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Imagine for a moment what it might be like to arrive in a foreign country, where you don’t speak the language or understand the culture, and try to start a new life. It’s a reality faced by many migrants and refugees.
Young refugee Parisa was born in Tehran, Iran. She and her family are Baha’i, Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority.
In Australia, we are fortunate to have the choice to practice a religion or not. Because of their faith, the Baha’i community in Iran face many human rights violations including imprisonment, violence and harassment, exclusion and economic pressures. Being Baha’i makes life difficult in Iran for education, work and even just for living.
Parisa’s family left Iran in search of a better life, migrating to Turkey and then on to Australia. She recalls how difficult it was for her family when they first arrived in Australia.
“It was a stressful time, but we were so excited and happy to have arrived in Australia.”
It certainly isn’t easy to start over so support services such as the Migrant Information Centre (Eastern Melbourne) play a vital role in a migrant’s journey to resettlement. Since 1999, the service has been assisting individuals, families and communities residing in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne to understand Australian life, integrate into a multicultural community and access services.
“Our family is connected to the Migrant Information Centre where we have support of a woman who helps us with any questions we have from learning how to adapt to a new culture, to finding swimming lessons.”
Parisa is studying English at Swinburne Wantirna and Health Services at Victoria University and hopes to become a nurse one day.
“Knox is one of the best parts of Melbourne. It’s nice, it’s quiet and it’s full of friendly people, friendly neighbours. I love this area.”
The City of Knox is proud to be a Refugee Welcome Zone and we promise to:
- welcome all refugees as part of the community
- uphold the human rights of all refugees
- show compassion for all refugees
- embrace all cultural and religious diversity
20 – 26 June 2021 marks Refugee Week, a time that we can all reflect on the challenges that refugees face in their journey and how we can help them to settle into their new life in Australia.
Actions as simple as a smile and a wave or having a friendly chat can make all the difference for refugees like Parisa.
#BeKind
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What's happening
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Events, activities and festivals
- Festivals and civic events
- A Very Aussie Christmas
- Brass Monkeys – School Holiday Feature Show
- Celtic Reflections Australia
- Come N Try Carers Exercise Class
- Crucial COVID conversations for businesses
- Help create an important piece of art
- Holding a community event
- Introduction to Mindfulness for Carers
- Jewellery making
- Jugg Life School Holiday Feature Show
- Money information for women - superannuation and insurance
- Money information for women – avoiding scams
- Money information for women – budgets and bills
- Money information for women – managing debt
- Money information for women – planning your future
- Movie day – Senior Movement
- Online Event: "Always a Work in Progress"
- Pavarotti — King of the High Cs Featuring David Rogers Smith
- Protecting your rights as you get older (online)
- Reducing your household waste workshop
- Reducing your household waste workshop
- Swinging on a Star – The Songs of Frank Sinatra and the ‘Golden Rat Pack’ Era
- The Amazing Travelling Comedy Tour
- The Beatles Show Presented by Rubber Soul
- The Songs of Judy Garland
- Tusk – The Storybook Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
- Virtual Carols by Candlelight
- Have Your Say
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News
- A facelift for some of our outdoor artworks
- Allergen training for food businesses
- Art installations at Stamford Park (and win a picnic!)
- Biodiversity Month
- Carols by Candlelight program announced
- Carols goes online
- Christmas and New Year's opening hours
- City Nature Challenge 2022
- Cr Susan Laukens elected Knox Mayor
- Feeling the pinch because of COVID?
- Fire Danger Period begins Monday 10 January
- Free money information sessions for women
- Get fed and vaccinated at the same time
- Good Food Good Mood
- Help create an important piece of art
- Help us tackle graffiti
- How are you...really?
- Knox Festival Twilight Program
- Knox Festival returns for 2022
- Last chance to nominate an everyday hero
- Learn about composting
- Learn how to get older without getting 'old'
- Look out for art in unexpected places!
- Lower your carbon footprint and reduce energy bills
- Mental health webinars for different groups in Knox
- New home for outdoor dining pod
- Only 4 weeks left to nominate a local hero
- Protecting our green areas and significant spaces
- Recycling right for National Recycling Week
- Revitalising Boronia
- Shout out for young voices
- Supporting carers in Knox
- Supporting our tradies
- Understanding controlling behaviour in relationships
- Working to reduce gambling harm
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Arts in Knox
- Community Art Projects
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Immerse
- About Immerse
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Artists and Installations
- Carla O'Brien – I AM HERE
- Carolyn Menzies – Carbon Cocoonery
- Clara Chan – Posthuman Convergence
- Fausto Gallego – Moving Forward
- Giordano Biondi – The Folds
- Gretel Taylor – Restless
- Hayden Dewar – Shelter
- Hsin Lin – Blossoms of Life
- Jack Tar & Co. – Atmosphere Absolute
- LUCIANO – Spinning Yarns
- Lynn Berry – Winter Garden
- Marc Savoia – Nothing Between Us
- Marc Savoia – Wunderkammer
- Marshall Arts Club - Glitch Garden
- Mikaela Stafford – SmokeScreen
- Molly Stephenson – Spaces of reflection between parts
- Natalie Wijeyeratne – Flagship I and Flagship II
- Nicholas Barker and Jessica Tanto – Please Take One
- Rebecca George – R > 1 Covid 19
- Rebecca Westlund – Acts of Hope
- Sara Catena – Shrine of the Sacred Self
- Simone Melville – Eden
- Simone Thomson – Wala Yapaneyeput, Water Together
- Sonia Zymantas – Involuntary Memories
- Soyoun Kim – ID Photo Poster
- Susannah Langley and Farnaz Dadfar with Warren Armstrong – VOID-ATRIUM
- Toshi Handa – Monument of Respect
- Wendy Yu – Acts of Holding Dance
- Wesley Dowling – Network
- Immerse 2021 highlights
- Knox art collection
- Public Art in Knox
- Major projects and initiatives
- Community groups and volunteering
- Explore Knox
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Event Calendar
- Advanced Care Planning – Upper Ferntree Gully
- Allergen training for food businesses webinar
- Armchair travel stories – Tasmania
- Backyard wildlife habitat box webinar
- Bayswater Christmas Makers Market
- Bayswater Makers Market
- Bayswater Makers Market
- Bayswater Makers Market
- Bayswater Makers Market
- Bayswater Makers Market
- Bayswater Makers Market
- Bayswater Makers Market
- Bayswater Makers Market
- Bayswater Makers Market
- Bright Ideas Network meeting
- Bright Ideas Network meeting
- Building Aboriginal cultural competency workshop
- Child Safe: Overview of the National Principles
- Committee Succession Planning: Attracting the Right Volunteers
- Community Events: Make It Happen!
- Dealing with feelings: for parents and caregivers of teenagers
- Disability Awareness and Engagement: Making your group or club more accessible
- Emerging and revisioning with a plan (workshop)
- Escape from Trash Mountain
- Fever -The Songs of Peggy Lee
- Game Boys Cinematic Universe
- Grant writing workshop
- Green cleaning workshop
- Guided bird watching
- Guided frog watching
- Guided fungi walk
- Gully Gardeners: Keeping Chickens with Ella from Chooktopia
- Habitat boxes for suburban wildlife workshop
- Hard to Reach Places by Anna Lumb
- Healthy Lunchboxes - A workshop for kids and parents
- Healthy Lunchboxes - A workshop for kids and parents
- Healthy Lunchboxes - A workshop for kids and parents
- Insect discovery walk
- Introduction to Mindfulness - short course
- It Might As Well Be Spring
- It's Time - The Australian Michael Bublé Show
- Keeping Chickens Workshop
- Love your clothes workshop
- Mindfulness and compassion
- Mindfulness and the body
- Mindfulness and the senses
- National Sorry Day ceremony
- Pension information session
- Pot-Pourri Presents Christmas on Broadway
- Preparing your garden for a bumper Spring harvest
- Reducing food waste workshop
- Reducing your household waste workshop
- Reducing your household waste workshop
- Reducing your household waste workshop
- Songs and stories by Kutcha Edwards
- Soup and Singing
- Sustainable scrumptious snacks
- Sustainable scrumptious snacks
- Sustainable scrumptious snacks
- Swinging on a Star with Kane Alexander
- The Alphabet of Awesome Science
- Tie Dye Workshop (school holiday workshop)
- Too Peas in a Podcast - Carers Event
- Knox eNews