Harper Sercombe
Whittlesea council is celebrating refugee week from June 18 to 24.
This year’s theme is ‘finding freedom,’ the council is hosting a variety of events to celebrate the local refugee community, foster togetherness and raise awareness about the challenges refugees face.
Chair administrator Lydia Wilson said it is important to recognise and appreciate the ways in which people from refugee backgrounds enrich the area, and to understand the hardships and hurdles they face.
“Whittlesea promotes respect for the cultural diversity that refugees and migrants bring to our municipality and is proud of the positive contributions made by people who have come to our area from countries far and wide,” she said.
“Refugee week is a great opportunity for us to unite individuals, communities and organisations from different backgrounds and to focus on creating a welcoming environment for refugees in our community.”
Throughout the week, council will host various events to celebrate the cultures and diversity brought by residents from overseas.
The free events will honour and showcase the stories and experiences of the refugee community and people seeking asylum.
Both Hume and Whittlesea councils are currently piloting a state government funded program to help refugees and people seeking asylum receive free catch-up immunisations.
Since the program commenced, Whittlesea has established referral pathways and supported over 7600 refugees with their catch-up immunisations.
Details: www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/refugee-week.
