Refugee Week 2023

Refugee Week (June 18-24) is a global celebration of the many ways people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds enrich our communities and culture. The week includes World Refugee Day (June 20) which aims to raise awareness about the refugee experience and its challenges.

This year’s theme: Finding Freedom

Every year a new theme is set to raise awareness about the many issues affecting refugees and to promote harmony and togetherness. This year’s theme is about finding freedom – about living without the fear of war, for one’s basic human rights to be respected, to live in a world of equality. Freedom is also about the journey to finding a new home, a new career, finding love and friendships.

So let us celebrate together the rich cultures of our refugee communities through theatre, music, dance, film, food and of course, books!

Library Picks

At Wollongong City Libraries we have many books and resources about the refugee experience. Check them out!

Here are some quizzes, maps and simulations to learn more about the refugee experience.

Refugee Week Quiz

Test how much you know about people of refugee backgrounds.

Outfits from Around the World: Matching Game

This is a card matching game to learn about different traditional clothes from around the world.

The Refugee Project: Interactive World Map

Click on the world map to learn about the different refugee situations from around the globe. This map was created by Hyperakt and Ekene Ijeoma using 50 years of refugee migration data from UNHCR, their complete digital archive of published refugee stories and original photography.

Brothers Across Borders

Recommended for high schoolers, contains mature themes.

An interactive simulation and movie showing the refugee experience. This was developed by the Danish Red Cross along with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and 14 other National Societies that aid Syrian refugees.