Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Genna VerbeekChair and National Representative

Introduce team• Freya Langham – Global Health Officer, AMSA• Nicole Lafontaine and Kristijan Jovanoski – Melbourne Uni Global Health

representatives• Maja Christensen – Deakin Uni Global Health representative• Rachael Purcell and Marianne Safe – founders and early establishment of

Crossing Borders• Victoria Smith and Adam Peterson – Monash Gippsland Global Health

representatives• Raamvi Vivek and Emma Martin – Ignite representatives• Caroline Macindoe – Crossing Borders representative on ERASP board• Sadid Khan – education coordinator • Yara Abo – project coordinator• Madhuni Herath – publications officer• Caterina Mezzatesta – Coordinator ERASP

• Asylum seeker from Sri Lanka

Definitions• Refugee?

• A refugee is a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country...” (1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees)

• Asylum Seeker?

• A person who has left their country of origin, has sought refugee status in another country, but has not yet been granted refugee status and is awaiting a decision on their application.

Visas

Temporary Protection Visas

• Story of Patrick

Health Concerns

Mental Health Concerns

Crossing Borders

• Aims – Direct Assistance, Education and Advocacy• Medical students able to assist in areas of need

particularly with social activities and health education

• Links in Melbourne: ASRC, Edmund Rice Asylum Seeker Centre (ERASP), Hotham Mission Asylum Seeker Program, Refugee Health Network (Dandenong Clinic), Professor Louise Newman (psychiatrist)... And more

What was done in 2011

• Buddy system established at ERASP and weekly lunch at the centre

• Detention centre visits commenced at Maribyrnong and Broadmeadows centres along with cricket/soccer and Harmony Day celebrations at the centre

• Education sessions (as per following slide show from Sadid!)

Crossing BordersDirect Action

AdvocacyEducation

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

W B Yeats

Last Year’s Projects• Crossing Borders orientation & overview of asylum

seeker process• Monthly education sessions from experts in their

field.– ASRC Health Clinic Doctor & ASRC Representative

• Dr Janet Bodycomb and Manita Ray

– Practical approach and insight into refugee health care• Dr I-Hao Cheng & Dr Kelvin Lau

– Asylum Seeker Mental Health & Advocacy• Prof Louise Newman & Sister Bridget

– National Project Launch• Kon Karapangiotidis & a person story from an asylum seeker.

Aspirations for the Future• Continue Monthly Education Events– New speakers & Old speakers with new topics

• Refugee & Asylum Seeker Health Workshop– Practical day long workshop on refugee/asylum seeker

healthcare.• Introducing International Health Module into

university curricula• Life skills tutorials for Asylum Seekers – Pioneered from Griffith, tutorials given by students to

help with day to day living in Australia• & hopefully much more

Help us light the fire

Plan for 2012

• 2 training days – education sessions in morning with psych, medical and psychological trauma teams and practical sessions in afternoon (eg. ID, mental health, modules for Healthy Start program)

• Monthly education sessions for med students/movie nights• Link with ERASP to continue – buddy programs and social

events• Link with detention centres to continue – specifically to

organise social events at the centres• Establish ‘Healthy Start’ program in Victoria – liaison between

Geelong, Central and Gippsland groups – link with Dandenong Refugee Health Clinic

Griffith Uni’s plan• Education sessions for newly arrived refugees, in collaboration with

Multicultural Development Association in QLD• We would like to work with Victorian Refugee Health Network and

DIAC – have emailed, waiting for reply!• Modules:

– 1 – General health care– 2 – Nutrition and wellbeing– 3a – Women’s health– 3b – Men’s health– 4 – Medication – 5 – Patient’s rights and responsibilities– 6 – Emergency – 7 – Using the GP and hospital services

Roles available• Representatives from Melbourne, Deakin, Monash, Biomed and Health Science

Society – feedback to their global health groups• Volunteer coordinators – Recruitment of volunteers, answering queries, matching

buddies at ERASP• Education coordinators – Organise two training days this year, plus a couple of

other education events for medical students• “Healthy Start” coordinators – Set up Griffith uni program in Victoria, including

liaison with interpreter students for assistance• Project coordinators – Organise programs and activities for asylum seekers at drop-

in centre and detention centre activity days• Publicity-graphics coordinators – Advertising, emails, Facebook pages etc• Embrace Education Coordinator – establish link with Embrace Education and allow

some of the asylum seekers and refugees we meet to have English assistance• Sponsorship coordinators – organise equipment and packs for refugees at Healthy

Start sessions, sponsorship for excursions at ERASP etc.

Application Process

• We will be electing the committee in the next fortnight• If you are interested in joining the committee, please

submit an application answering the following questions:1. Why are you interested in Crossing Borders?2. Any previous experience with refugees/asylum seekers (not

a requirement!)3. What can you bring to the role/which roles are of interest?4. Any visions/ideas that you think would be important for

Crossing Borders this year• Please send to glver2@student.monash.edu.au • We will organise interviews based on the applications

Questions?