Each year Refugee
Week is an opportunity to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees while celebrating how the contributions of those from refugee backgrounds help make our community richer.
The Greater Geelong region has been
recognised as a ‘Refugee Welcome Zone’ since 2002 and welcomes hundreds of
refugees every year as one of the primary settlement areas in Victoria for
humanitarian entrants. This year’s
theme, Healing, highlights the importance of learning from each other and drawing from our shared experiences to heal and move forward.
Every year, we celebrate World Refugee Day on June 20 and this year, Refugee Week runs from Sunday 19 June to Saturday 25 June 2022.
About Refugee Week
Ongoing conflicts in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, and most recently Ukraine have displaced many people from their homes. Some of them have resettled and found their new homes in Greater Geelong. To learn more about asylum seekers and refugees and ways to support them, please visit our asylum seekers and refugees page.
What is Mental Health?
A group of young people from culturally diverse backgrounds came together to tackle a challenging issue - what is mental health and how can we promote the availability of mental health services and supports to the diverse cultural groups in our region?
Under the guidance of artist Laura Alice, they created a short animated film featuring their artworks, words and voices. Translated into Arabic, Dari, Karen, Swahili and Tamil, the film received an Honourable Mention in the One-Reeler Short Film competition and has become a valuable resource for our region.
The project was a collaboration with Bluebird Foundation, Wellways, Western Victoria PHN, Cultura (formerly Diversitat) and the City of Greater Geelong.
What is Mental Health? (English) from Bluebird Foundation on Vimeo.
This video is also available in Arabic, Dari, Karen, Swahili and Tamil.
Please visit this page for more resources and information on how to support your mental health and wellbeing.
Community stories
To celebrate Refugee Week, the City of Greater Geelong talked to community members from refugee backgrounds about their experiences, what they think about this year's Refugee Week theme, and what they do to help their mental health and wellbeing.