can bring grandparents, godparents, an aunt, uncle or a special person in their lives to school. Students can complete activities with their special person and share a morning tea or bake-sale. Go on a Treasure Hunt Years: Prep - 12 Students take part in a treasure hunt around the school buildings and grounds. Students follow a series of clues to find the treasure at the end. This activity can be linked with Grandparents & Special Friends Day; or, if the school has a buddy system, can be completed with buddies. Meditate with Friends and Family Years: Prep - 12 Students and their families can come in for an hour to experience a meditation session together as a family. There are many free guided meditation downloads available, and no experience is required. All activities can be coupled with a fundraising component, and all donations will contribute to our Refugee and Settlement Program. 6
Refugee and Settlement Resources School donations for Family Week 2016 will go towards CatholicCare s Refugee and Settlement Services. This program helps to equip newly arrived refugee and humanitarian entrants with the social and life skills necessary for successful integration and settlement in Australia. They are often vulnerable and may have mental health issues; they may be unemployed, have language barriers and be socially isolated. They come from countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan and Burma, and for the first five years of their arrival in Australia the program is able to offer a range of supports including homework support for school children, social support groups for adults, English conversation groups, information and orientation to Australian life, forums and intensive support for some individuals and families. We have included some extra resources to help teachers to explore the issues of settlement for newly-arrived refugees. 2015/2016 Fast Facts Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support 116 received Homework Support 135 people took part in Group Activities 407 people attended Information Sessions FAMILIES attended Community 651 Activities HOUSING 3 houses offering accommodation through Bridging Visa program 25 families involved with Green Patch 8 people placed in jobs through partnership with Cabrini Linen Service 325 people received Casework Support 7
Refugee and Settlement Resources Case study Peter s story In 1987, Peter became separated from his family during the Second Sudanese Civil War - when government troops and rebels systematically attacked villages in southern Sudan, killing many of the people who lived there. Peter bravely made a three month journey on foot as an unaccompanied minor to Ethiopia; one of around 20,000 orphaned or displaced children who became known as the Lost Boys of Sudan. He was just 9 years old. Peter lived in a refugee camp for a further 14 years; and it was there that he met his wife. One of Peter s cousins another Lost Boy who had since migrated to the United States sent him money so he could move to Nairobi where Peter was able to get a job as a translator for the United Nations. Peter speaks five languages! At 28 years old, Peter and his family came to Australia. He thought it would be easy to adjust to the new culture, but he found it difficult to find work. He enrolled in an English language course and after three months, he started working in a steel factory. Peter has struggled with culture barriers, in particular the different gender roles. Already language barriers are beginning to surface in the household and he laments that his children don t speak the mother tongue. He worries that the teen years will bring new challenges; anxious that new technology will serve to widen the divide between parents and their kids. Peter has participated in CatholicCare s African Dads and Kids Camp which provides an opportunity for dads to spend some quality time with their child, exploring ways to strengthen their relationship. peter worked as a translator for the United nations. he speaks five languages. 8
Refugee and Settlement Resources Case study Bibe s story My husband and our young family fled to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2000. The Taliban had taken my brother and life had become too dangerous for us to stay. I suffered a bad lifestyle in Pakistan and when my husband passed in 2007, life became even harder. I worked day and night cleaning houses and washing clothes by hand for rich families. I was paid peanuts and it was a horrible, horrible life for me and four young children - stuck all day in a 3x2 metre room with no babysitter; no books or games; no school; no fresh air and not much food. We were all suffering and desperately needed help. We had no right to free education, medical services or government assistance, and I couldn t afford to pay for private doctors or school for my children. I barely made enough money to buy food. After 13 years of this life in Pakistan, I was in chronic bad health and scared. My children were growing into teenagers, but they had no future. I had to look for somewhere better and in 2013, we were granted a visa to Australia. When we got to Australia, we had no place to call home and we were all struggling to learn English and fit into a new country. We didn t have enough money for bills and food. My son was being bullied at school. CatholicCare helped Bibe s family to find a house, connect basic utilities, and find furniture and blankets. CatholicCare also provided fresh food essentials through the local food bank and advocated on behalf of the family to the real estate agent and school. Before Australia, I worried for my children s mental health and future, but now they are so motivated. My children were enrolled in mainstream high school and for the first time in their life, they were sitting in a classroom and had smiles on their faces. They speak English, they enjoy school and having big open spaces, and they love to go out with their friends. I m so very grateful. I never believed a country like Australia existed. for the first time in their life, they were sitting in a classroom and had smiles on their faces. 9
Refugee and Settlement Resources Case study Tomasa s story Tomasa was born in Los Pozos, El Salvador. At the time, it was a small, lively village at the foot of a volcano. Tomasa s mother and father were poor people working the land on the coffee, sugar cane and cotton plantations. Although she has some happy memories of her childhood, it was far from peaceful. In the years leading up to the Salvadoran Civil War in 1980, there was much unrest. People were treated really badly, she said. Salaries weren t good. So people started organising and asking for better working conditions. That was not just happening in my village, it was happening across the country. Soon, soldiers began rounding up community leaders and suspected agitators. That s how everything started, Tomasa recalled. You had soldiers coming to the village looking for different people. My dad was one of those people. For years, Tomasa s father and older sister had to hide in the mountains at night. In 1981, on Tomasa s 14th birthday, there was a massacre in her village. We ran and hid, but the people that couldn t run or hide were killed. There were over 60 people killed on that day. We could see from the hills where they were killing people and where they were burning houses. And from that day, we never went back to our village. Tomasa spent the next three years, along with nearly 100 other villagers, hiding in the mountains. They kept on the move; the soldiers were never far behind. They travelled on foot, often for days at a time, with no rest. In winter they slept under sheets of plastic. After three years, Tomasa and her immediate family reached the refugee camp of San Antonio in Honduras. Miraculously, they had survived. But the whereabouts of her grandmothers, uncles and aunts were unknown. Tomasa spent 18 months in the refugee camp, but felt restless. From the refugee camps we could hear everything that was happening in El Salvador. We could hear the planes throwing bombs, we could hear the news on the radio; there was a need to go back. She was not yet 18 years old. Armed with nothing but a new pair of shoes, jeans and a backpack, she made her way to San Salvador, the nation s capital. Here, she joined CRIPDES, a social justice movement started two years earlier. She became one of the national leaders. We became the biggest organisation working for the rights of the internally displaced, for their human rights to be respected. Within a couple of years, in 1987, we started organising the repatriation of the refugees. 10
Refugee and Settlement Resources She spent 10 years with CRIPDES as a social activist and humanitarian and it was here that she met her husband and fellow activist, Roberto Morales. The war officially ended in 1992 but death threats, suspensions and disappearances continued. It was an unexplained road accident, killing several of Roberto s colleagues, that was the final straw. There was a point where my husband and I thought, We have to leave this is never going to end. We have to do something because we can t afford to leave our children orphans. Because my brother-in-law was living here, we decided to come to Australia. And believe me, it was not an easy decision. Australia seemed so far away from El Salvador But, you have to have hope. Tomasa s greatest fear about coming to Australia was the language barrier. The first thing I learned to say was two hours concession please, to buy my ticket. If the bus driver asked me anything else I wouldn t know what to say. Tomasa and Roberto managed not only to learn English, but to undertake further studies at TAFE, gain employment and raise their four children. (Extract from article published in Kairos Catholic Journal, 24/06/2014). Tomasa continues to help people displaced by war as the Manager of CatholicCare s Refugee and Settlement Program in the Eastern area. She brings to this role a depth of understanding and empathy gained through her own personal experience as a refugee. she joined a social justice movement. she became one of the national leaders. 11
Refugee and Settlement Resources Suggested Links: There are many excellent resources available online to help teachers and students explore the topic of refugees in Australia. Here are just a few: For a terrific snapshot of global trends of the forced displacement of people, download this: http://unhcr.org/556725e69.html Want to know how Australia compares to the rest of the world in relation to asylum seekers and refugees? Download this: http://www.asrc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/australia-vsthe-world_july-2015_m.pdf Want to better understand the settlement experience for young people? This factsheet from the Centre for Multicultural Youth is worth a read: http://www.cmy.net.au/sites/default/files/ publication-documents/young%20people%20and%20resettlement%202011.pdf This diagram by Crikey is a simple representation of the numbers of refugees arriving in Australia as a proportion of the population: http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/07/06/boat-people-this-iswhat-you-are-anxious-about/ And for more personal stories about the refugee experience, visit: http://www.refugeecouncil. org.au/fact-sheets/who-are-refugees/refugee-stories/ 12