Refugee Communities Advocacy Network: Our lives, our voices, our decisions

The Refugee Communities Advocacy Network (RCAN) is a group of refugee community members coming together to fill a void: the often unrecognised voice of people from a refugee background advocating on issues that matter most to... [ view full abstract ]

The Refugee Communities Advocacy Network (RCAN) is a group of refugee community members coming together to fill a void: the often unrecognised voice of people from a refugee background advocating on issues that matter most to them. Refugee community members have long voiced their frustration over their absence from key discussions and decisions in relation to the issues that impact their lives the most. RCAN supports community members to have the opportunities to rectify this deficit.
Initiated by the Refugee Council and supported by the Victorian State Government and the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), RCAN builds on the strength of refugee communities and supports them to amplify their voice at all levels of government and also with businesses, organisations and services.
Using a strengths-based approach, RCAN aims to support the recovery of people from a refugee background (including people still in the process of seeking protection) as they live and settle in Australia. As one RCAN members said, “refugee communities as a collective should not only be talked about, but talked with.”
Over 20 different refugee communities participate in RCAN and ongoing work contributes to a national body that has a stronger and more effective influence on key government policy decisions that affect refugee communities.

**NB: RCAN members and potentially a RCOA staff member would present if selected