As we join our fellow Australians and people from all over the world to celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees in our society and communities from 14-20 June this year, the Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia would like to use this as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to welcoming refugees and strengthening cultural and religious diversity in our community.

In as much as we miss our welcoming dinner events and other social activities to celebrate refuge week this year, MCCSA CEO Helena Kyriazopoulos said the Multicultural Communities Council of SA  will innovatively continue to build social cohesion and understanding of cultural differences through respectful collaboration with, between and beyond CALD communities.

She said we should all “throw our support behind our refugee communities and their families as they seek support to realise their potential and actively contribute to the economic, social and cultural life of South Australia.

Refugee Week should be an opportunity for us to recognise and reflect on the unique and resilient experiences of our refugee and asylum seekers. Despite the obstacles posed by COVID 19 we should all embrace the online welcoming initiatives and connect via the various available platforms to mark this special day”.

This year’s theme for refugee week is “Year of Welcome” and will be celebrated online and there are resources to help individuals and organisations plan activities to mark the week.

Lots of great ideas can be found at Refugee Council of Australia webpage.

Australia is a great country so let us make use of the strength in our diversity and embrace with open arms our refugee communities and their families in South Australia.

MCCSA would also like to thank all the volunteers in the refugee services sector and frontline responders keeping us safe as we slowly ease back to normalcy.