The Organisation exists to see refugees thriving in Australia by providing several different programs currently run in Toowoomba Queensland.
One of those programs is a quarterly run event, Picnic in the Park where the most recently arrived (arrived within the last 3 months) refugee families are invited to attend the event. The picnic then is also opened up to the general public to come along. SBS Kurdish spoke to Tim Buxton, Founding Director of You Belong.
Tim Buxton, You Belong Founder and Rachael Carter Team Leader,Toowoomba Source: You Belong
The purpose of organising the picnic is to welcome the new comers to Australia and introduce them to the community.
“The welcome picnic is primarily to welcome families who have just moved to Australia within the last few months. To celebrate them, to invite members of the community here and to give them a warm Australian welcome.”
The most recently arrived refugees are Kurdish Yazidi families. Throughout the picnic You Belong leaders coordinate activities that encourage team work, communication and exchange of cultural differences.
Source: You Belong
Refugee children at You Belong picnic Source: You Belong
“Kurdish music is played at the picnic; a spread of Kurdish cuisine as well as good old Australian BBQ is supplied. It’s a way of us welcoming them and hoping that they’ll feel loved by the community.”
Language support is provided throughout the picnic to make communication easier for the first meeting between families. Language support groups are provided in the first instance to help both refugee families and the general public to communicate and form a friendship beyond the day of the picnic.
Source: You Belong
“Of course language is a barrier sometimes but we’ve managed to get some translators to help us during the event”.
Aside from organising picnics for refugees You Belong provides programs such as English classes and a trauma recovery support programs. Educating refugees through psycho-social programs that promote mental, emotional, social and spiritual health and equips refugees towards an independent living through skills training, vocational workshops and job creation.
“We have actually just started an English program for them, we also have a program called the trauma recovery program, it’s a group facilitated program. It’s actually facilitated by refugees themselves.”
Source: You Belong
Source: You Belong
“We train them up and go through a course called “Grow”; it just helps them to deal with some of the effects of trauma they have been through. It is not a counselling program it’s a group support course helps them look forward to the future.”
In the last couple of years a number of Kurdish Yazidi, Iraqi and Syrian refugees have arrived in Toowoomba but in the last few months most of the refugees are mostly Yazidis.
Source: You Belong
“I would say about 40 families have arrived in the last few months and I would say 90% of them are Kurdish speaking Yazidis, some from Iraq and others from Syria. So it is a quiet large number that are still flowing into Toowoomba.”
“I think in the last year Toowoomba has resettled a large number of Yazidis than New Zealand as a whole country, so it is quite impressive in that regard”.
Musician Simo Korg has been in Australia for one year. He has resettled in Toowoomba, Queensland. Simo is passionate about many aspects of musical art and likes to perform at special occasions.
Source: You Belong
Simo Korg attended the picnic and volunteered to perform for the refugees.
As well as speaking to Simo we spoke to recently arrived refugees, Emad Alyas, Hemida Hadya and Weleed Omer. They all thanked You Belong, the Australian people and the Australian government for resettling them in Australia.
