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Swamped by Refugees

Definition of RefugeeTheme: Migration and refugees
Key Learning Area: English - Mathematics - Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE) - Technology
Age Group: Primary Upper (10-12) - Secondary Lower (13-14) - Secondary Middle (15-16) Resource Type: Graphs and charts Stimulus Name: Worksheet: Refugees

Outcomes

Students gather information from fact sheets and the internet to begin to understand issues relating to refugees.

Introduction

Worksheets may be downloaded or students may work individually on computers. As well as teacher directed activities students may link to the many sites suggested by the Refugee Council of Australia to further access relevant information.

Worksheets to download
Refugees Work Sheet (rtf File)
Who is a refugee? (RCOA) Fact Sheet (rtf File)

Suggested Activities

Download

  1. Work sheet: Refugees
  2. Who is a refugee? RCOA Fact Sheet #2:
    • Turn the 1998-1999 figures for settler arrivals under the Humanitarian Program into a simple pie or bar graph.
    • Brainstorm a definition of a refugee. Discuss.
    • Read the RCOA Fact sheet #2 Who is a refugee?
    • Brainstorm and discuss the range of situations which turn citizens of one country into refugees of another.
    • Using the fact sheet provided identify on a world map the countries from which Australia has accepted refugees.
    • Have the students discuss these figures in terms of Australia's total population.
    • Use the figures provided by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to look at the question:
      "Is Australia being swamped by refugees?"
Additional Strategies

Further netsearch the situations which have led to refugees coming to Australia and give an oral or written presentation.

Related Resources

The Refugee Council of Australia has links to many other useful organisations
UNHCR and Austcare, Kit, 1991 Refugee Children Around the World Longman Chesire (Upper primary)
Fact sheet Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Boat people and other unlawful non-citizens fact sheet in Racism. No way! Boat People
Refugees and illegal immigrants edited by Justin Healey. Spinney, 2000 (Issues in society 128)


Relevant websites to visit
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs- Immigration, The Facts-Information Kit
Refugee Council of Australia
UNHCR & REFUGEES
UNHCR Gallery of Prominent Refugees
Edmund Rice Centre,Australian Catholic University


Date: 12 October 2000