Rural Australians for Refugees National Conference

Rural Australians for Refugees’ 2022 Conference, Connecting for Change, hosted by the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group, is the biennial Conference for RAR groups, refugees and refugee advocates. (postponed from 2020).  The Conference is an opportunity for RAR groups to come together with refugees, refugee advocates and supporters, to build our movement for change and humanity.  There will be a mix of networking, inspirational speakers, lively panel discussions and breakout sessions.  These include:  Keynote speaker : Arif Hussein, Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) human rights lawyer Tamara Domicelj (Jesuit Refugee Service) in conversation with Angela Fredericks (#hometoBilo), Craig Foster (#GameOver), Muzafar Ali (Cisarua Learning, Indonesia) and Julie Macken (Justice and Peace Office, Sydney Archdiocese). on  How do we get traction in growing humanity and compassion in this country?  What have we learnt from our experiences?  Panel: Voices for Change – with Entisar Hamid ASRC Coordinator, Community Advocacy and Power Program, Tamara Domicelj, First Nation’s voice – Sharlene MacKenzie and Kathie Herbert (BMRSG). Panel:  Political Insiders  – hints on how to build alliances with politicians to advance our agenda Speakers: Susan Templeman, MP for Macquarie, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Shane Prince, Labor for Refugees  12 breakout sessions around themes of (1) people with lived experience (2) policy changes we want to see (3) RAR action, skills, connections and an open Café Conversations opportunity. Multicultural interfaith celebration with music Plenty of time for networking and building relationships which are core to our work.