Refugee Week is an annual celebration, informing the public about refugees and celebrating their contributions. Read on to discover how you can get involved this year.
It’s all happening at the Ballina Library during Refugee Week (June 19-25). The following programme will occur at the Ballina Library, River Street, at 10.00 am on Monday 20th June.
Speaker: Stanley Yeo, our acting President, will give a talk at the Ballina Library on Monday, 20th June at 10.00 am, entitled “Remembering Afghanistan”.
Poetry Competition Launch: After Stanley’s talk, our annual Seeking Asylum Poetry Competition will be launched. We hope to have Cr. Simon Chate officially open the competition, and we’ll have a couple of readings of previous winning poems or runners up.
Display: BR4R will have a display at Ballina Library to raise awareness about our activities, tell some refugee stories, and increase our membership.
Book donation: by BR4R to the Ballina library.
Morning Tea and light refreshments will be served.
Do come along to enjoy the morning with us, and reflect on the plight of refugees and how we can support them locally.
The 2022 BR4R Seeking Asylum Poetry Prize, sponsored by the independant journal, Social Alternatives, is now open.
Ballina Region for Refugees invites you to submit up to three poems to this year’s Seeking Asylum Poetry Prize. This year’s theme is ‘A Turning Point'.
The BR4R Seeking Asylum Poetry Prize celebrates the positive contributions that refugees make to our communities. It acknowledges the circumstances that forced them to flee their homelands and request refuge in Australia.
We welcome poems, from anyone in the community, that considers the experiences, aspirations and hopes of refugees and asylums seeking a home in which they can build new, meaningful and safe lives. Poems from refugees and asylum seekers themselves are especially welcome.
The 2022 BR4R Seeking Asylum Poetry Prize celebrates refugees and asylum seekers reaching significant turning points in their lives — from the moment they decided to flee their home, through the many turning points during their journey across a dangerous world until they become established in their new country, community and home. The Poetry Prize especially celebrates refugees and asylum seekers settling in a new community and renewing their lives after years of uncertainty.
You may send in up to three poems. Poems can be sent until the closing date of Sunday 14th August 2022. Entry is free and is open to anyone living in Australia.
Cash prizes will be awarded to first ($300), second ($150), and third ($50) place winners. Winning entries and selected runners-up will be published.
Further information and the entry form are available at https://br4r.org.au/poetry-comp/
Are you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…?
If so, you can help BR4R get its messages and information into the public domain by sharing posts as much as possible…..ie you will be increasing our reach. You could also ask your friends and family to share them.
Not on social media?
You might consider joining so that you can help BR4R by ‘following’ us – this too increases our reach and presence. You will also find other refugee support groups and see what they’re doing. There is some very interesting information out there – it’s not all about what the Kardashians had for breakfast!
