Football can mean so much more than kicking a ball around the field – for a young asylum seeker, it can provide hope and healing. Asylum Sneakers is a campaign established by Welcome to Australia that provides football boots to…

THE vast majority of refugees who arrived in Australia since 2012 say they feel welcomed in their new country, despite dealing with mental health and trauma problems following their arrival, new research shows. Read more: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/refugees-feel-welcome-despite-struggles/story-fn9hm1gu-1227003519007?sv=3acad9850f0c270f03c2794f73730be6#

Dozens of AMES students competed in half-time football games at Etihad Stadium last Sunday as part of the AFL’s Multicultural Round. The students played special 9-a-side games, designed to introduce new arrivals to Australia to footy. The games took place at…

THREE more asylum seekers are missing from community detention in South Australia, taking the number on the run in the past fortnight to 15, including five children. As revealed by The Australian a week ago, some of the missing children,…

The Victorian Auditor General’s Office says government services in the state are failing to keep up with the evolving needs of migrant and refugee demographics. Read more: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/06/25/services-failing-migrant-needs-vic-audit

Big increases in Australian government payments to asylum seekers who decide to return home simply allows ‘broader scope’ to help them out, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says. Settlement or return packages are tailored to individual circumstances and may involve the…

Most Australians are unaware of the challenges that face refugees who live in their communities. Refugee Week is a national activity that involves conversation, education, and engagement about what it means to be a refugee in Australian society. St Vincent…

A VICTORIAN-first program is making life a little easier for Burmese employees at a Kilsyth business. Read more: http://leader.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/showarticle.aspx?&article=c7233f9c-2ae2-4370-a1f9-4459b13d1199&viewmode=2&page=9

BALLARAT will be announced a Refugee Welcome Zone as the Town Hall hosts the Victorian launch of Refugee Week. Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council CEO and Refugee Week working committee convenor Ann Foley said Ballarat was a popular destination for young…

Melika Yassin Sheikh-Eldin is one of Australia’s great untold refugee success stories. After fleeing war from Eritrea in the late 1970s, she has completed a doctorate, set up refugee-centred social enterprises and helped thousands of new arrivals to Australia settle…

Increasing cultural diversity among workers in the residential aged care sector presents unique benefits and opportunities but also brings management challenges, according to a leading expert. Migrant workers now make up around 36 per cent of the residential aged care…

In Canberra the Australian Senate Inquiry into the Manus Island riots has heard disturbing evidence about conditions in the Australian government’s detention centre leading up to the events in which asylum seeker Reza Berati was killed. Read more: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/pacific-beat/manus-inquiry-hears-damning-testimony-of-detention-centre-conditions/1325564