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Asylum Seekers and Refugees

“The diversity across all the students in the Intensive English Centre was amazing to see and really opened my eyes to the range of people that experience the hardships that come with being a refugee or asylum seeker.”

These are the words of Year 10 student Shanice D’Silva who, along with students from the Santa Maria Seeds of Justice group, joined students from other schools at Aranmore Catholic College recently, where they met and participated in activities with students from the Intensive English Centre.

This excursion furthered our students’ exploration into the issue of asylum seekers and refugees upon arrival to Australia. They learned words from the students’ native language, played games and had a shared lunch where they conversed and learned more about each other’s lives.

 

Shanice said “Our visit to Aranmore College was an extremely enjoyable, and enlightening experience. Not only did we get to meet the friends we made from our conference last term, but we established new relationships with the Aranmore students in the Intensive English Centre.

“It was really interesting spending time with a group of students from another background, listening to their stories, and learning their languages. What I loved most, was seeing the pride they took in their culture, and language and how enthusiastic they were while teaching us. It made my experience learning their language so much more engaging, they were truly welcoming. We ended our excursion by sharing a meal with everyone, which was a lovely way to finish such an incredibly fun and inspiring day.”

Another of the Seeds of Justice members Ruby Farrell said “My favourite part of the excursion was reuniting with my friends from Aranmore and St Brigid’s. I also enjoyed making new friends with refugees and learning about their experiences. We were taught how to say hello in Burmese which is ‘Mingalaba’. I also learnt about the terrors that some refugees have to face when coming to Australia. The whole experience has helped me become more sympathetic towards refugees after learning about their personal experiences.”

What A Term! So Many Opportunities – Jennifer Oaten

As I look back on the past nine weeks, I am so grateful for who we are as a community and what we have achieved. Through the dedication of our staff and the enthusiasm of our students, we have established new connections, immersed ourselves in opportunities and worked through challenges.

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