Media Release – 21 July 2016
Cumberland Council’s powerful and interactive learning experience Refugee Camp in my
Neighbourhood will open in the grounds of the Auburn Centre for Community from Monday 1 August to Friday 12 August with family friendly tours and community event on Saturday 6 August 2016.
The project is a joint community education initiative of Cumberland Council and the Auburn community, and seeks to create a simulated refugee camp where refugee and asylum seeker communities can showcase their food, music and culture and interact with people who don’t usually have the opportunity to engage with refugees.
Refugee Camp in my Neighbourhood is an interactive exhibition. Developed in collaboration with more than 100 local community members from refugee and asylum seeker groups, the camp reflects the personal stories and images of Auburn’s diverse refugee community. Tour guides, who are themselves refugees or asylum seekers, will take participants on a journey through the camp, sharing their stories and experiences, and recounting the challenges and struggles they endured in order to find a safe place to live.
Cumberland Council General Manager, Malcolm Ryan, said that the Refugee Camp in my Neighbourhood was a powerful local initiative that provided an opportunity for the wider community to learn more about the refugee experience.
“The Refugee Camp offers a personal insight into the experiences of refugees, many of whom have fled war or persecution, and faced hardship and struggle in their search for safety and a better life,”
Mr Ryan said.
“Additionally, it emphasises the importance of providing a safe and welcoming environment for refugees, and creating a tolerant and inclusive community for everyone to enjoy.
“It also creates a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the contribution refugees make to our community, and meet the people from refugee communities who call our local government area home,” Mr Ryan said.
The project has had an overwhelming response in previous years and has won the following awards:
- 2014 Australian Multicultural Marketing Awards (Public Sector category).
- 2014 Zest Award for ‘Outstanding Project promoting Social Cohesion & Community Harmony’
- 2015 Zest Award for ‘Exceptional Community Partnership Project in a Local Government Area’
- 2015 NSW Local Government Award for ‘Excellence in Diversity’
Refugee Camp in my Neighbourhood is a free event and will run from Monday 1 August to Friday 12 August, with school tours available every day. Tours for the general public are available on Saturday, 6 August from 10am to 2pm. The camp is located at the Auburn Centre for Community, 44A Macquarie Road, Auburn – just a 5 minute walk from Auburn Station. Street parking is also available.
Watch the video from last year
