Refugee Activity

Australia’s Refugee Dilemma!

Imagine if....

The following is an example of an imaginary scenario that can be used to encourage students to think about what it means to be a refugee.

Imagine that your mother or father arrives home from work one day and tells you that the police are about to arrive to arrest the whole family, because of your family’s religious beliefs.  You are told to pack a small backpack and be ready in 2 minutes. A family friend drives you overland to Darwin where you climb aboard a yacht. Your parents hand over thousands of dollars in cash. Six weeks later the yacht leaves you on a Japanese beach.  Police arrive and take you to a detention centre which is prison and home to refugees like yourself from various parts of the world, all speaking different languages. Only a few other people speak English.  The guards, canteen staff, doctor etc. all speak Japanese.  Your parents tell you that they are applying for refugee status in Japan, which means you will be allowed to live in the country, go to school there and eventually get a job. 

1.       What would you pack in your backpack?

-Water bottle

-Blanket

-change of clothes (e.g. warm jumper)

-Pictures of family/friends to remember

2.      What would you miss most if you had to leave your home, your school, Australia?

-My house and personal space, freedom, my warm bed, Australian ways of life, the sun, the beach, friends, any family/relatives left behind, dancing, people that speak my language.

3.      What would be some of the problems of living in a detention centre in a foreign country?

-People would not be able to communicate with me and I would not be able to communicate with them.

-Not being familiar with anyone except your family and therefore feeling unsafe.

-The worry of being split up with your family.

4.      What would be the biggest challenges for you if you and your family were accepted as refugees?

-Learning a new language

-Adapting to new ways of life and a new community.

5.      Why is this ‘imagine’ story a very unlikely one?

-Because Australia is a fair and democratic governed country were any religious beliefs are allowed to be practiced without persecution.