Note: This media release was written by the Flinders Year 6 student media team working on 'The Refugee Journey' i-Impact project. The students managed to fundraise $2,919.64 from the film event to support refugee families.
Year 6 students in the Primary School at Matthew Flinders Anglican College on the Sunshine Coast are proudly presenting The Refugee Journey - a fundraiser film and afternoon tea event from 3pm to 5pm on Monday, 22 November 2021.
The public ticketed event will be held at the College’s Performance Centre and begins at 3pm with an afternoon tea, followed by a screening of award-winning documentary The Staging Post from 3:30pm - 5pm.
Event tickets cost $10 with all money raised going to help support refugee families through the Sunshine Coast Buddies Refugee Program as well as the Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre in Indonesia.
The amazing documentary about friendship, connection and the power of a borderless community was created by filmmaker Jolyon Hoff to tell the story of refugees living in Indonesia who are waiting to go to a safe country such as Australia, America and New Zealand.
The Flinders students watched the film as part of their i-Impact design thinking curriculum which enabled the students to go on a journey of discovery, empathy and understanding of the ever-changing situation faced by refugees in our modern world.
The film inspired the students to make connections with the local Buddies Refugee support group and to reach out online as digital penpals to students from Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre, located near Jakarta.
Students were also fortunate to hear from special guests Kamero, Ali and Tanya who are Learn English program students with the Buddies Refugee Support Group, and to meet film director Jolyon and photographer and Afghan refugee Muzafar to ask questions about the documentary.
The students wanted to find a way to help refugee families, and so they organised the film screening event to help educate audiences and raise awareness and funds.
Flinders Head of Primary, Mrs Trudi Edwards said, “This event provides our students with a real-world issue to support, which helps motivate them to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
“They learn not just knowledge and skills, in particular design thinking, but also habits of empathy, justice and compassion in order to contribute to the world as ethical and informed citizens,” Mrs Edwards said.
Flinders Teacher and Year 6 Co-ordinator, Mrs Katie Dawson said, “The film screening event is a chance for the students to bring together all of their amazing ideas on how to make a difference to the lives of refugees”.
Students also created artworks, poems, songs, movies and games in class, in an effort to explore and share their growing knowledge about and empathy for refugees.
Jolyon Hoff is a clever director and producer who won the ‘Highly Commended - Best Stand-Alone Documentary’ by the Australian Directors Guild for The Staging Post. The film was one of the highest grossing Australian documentaries in 2018.
Please note: To ensure the audience members are able to understand the documentary’s themes, the event is recommended for ages 10 years and above. The film is G-rated with “mild themes”.
EVENT DETAILS:
Who: Matthew Flinders Anglican College Year 6 students, teachers & special guests
What: A movie screening of The Staging Post + afternoon tea
When: Monday, 22 November 2021. Afternoon tea at 3:00pm. Documentary screening from 3:30pm to 5:00pm
Where: Flinders Performance Centre, Stringybark Road, Buderim (Theatre for movie, foyer area for refreshments)
Why: Fundraising for refugee charity Sunshine Coast Buddies Refugee Support Group and the Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre in Indonesia
Tickets: $10 per person. Book via https://www.trybooking.com/BVPPW
Please note: Bookings are essential for catering purposes and COVID-safety regulations.
For media queries, please contact Ms Alison Walburn, Director of Community Engagement, Matthew Flinders Anglican College at 5477 3200 or
community@mfac.edu.au
