1. Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Genna Verbeek
Chair and National Representative

2. Introduce team
• Freya Langham – Global Health Officer, AMSA
• Nicole Lafontaine and Kristijan Jovanoski – Melbourne Uni Global Health
representatives
• Maja Christensen – Deakin Uni Global Health representative
• Rachael Purcell and Marianne Safe – founders and early establishment of
Crossing Borders
• Victoria Smith and Adam Peterson – Monash Gippsland Global Health
representatives
• Raamvi Vivek and Emma Martin – Ignite representatives
• Caroline Macindoe – Crossing Borders representative on ERASP board
• Sadid Khan – education coordinator
• Yara Abo – project coordinator
• Madhuni Herath – publications officer
• Caterina Mezzatesta – Coordinator ERASP

3. • Asylum seeker from Sri Lanka

4. Definitions
• Refugee?
• A refugee is a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of
a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country
of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling
to avail himself of the protection of that country...” (1951
Convention relating to the status of refugees)
• Asylum Seeker?
• A person who has left their country of origin, has sought refugee
status in another country, but has not yet been granted refugee
status and is awaiting a decision on their application.

9. Visas

10. Temporary Protection Visas
• Story of Patrick

11. Health Concerns

12. Mental Health Concerns

13. Crossing Borders
• Aims – Direct Assistance, Education and Advocacy
• Medical students able to assist in areas of need
particularly with social activities and health
education
• Links in Melbourne: ASRC, Edmund Rice Asylum
Seeker Centre (ERASP), Hotham Mission Asylum
Seeker Program, Refugee Health Network
(Dandenong Clinic), Professor Louise Newman
(psychiatrist)... And more

14. What was done in 2011
• Buddy system established at ERASP and
weekly lunch at the centre
• Detention centre visits commenced at
Maribyrnong and Broadmeadows centres
along with cricket/soccer and Harmony Day
celebrations at the centre
• Education sessions (as per following slide
show from Sadid!)

15. Crossing Borders
Direct Action
Advocacy
Education

16. Education is not the filling
of a pail, but the lighting of
a fire.
W B Yeats

17. Last Year’s Projects
• Crossing Borders orientation & overview of asylum
seeker process
• Monthly education sessions from experts in their
field.
– ASRC Health Clinic Doctor & ASRC Representative
• Dr Janet Bodycomb and Manita Ray
– Practical approach and insight into refugee health care
• Dr I-Hao Cheng & Dr Kelvin Lau
– Asylum Seeker Mental Health & Advocacy
• Prof Louise Newman & Sister Bridget
– National Project Launch
• Kon Karapangiotidis & a person story from an asylum seeker.

18. Aspirations for the Future
• Continue Monthly Education Events
– New speakers & Old speakers with new topics
• Refugee & Asylum Seeker Health Workshop
– Practical day long workshop on refugee/asylum seeker
healthcare.
• Introducing International Health Module into
university curricula
• Life skills tutorials for Asylum Seekers
– Pioneered from Griffith, tutorials given by students to
help with day to day living in Australia
• & hopefully much more

19. Help us light the fire

20. Plan for 2012
• 2 training days – education sessions in morning with
psych, medical and psychological trauma teams and
practical sessions in afternoon (eg. ID, mental
health, modules for Healthy Start program)
• Monthly education sessions for med students/movie nights
• Link with ERASP to continue – buddy programs and social
events
• Link with detention centres to continue – specifically to
organise social events at the centres
• Establish ‘Healthy Start’ program in Victoria – liaison
between Geelong, Central and Gippsland groups – link with
Dandenong Refugee Health Clinic

21. Griffith Uni’s plan
• Education sessions for newly arrived refugees, in collaboration with
Multicultural Development Association in QLD
• We would like to work with Victorian Refugee Health Network and
DIAC – have emailed, waiting for reply!
• Modules:
– 1 – General health care
– 2 – Nutrition and wellbeing
– 3a – Women’s health
– 3b – Men’s health
– 4 – Medication
– 5 – Patient’s rights and responsibilities
– 6 – Emergency
– 7 – Using the GP and hospital services

22. Roles available
• Representatives from Melbourne, Deakin, Monash, Biomed and Health
Science Society – feedback to their global health groups
• Volunteer coordinators – Recruitment of volunteers, answering
queries, matching buddies at ERASP
• Education coordinators – Organise two training days this year, plus a
couple of other education events for medical students
• “Healthy Start” coordinators – Set up Griffith uni program in
Victoria, including liaison with interpreter students for assistance
• Project coordinators – Organise programs and activities for asylum seekers
at drop-in centre and detention centre activity days
• Publicity-graphics coordinators – Advertising, emails, Facebook pages etc
• Embrace Education Coordinator – establish link with Embrace Education
and allow some of the asylum seekers and refugees we meet to have
English assistance
• Sponsorship coordinators – organise equipment and packs for refugees at
Healthy Start sessions, sponsorship for excursions at ERASP etc.

23. Application Process
• We will be electing the committee in the next fortnight
• If you are interested in joining the committee, please
submit an application answering the following questions:
1. Why are you interested in Crossing Borders?
2. Any previous experience with refugees/asylum seekers (not a
requirement!)
3. What can you bring to the role/which roles are of interest?
4. Any visions/ideas that you think would be important for
Crossing Borders this year
• Please send to glver2@student.monash.edu.au
• We will organise interviews based on the applications

24. Questions?