by Meredith Edwards, Co-Chair of Wayville Circle
All people involved in Circle of Friends Australia know that there are highs and lows, successes and challenges when working with and supporting individuals and families from refugee backgrounds. That is the experience of the members of Wayville Circle, whose members have long-standing relationships with refugees and people seeking asylum.
There have been many recent high points in longstanding friendships. Many members have attended citizenship ceremonies and graduations to celebrate dreams coming true. Our fundraising to continue financial support has been successful and we thank the regular donors who also assist us in supporting families with medical expenses and utilities bills when employment is insecure and sporadic.
Thanks to the incredible partnership with Mercy Links young adults, our Circle is able to offer family days and school holiday events. Mercy Links members provide active support for the activities and ongoing friendship with the younger children and adolescents at Bounce and Aquatics Centres. This allows the members of the Circle to spend time with parents and other adults, sharing coffee and food and stories, that deepen relationships. Our Circle and Mercy Links also promote Justice for Refugees SA’s Sanctuary Runners events, which aims at encouraging refugees and migrants to have a sense of belonging through Saturday morning parkruns wearing distinctive T-shirts funded by the Refugee Council of Australia.
Relationships are not just based on entertaining activities. Our members have supported individuals and families in times of crisis such as settling into a new country, family difficulties and dealing with the emotional trauma of knowing that family and friends in countries such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, Iran and Lebanon are suffering during times of conflict.
In our regular reviews, the need to support the mental health of the people we work with, and the need to attend to our own well-being, is highlighted. To this end, we engaged the services of Red Cross in a mental health and wellbeing training session which was informative and interactive, focusing on signs of mental health in ourselves and those we support. Additionally, we have a follow-up session planned with other specialists in this field who are closely linked to our Circle, along with regular catchups between meetings.
We also thank the generosity of the Wayville Effective Living Centre in allowing us to meet in their well-located premises.