Australian schools, parishes and youth groups are being encouraged to engage young people in the contentious debate around refugee and asylum seekers.
A coalition of Australian Christian development agencies is inviting schools to tackle the issue as part of Simply Sharing Week 2010, launched this week.
Simply Sharing Week encourages Australians to learn about and become involved in issues of social justice. Schools
and community groups will be provided with resources which will enable students to discuss the topic of refugee and asylum seekers in an informed and critical way.
This year Simply Sharing Week will be held from June 6-12 with resources arriving in schools and parishes this week.
The educational resource, See the real me, not just the refugee, includes real-life stories of refugees and provides age-relevant classroom activities and bible studies.
Development Education Officer for UnitingWorld, Ms Bronwyn Fraser, is confident that the Simply Sharing Week resources give students the necessary scaffolding to critically engage in the debate surrounding refugees and asylum seekers by tackling the language used.
“The language used by politicians and media outlets has had a big impact on the messages communicated. By addressing this language, the Simply Sharing week resource enables students to engage with the real issues involved”
“What is being left out of the current refugee and asylum seeker debate at present is the any focus on the real people, their stories and their journeys. The whole debate has been dehumanized, and by introducing real stories and real people, we are trying to enable students to connect with the people at core of the situation.
Click here to download educational resources for Simply Sharing Week 2010
Click here to make a donation to the UnitingWorld Young Ambassadors for Peace (YAP) Centre in Mae Sot, Burma, as featured in the Simply Sharing Week 2010 Resource Pack
Development Education Officer for UnitingWorld, Ms Bronwyn Fraser, is confident that the Simply Sharing Week resources give students the necessary scaffolding to critically engage in the debate surrounding refugees and asylum seekers by tackling the language used.
“The language used by politicians and media outlets has had a big impact on the messages communicated. By addressing this language, the Simply Sharing week resource enables students to engage with the real issues involved”
“What is being left out of the current refugee and asylum seeker debate at present is the any focus on the real people, their stories and their journeys. The whole debate has been dehumanized, and by introducing real stories and real people, we are trying to enable students to connect with the people at core of the situation.
