A group made up of VCAL and VCE Sociology students had an insightful, and sometimes confronting, experience this afternoon when they attended a session titled Pathways to Protection, presented by Australian Red Cross.
Maddie Gange and Taj Aldeeb from the Migration Support Program team gave students an overview of human rights law, asylum seekers and refugees, before leading them through a challenging role play that required them to walk in the shoes of someone seeking asylum.
Students were thrust into a life or death situation that required them to make snap decisions about whether they would flee or stay—what they would take with them—would they go to a refugee camp or risk a journey by boat…
They then had a first-hand account from Taj of her own experiences as a Syrian refugee and were able to ask questions about seeking safety and the challenges faced in settlement.
A huge thank you to Maddie and Taj for such an honest and eye-opening session, and for the other sessions they’re presenting over two days at the college.
