A STUDY GUIDE BY KATY MARRINER

http://www.metromagazine.com.au

ISBN: 978-1-74295-942-9 http://theeducationshop.com.au

© ATOM 2016

» HOW I BECAME A REFUGEE

How I Became a Refugee, a documentary directed by Dr Marilyn Metta and Christine Gosfield recounts the extraordinary journey of a Burmese Chin refugee family. The Ni Chin family was forced to flee Burma because of persecution by the military government. After a harrowing journey from Burma to Malaysia, the Ni Chin family was resettled in Perth, Western Australia in 2006. Their story is one of many refugee stories that have been silenced.

» SYNOPSISThe Ni Chin family is from the Burmese Chin State, which

sits on the mountainous ranges in western Burma. Their

lives in Burma were happy, until persecution by the military

government at the turn of the 21st century forced Khen

Cung and his wife Moe and children Delia, Rubi and James

to flee to seek asylum in Malaysia. The journeys that the Ni Chin family embarked on would leave scars so deep that they had to be hidden away for many years. During their

stay in Malaysia the Ni Chin family were stateless. Having

been granted refugee status, the Ni Chin family travelled

by plane to Australia. While resettlement in suburban

Perth, Western Australia has brought challenges, the family

is grateful for the advantages of life in their new home.

THE NI CHIN FAMILY

Mother: Moe Ni Chin

Father: Khen Cung Ni Chin

Eldest daughter: Delia Ni Chin

Middle daughter: Rubi Ni Chin

Youngest son: James Ni Chin

CONTENT HYPERLINKS

p3 CURRICULUM LINKS p4 DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT p5 GLOSSARY p5 GETTING STARTED

p5 DISCUSSIONS p16 EXTENDED RESPONSES p16 LINKS p17 KEY CREATIVES p17 CREDITS

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» CURRICULUM LINKSHow I Became a Refugee is an educational and aware-

ness raising project to provide a better understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by displaced people

who are forced to leave their homes. The central message

of the documentary is that becoming a refugee is not a

choice.

How I Became a Refugee provides opportunities for stu-

dents to discuss:

o the human rights issues faced by many asylum seekers and refugees like the Burmese Chin people;

o the extraordinary courage, hope, dignity and resilience

of asylum seekers and refugees in the face of profound hardships;

o the value of the contributions of refugees to Australian

society.

This study guide to accompany How I Became a Refugee has been written for secondary students at all year levels.

It provides information and suggestions for learning activi-

ties in Civics and Citizenship, English, Geography, Global

Politics, History, Media, Religion and curriculum projects discussing the issue of asylum seekers and refugees. How I Became a Refugee can also be used as a resource to ad-

dress the Australian Curriculum general capabilities Ethical

Understanding and Intercultural Understanding and the

cross curriculum priority Asia and Australia’s engagement

with Asia. Teachers are advised to consult the Australian

Curriculum online at http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.

au/ and curriculum outlines relevant to their state or terri-

tory for further information.

The study guide is structured as a series of discussions

about the Ni Chin family and the issues raised by the fam-

ily’s story. Teachers may select from the information and

activities to support students’ viewing and close analysis

of the documentary. Teachers are also encouraged to use

the documentary as a resource during Refugee Week. For further information visit Refugee Week online at http://

www.refugeeweek.org.au/.

KEY KNOWLEDGE

This knowledge includes an understanding of:

• the text including events, characters, settings,

ideas, issues and themes;• the ways filmmakers create meaning and build

the world of the text;• the political, social and cultural forces that shape

our world;• contemporary global issues and how people can

participate as active and informed global citizens;• the notion of a common humanity, in which there

are shared responsibilities and rights that tran-

scend national boundaries.

KEY SKILLS

These skills include the ability to:

• identify, explain and analyse events, characters,

settings, ideas, issues and themes presented in

texts;• identify, explain and analyse how texts are cre-

ated in and for different contexts, audiences and

purposes, and the choices made by filmmakers to meet these;

• research, organise and analyse information and

evidence to identify key points, points of view, perceptions and interpretations;

• present findings in appropriate forms for different audiences and purposes.

How I Became a

Refugee has a run time of 33

minutes.

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» DIRECTORS’ STATEMENTThis film is a tribute to the Ni Chin family who inspired so many people and us with their extraordinary courage, dignity and resilience, and their bravery in sharing their personal stories to raise awareness of the plight of so many displaced people.

Our hope is for this film and the study guide to engage students across Australia in conversation and dialogue that facilitate empathy and better understanding about young people from refugee backgrounds, and to remind us of our common humanity in spite of our differences. What drives us is simple – the belief that the right to feel safe and the right to education is a fundamental human right for every child, especially stateless children. This film is our way of promoting this fundamental human right.

We made this film on a tiny budget and with mainly two crew members (Marilyn and Chris), but with enormous amounts of passion and faith. This was simply a story we have to tell.

Since it’s launch, the documentary film has been successfully screened internationally in Singapore, Toronto, New Zealand and Japan, with various screenings nationally in Western Australia and New South Wales. The film has been very well received and has generated much interest and many engaging conversations. We had made the film with young people in mind and we are simply delighted that the film is going into schools across Australia and we invite all students to share their thoughts, passions and stories with us and to continue the conversations in your classrooms and living rooms.

Students are welcome to contact us at admin@mettamorphosis.org.au. We welcome your questions and feedback.Marilyn Metta & Chris Gosfield

Mettamorphosis Inc.

How I Became a Refugee is produced in collaboration with Mettamorphosis Inc., a not-for-

profit organisation that supports the educational needs of displaced children. Established in 2013, Mettamorphosis supports the needs of Chin children

living in Malaysia as asylum seekers and refugees by providing resources for

three Chin schools.Visit Mettamorphosis online

at www.mettamorphosis.org.au.

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» DISCUSSIONS

1 Home

How I Became a Refugee begins in Perth. The Ni Chin

family gathers on the foreshore on a beautiful autumn

morning.

• How does the opening segment portray the Ni Chin

family?

The Ni Chin family arrived in Australia in 2006 from Burma

(now known as Myanmar) via Malaysia.

Burma is a Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 ethnic

groups, bordering India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and

Thailand. The BBC News website offers an informative and

up-to-date profile of Myanmar at http://www.bbc.com/

news/world-asia-pacific-12990563.

• Locate Burma on a map of the world.

The Ni Chin family lived in the Chin State. Located in the

remote mountain ranges of north western Burma, Chin

State is home to the ethnic Chin. The Burmese Chins are

traditional tribal people who cultivate the mountainous

lands for farming.

• The name Burma continues to be used in English by the governments of many countries such as Australia,

Canada and the United Kingdom. Most English-

speaking international news media officially refer to the country by the name Myanmar. The change has been recognised by the United Nations. The two words

mean the same thing and one is derived from the other.

Burmah, as it was spelt in the 19th Century, is a local

variation of the word Myanmar.

When and why did Burma become Myanmar?

Use the Internet to investigate the politics associated

» GLOSSARYTeachers may choose to provide students with a glossary

of key terms or ask students to use print and electronic texts to determine the definitions. Students may decide to add other terms and the definitions of these terms to the list after viewing How I Became a Refugee.

» Asylum: Shelter or protection from danger; the protec-

tion granted by a state to someone who has left their home country as a political refugee.

» Asylum seeker: An asylum seeker is a person who has left their country of origin, has applied for recognition

as a refugee in another country, and is awaiting a deci-

sion on their application.

» Displaced: A displaced person is a person who has been forced to leave his or her home or place of ha-

bitual residence.

» Human right: a basic, universal freedom or entitlement inherent to all human beings.

» Persecution: Hostility and ill-treatment, espe-

cially because of race or political or religious beliefs; oppression.

» Refugee: A refugee is a person who ‘owing to a well-

founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race,

religion, nationality, membership of a particular social

group, or political opinion, is outside the country of

his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear,

is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that

country.’ – Article 1, The 1951 Convention Relating to

the Status of Refugees

» Stateless: A stateless person is someone who is not considered as a national by any state under the opera-

tion of its law.

» GETTING STARTED• Allow students to share their personal responses

to How I Became a Refugee and the experiences

of the Ni Chin family. Teachers may also choose

to compile a list of questions that students have

about the documentary. These questions can then

be used to initiate a class discussion about the

documentary.

• How has How I Became a Refugee affected your

attitude to asylum seekers and refugees?• Match the following ten nouns with a moment from

or a claim made during How I Became a Refugee:

Challenge

ConflictDespair

Determination

Exclusion

Freedom

FearHope

Persecution

Resilience

RiskVulnerability

• What will be achieved by telling the story of the Ni

Chin family?

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with the names Burma and Myanmar. Drawing on your

research, decide whether or not there is a reason to

preference one name over the other.

Like most asylum seekers and refugees, the idea of leaving their homeland was far from the minds of the Ni Chin fam-

ily. Khen Cung Ni Chin, trained as a physicist at university

in Mandalay, where he met his wife Moe who was studying

to be a nurse. They married and began a family in the early

1990s. In How I became a Refugee, Khen Cung acknowl-edges his belief that he would make a future for himself and his family in his Chin homeland,

‘I never thought or dreamed about leaving my village to go

to overseas. I thought I will settle my life happily in my own

town.’

In How I Became a Refugee, Rubi and James share their

childhood memories of Burma:

Rubi: I had a good childhood. We would play in the mud.

We would play hide-and-seek.

James: I was just a little kid, enjoying life in Burma, playing around with my sister and siblings and then going out just to the neighbours…going to ponds and fishing.

• What place do you call home?

Why are you attached to the place you call home?

How has living in this place shaped your sense of iden-

tity and belonging?

What do Khen Cung, Rubi and James’ statements

reveal about their sense of Burma as home?

2 Human Rights

• What is a right?

• What rights do you have because you live in Australia?

• What are human rights?

• Do you think human rights important? Why?• Who has the responsibility to respect and protect hu-

man rights?

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted

by representatives with different legal and cultural back-

grounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was

proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in

Paris on December 10, 1948. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. 

Students can download a copy of the UDHR online at

http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

index.html.

• Why is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

important?

• Having viewed How I Became a Refugee, use the UDHR

to list examples of the abuse and violation of human

rights that the Ni Chin family experienced during their

time in Burma and when they were seeking asylum.

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3 Persecution

A British colony for more than a century, Burma declared

independence in 1948. Representative democracy lasted

until the military coup of 1962, led by General Ne Win. His

party established a ruling council whose members were al-

most entirely drawn from the armed forces and held power

for the next twenty-six years. 

• Drawing on print and electronic texts, compile an il-

lustrated timeline of Burma’s political history.

Based on your reading and research, compile a paral-

lel timeline that depicts the history of human rights in

Burma.

• Who is Aung San Suu Kyi? What role has she played in

challenging violations of human rights in Burma?

The rule of General Ne Win beginning in 1962 saw Burma

become one of the poorest countries in the world. Protests

against the military government were always brutally

suppressed. In 1988, the resentment of military rule,

ongoing police brutality, economic mismanagement and

corruption within the government lead to pro-democracy

demonstrations.

• Archival images of the 8888 Uprising feature in How I Became a Refugee.

Use the Internet to research the 8888 Uprising.

Drawing on your research, write a summary of the 8888

Uprising.

Use the questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why?

and How? to organise your summary.

• How did military rule in Burma influence Khen Cung’s view of a future for himself and his family in the Chin

State?

There are many reasons why people are forced to leave

their homeland as refugees. Refugees are usually fleeing because of a well-founded fear of specific kinds of persecu-

tion related to their: race, religion, nationality, membership

of a particular social group or political opinion. The perse-

cution is usually a serious punishment or some significant disadvantage inflicted by a government or by individuals or a group that the government cannot or will not control.

The military government’s rule resulted in persecution in

the Chin State. Much of the Chin land was confiscated by the military, making livelihoods difficult and forcing many Chins into abject poverty. Huge numbers became victims of forced labour. Under the military government, the Chin

people were subjected to religious persecution. Their churches were destroyed and Christian pastors were ar-

rested, tortured and killed.

Fearful for his life, Khen Cung had no choice but to leave his home and his wife and children, and go into hiding. For Khen Cung the separation from his loved ones, his home

and his country was heartbreaking. In How I Became a Refugee, Khen Cung provides an account of the persecu-

tion his family experienced,

‘The Myanmar army arrested my dad and beat and tor-

tured him to death. I knew I was going to be next.’

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‘If I went back home for my children the Myanmar army would arrest them, so I left Myanmar with distress and

sadness.’

James remembers his confusion about his father’s absence:

‘I start wondering where dad was. Until a few months

later after my birthday, we got a phone call from all the

way from I believe Malaysia, and I didn’t even know where Malaysia was.’

James had no idea that his father was calling from a

prison. It was not until many years later, when the family

was resettled in Australia that James learnt the truth about

his father’s stay in Kuala Lumpur.

• Spend time as a class discussing Khen Cung’s deci-

sion. Did he have any other choice but to leave?

Why do you think Khen Cung and Moe did not tell their children the truth about Khen Cung’s detention?

When the military police began harassing Moe, she was

also left with no other choice but to take Delia, Rubi and James and flee to Rangoon. Rangoon, also known as Yangon, is the largest city in Burma. For Rubi and James, the move was difficult as they were too young to under-stand why they had to leave their home, family and friends.

• Rubi: And then when my mum said that we were going

to move from that village to Yangon, somewhere, I

didn’t want to move but we had no choice. She locked the house and that was it, we left, we had no say in

that whatsoever.

James: I was like “Mum, why are we moving?” and then just everything that I loved and everything that was dear to us was just taken out of us…And we were never told why but the only reason was we’re going to

go to a better place. What better place is there than

home? This is home. What better place is there? I don’t

want to go.

What do Rubi and James’ memories of leaving their

village for Rangoon reveal about the sacrifices and losses that asylum seekers experience when they flee persecution?

Was Rubi and James’ resistance to the move to

Rangoon understandable?

4 Flight

Khen Cung made the journey to Malaysia alone, leaving behind his wife and children. He arrived in Malaysia in

April 2004. A few months later Khen Cung was arrested

and jailed for two months. He was then sent to a detention centre for ten months.

• Protection is vital for people fleeing persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a

particular social group, or political opinion.

Why did Khen Cung seek protection in Malaysia?• As Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations

Refugee Convention, all asylum seekers and refugees in the country are considered illegal migrants.

What is the United Nations Refugee Convention?

Useful link: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49da0e466.

html

How does it protect asylum seekers and refugees? Use the Internet to investigate why Malaysia is not a

signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention.

• What is a detention camp?

While Khen Cung was in the detention camp, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner (UNHCR) granted his application for refugee status. However, the UN card he

received did not provide him with the necessary protection.

From the detention camp, Khen Cung was then deported and sent to a jail on the Thai border.

• What is the UNHCR? How does UNHCR protect and

support refugees?

Afraid to return to his family in Burma, Khen Cung contact-

ed people smugglers and re-entered Malaysia. His second

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attempt proved more successful. Khen Cung’s refugee ap-

plication for re-settlement was processed by UNHRC. He

called Moe and told her to bring their family to Malaysia.

• Using print and electronic atlases, map the journey of the Ni Chin family. Your map should show the separate

and combined journeys of the members of the Ni Chin family from their home in Burma to their new home in

Australia.

How far did the Ni Chin family travel to achieve refuge

in Australia?

• For the Ni Chin family the flight from their home in-

volved sacrifices.What sacrifices did Khen Cung and Moe make to se-

cure a safe life for themselves and their children?

The ordeal of having to leave behind their home, families

and friends and all that is familiar is traumatic for many

refugee children who are too young to understand what is

going on around them. In How I Became a Refugee, Rubi

and James recall their reactions to the news that they were

to leave Rangoon:

Rubi: I didn’t know where we were going…I believe me and my brother were like, “You can go to your husband and we’ll stay here” and my mum didn’t want that so she tried to bribe us. She tried to persuade us to go and what she

did was taking us shopping and I remember the shopping experience very clearly because I’ve got. I’ve always loved

high heels, and even as a child. So my mum took us shop-

ping and there was a pair of high heels that I really want-

ed…For me as a child, I believe I was about eight, nine, as a child I got high heels and so I was very happy and I was

like, “I’m willing to do anywhere, go anywhere you take me, do whatever you want, I’ll follow you. You get me that pair

of shoes” and I was very happy with that and in addition to that pair of shoes I really wanted, mum bought me new

clothes and new jeans and I was like “Wow, Mum”. I was really happy but I didn’t realise that she was preparing us

for the journey ahead.

James: And then one night, mum woke all the kids up, like, “We’re going somewhere” and I was like, “No”. I saw so many suitcases you know filled and then we would got on a plane and everyone was saying their goodbyes and

I didn’t know what was going on. I saw my auntie and my grandma crying…I love my grandma. Me and my grandma

were close. She was my best friend and grandma was

crying. I was like, “Grandma, why are you crying?” and then “I’ll be back, I promise”. I remember saying that in Burmese…and that was the one thing that hurt me.

• Spend time as a class discussing Rubi and James’

reluctance to leave Rangoon.

What sacrifices did the children have to make?What do their stories reveal about the challenges that

Moe faced during this time?

How do Rubi and James now view their parents’ deci-

sion to leave Burma?

• Describe how you would feel if you were forced to

leave Australia to live in another country. What would

be your thoughts and feelings as you arrived in a

strange country? What would you miss about your

home?

In their desperate attempts to reunite with loved ones,

many refugees have to put their lives in the hands of peo-

ple smugglers. In How I Became a Refugee, Rubi recalls

the fear of placing their lives in the hands of strangers,

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‘We don’t know their names and they won’t tell us their names. We don’t know their names. We don’t know who they are. We don’t know their background. We don’t know if they were going to kill us…We were told to be quiet, so we were quiet. We did not speak. There were five children and when we were going, before, as a family…we were all

very excited because we had all these new things and we

were quite talkative but when we got into situations like that they didn’t even have to tell us to be quiet we were

just quiet automatically because we knew that our lives were at risk.’

• What is people smuggling?

Why is people smuggling a crime?

Why are asylum seekers reliant on people smugglers? • James: And then out of nowhere, after a few days,

they were like, ‘Leave all your stuff, we’re going.’ I’m like, ‘Where are we going?’. These are all our stuff. We packed so much food…all the best foods that my sis-

ters and I love eating. All our clothes, my favourite shirt

and all that just have to leave it.Rubi: We quickly have to go…so we weren’t able to take anything and in that process I lost my shoes, the one that I really loved. I wanted it, I was like “Let me get it. Let me get my shoes first before we leave”, but they were like, “No, no, no, we have to go” and that’s my shoes and I wanted it so much and I couldn’t take it…so then I didn’t have any shoes and on the rest of

the journey when we were walking on thorns.Spend time as a class discussing Rubi and James’

recollections of being at the mercy of people smugglers

as they made the journey from Burma to Malaysia.

In How I Became a Refugee, Delia and James describe

their time spent on a deserted Thai Island en route to

Malaysia:

James: We got onto a boat in broad daylight and it was so

early in the morning and we got put into this little island…

with a little cave in it, and they just said, “Stay here, don’t come out, we’ll come and get you”. So we stayed there for the whole day, the little kids, our little cousins were crying, upset and complaining about thirsty they were and how

hungry they were.

Delia: And we just stayed there the whole day without food or water and on the journey we had like four or five kids with us and they didn’t have any energy to complain. They

just keep quiet.’

From there they were transported on another fishing boat to cross the Malaysian borders illegally. They travelled at

night, trekking through dense jungles and mountainous terrains to avoid being arrested. Without any shoes, Rubi

had to endure walking through the jungle barefooted. She describes the arduous nature of the trek,

‘Our bodies, we have bruises and scratch marks and things like that but that kind of pain. We didn’t feel that pain because we were so scared. We were holding on to

our lives.’

They were then taken to a car where the children were forced into the boot of the car. Rubi remembers,

‘So what they did was they put us one by one inside with

the smallest in the inside…and then I was in there…I could

hear my mum arguing, and my mum crying and my mum

telling them to stop, that we were going to die…at that

point we didn’t have any energy left, we were just so worn out, we were just so scared we couldn’t say anything, we couldn’t do anything. We just let it be and so they finally closed the boot, so it was just all darkness.’

• An asylum seeker’s journey between countries can be long and harrowing. The flight from persecution often involves difficult and dangerous ordeals along the way. What do the recollections of Delia, Rubi and James tell

us about the ordeals that are faced by children asylum

seekers?

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5 Stateless

• ‘Kuala Lumpur is one of the most popular tourist desti-

nations in Southeast Asia. A bustling melting pot of city

life, urban sprawls and high-speed economic develop-

ments, it houses one of the most complex human ports

beneath the city skyline. Home to around 250,000 refu-

gees, asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.’ – How I Became a RefugeeHow is Kuala Lumpur introduced to the audience of

How I Became a Refugee?

What does the audience learn about Kuala Lumpur

from the stories told by members of the Ni Chin family?

After their terrifying ordeal, for Moe, Rubi, Delia and

James, the arrival in Malaysia brought a reunion with Khen

Cung.

• Rubi: That’s where we saw my dad and when I saw

him, I knew it was him, and that moment that I saw him, I hated him. I hated him that he made us go

through this journey.James: We made it to this, I guess what was called,

Malaysia and then there was just lots of cars, it was really raining, it was pouring raining and then I hear

someone voice, and I hear dad’s voice, and I was like, ‘Hey, that’s dad’s voice’ but I couldn’t speak. I was qui-et. I can see that mum was angry…all the sisters were

angry…I was just sipping on my ice coffee and I didn’t know what was going on...I was just holding mum’s hand…it was a rough day, so they made us bed and

the whole family on one big mattress and just sleeping. That was one of the best sleep I got, I guess.

Were you surprised by Rubi’s recollection of her reun-

ion with their father?

What does James’ memory of his first day (and night) in Malaysia reveal about the impacts of the Ni Chin’s

family search for asylum?

• What does it mean to be stateless? What impact do

you think being stateless would have on an individual’s identity and sense of belonging?

Because asylum seekers and refugees are not recognised by the Malaysian authorities, they are considered illegals

and therefore subjected to being arrested, jailed and de-

tained by the police. They are not allowed access to work, healthcare or the basic necessities of life, and the children

are not allowed to go to school. The majority live in one of the poorest areas in Kuala Lumpur which is overcrowded

and has the highest crime rates and levels of poverty.

Children have to stay locked inside small and crowded flats. The long-term impact of living in these vulnerable stateless conditions has been shown to have devastat-

ing effects on their mental health and future educational

prospects. In How I Became a Refugee, Delia remembers

her experience of being stateless,

‘I was about twelve, I turned thirteen in Malaysia and we

live in Malaysia for six months and during the six months, I

had to stay inside the house, couldn’t go out.’

• Working with a partner, list the restrictions and risks faced by people who during the process of seeking asylum are rendered stateless. Identify the negative

impacts that being stateless had on the Ni Chin family.

• Use the Internet to research Malaysia’s response to

asylum seekers and refugees. Choose an aspect of the issue that is of interest to you and write either an

opinion piece that seeks to persuade an audience to endorse your opinion or a feature article that provides

an investigative account of your chosen focus.

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6 Seeking asylum

‘Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other coun-

tries asylum from persecution.’ –

Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Spend time as a class discussing the meaning of the

word ‘asylum’.

The movements of displaced people around the world is a

test on our capacity to be compassionate and our ability to

see asylum seekers and refugees as human beings deserv-

ing of fundamental human rights.

The story of the Ni Chin family provides an essential re-

minder that becoming a refugee is not a choice. This truth

is reflected in a statement made by Delia and James in How I Became a Refugee:

Delia: We became a refugee not because we choose to,

not because we want to, not because we love to be a

refugee, it just our life situation that brought us to become a refugee.

James: It is not a choice given to them. People like us they don’t want to do all these journeys because it’s traumatis-

ing, it just takes so much out of your life and it is some-

thing you’re going to have to live with for the rest of your

lives…it’s not a choice.

The 1951 Convention on Refugees imposes a major obligation on countries not to deport or expel people to

countries where they face persecution or risk serious hu-

man rights violation.

• What do you know about Australia’s response to asy-

lum seekers?What do you want to know about Australia’s response to asylum seekers?

• James: And I know that most of the Australians want refugees to come here but it’s just people with the louder mouths I guess that speak out saying that they don’t want refugees but I encourage the Australian

public that wants refugees to speak out louder to shut out all the people who don’t want, who are encourag-

ing bad stuff and saying bad stuff about the refugees.

They are like you, they are humans, we are like you, we are all the same on the outside we might be different

but on the inside we’re all the same.

Does Australia welcome asylum seekers and refugees?Hold a class forum about Australia’s response to asy-

lum seekers and refugees. Every student in the class is expected to express a view based on research and

reading about the subject.• How I Became a Refugee draws the audience’s atten-

tion to the lyrics of Australia’s national anthem (verses

1 and 3).

Read the lyrics of ‘Advance Australia Fair’.

Australians all let us rejoice, For we are young and free; We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil,

Our home is girt by sea; Our land abounds in Nature’s gifts

Of beauty rich and rare; In history’s page, let every stage

Advance Australia fair!

In joyful strains then let us sing, “Advance Australia fair!” Beneath our radiant southern Cross,

We’ll toil with hearts and hands; To make this Commonwealth of ours Renowned of all the lands; For those who’ve come across the seas We’ve boundless plains to share; With courage let us all combine

To advance Australia fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing “Advance Australia fair!”

How do these lyrics portray Australia and Australians?

Do the lyrics suggest that Australia says welcome to

asylum seekers and refugees?• Working in small teams, use online news services to

locate news reports about people who have sought

asylum in Australia so far this year. Read the articles

and discuss the dimensions of each story. Summarise

the results of your investigation in a written report.

Your report should indicate who has sought asylum

in Australia, their countries of origin, their reasons for

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seeking asylum, details about their journey to Australia and information about their entry into Australia.

• Use online newspaper services to locate news reports,

feature articles, opinions, editorials, letters to the edi-

tors and cartoons about the Australian Government’s

current policy on and response to asylum seekers. Search your library’s audiovisual resources catalogue

and use the Internet to find video and audio segments about the Australian Government’s current policy on

and response to asylum seekersTurn your classroom into an exhibition space by creat-

ing an installation that makes a statement about the Australian Government’s policy on and response to

asylum seekers. Invite other classes to visit your installation and learn

more about this issue.

• The stories of the Ni Chin children, particularly their

loss of freedom in Malaysia, are proof of the vulnerabil-

ity of asylum seeker and refugee children. Currently in Australia, there are a significant number of children in immigration detention.

Learn about this issue online.

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/

Documents/statistics/immigration-detention-statis-

tics-29-feb-2016.pdf

The Australian Human Rights Commission

https://www.humanrights.gov.au/

immigration-detention-statistics

https://www.humanrights.gov.au/

information-about-children-immigration-detention

Spend time as a class debating the topic ‘That children

do not belong in detention’.

7 Resettlement

The UNHCR works with countries that have resettlement protection programs in place to find suitable protection solutions for refugees.

When people arrive in Australia as refugees the process

of applying for protection has usually been initiated

in a country of first asylum. When a person’s refugee protection application is processed offshore they are

usually provided with a flight and arrive in Australia by plane.

The Ni Chin’s family refugee process application was

processed in Malaysia. They travelled to Australia by

plane.

• Learn more about Australia’s role as a refugee

resettlement country by accessing the Refugee

Council of Australia’s website at www.refugee.

council.org.

The resettlement process is a long and complex one.

The act of resettlement does not mean that people will

feel immediately ‘settled’ once they arrive in Australia.

To be successfully settled means different things. It is

the knowledge their families are now safe; that they or their children can have access to education; that they will be able to enjoy the same rights to which all people are entitled; that they have a feeling of belonging; and that they have a place to build a future.

• Leaving everything behind in one life and beginning

another in a different country requires a period of

adjustment. Working as a class, list the challenges and difficulties that refugees may face in settling into Australian society.

Do children face different challenges and difficulties from adult refugees?

While the Ni Chin family was relieved to be in Australia,

there were still obstacles to be negotiated. For James, his early experiences were about finding common ground with other refugee children:

‘After a few months, we started going to Nollamara,

and then I was happy, I was mainly the African guys

but they have the same problems with us. They were

seeking refuge from another country…but we all had one thing in common, we all loved soccer…We didn’t

understand each other but we still loved playing soccer,

we would always know one person, the main person was Ronaldo, that’s it, Ronaldo this Ronaldo that.’

For Rubi being accepted by her peers was not always easy:

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‘For me, as a refugee, I didn’t realise that I was a refugee until I got to Australia

and then I was labeled a refugee. At primary school

there wasn’t much discrimination that I had experienced

until I got to high school and then I was a refugee with a

big tag and it was as if it was written on my forehead. I

would be bullied because of my status…and there were

days when I would come home and cry and say I don’t

want to study anymore.’

• Spend time as a class discussing Rubi’s experience

of being bullied.

How did being bullied at secondary school by her

peers make her feel? How did Rubi’s account of being bullied make you feel?

Why do you think Rubi did not tell anyone about being bullied?

How did James respond when he learned of how

Rubi was being harassed and excluded?

• Use the Internet to determine the types of support

that are available to refugees during the process of

resettlement.

• Find out more about Australia’s acceptance and support of Burmese refugees and Burmese

communities in Australia. Use your research to

compile a short history of the Burmese in Australia.

Working in small teams, use online news services to locate news stories about Burmese communities

in Australia. Read the articles and discuss the

dimensions of each story.

8 Education

Education is a basic human right. This right is recognised

in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The article affirms the right to free and compulsory educa-

tion in elementary school and the general availability of

technical, professional, and higher education.

• What are the benefits of education?How has your education benefited you?How will your education benefit your family? How will your education benefit society?

• What access do you have to education because you

live in Australia?

Do you think you take your access to education for granted?

Have you ever encountered any obstacles in accessing

education?

Education is at the heart of what gave the Ni Chin family

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hope. Their desire for their children to receive an education is

what motivated Khen Cung and Moe to journey from Burma to Australia.

Rubi’s story is extraordinary. Despite not beginning formal

education until she was eleven, Rubi finished Year 12 with an ATAR score of 96.2 and is now studying biomedical science

at the University of Western Australia. Her dream is to be-

come a doctor. Delia’s achievements are also inspiring. From not being able to speak a word of English when she first arrived in Australia, Delia has now graduated as a registered

nurse from Edith Cowan University. For James, the experi-ence of adjusting to a new life in Australia was difficult and he decided to fit in by playing the class clown. The turning point came when a teacher reached out to him. His dream of

becoming a pilot is now on track.

• Delia: If I can achieve I believe everyone who are in the

same situation as me, they will be able to do so. I want to

give hope to them as well.

Rubi: …I was going to make up for my education in Australia and nothing was going to stop me from getting

that education and that was the reason I went to school

every day.

James: I’m studying aviation at the moment and it’s diffi-

cult but I’ve always had a thing in my heart that I’ve always

wanted to fly planes…I always wanted to be in the air force and then I just said, “Look, I got to repay this country’, you know, it gave my dad, my mum, everyone, all of our rela-

tives refuge from Burma, like all the bad stuff…and I want to take up this step of saying, you know, “Thank you” and this is how my way of repaying this country for giving us

safety and letting us be who we want to be.

How do Delia, Rubi and James’ comments view

education?

• What do the graduation photographs suggest about the

value the Ni Chin family place on education?

9 Making a difference

The value of refugees in our community and their

positive contribution to Australian society cannot be

denied. Australia’s refugees have contributed to every

aspect of society including the arts, sports, media,

science, research, business, politics and civic life.

• Working as a class, list the ways that refugees contribute to Australian society.

Some well-known people in Australia who have come from a refugee background are Hieu Van Le, AO, Governor of South Australia; Frank Lowy, Co-founder of the Westfield Group; comedian and writer, Anh Do; scientist and radio presenter, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki; IT entrepreneur, Huy Truong; Virtuoso Hoang Pham; Chef, author and television presenter Luke Nguyen; supermodel Angelique ‘Ajak’ Deng; Tan Le, Founder and CEO Emotiv Lifesciences; Akram Azimi, 2013 Young Australian of the Year; and Australian Rules footballer, Aliir Aliir.

• Through promoting awareness of the valuable

contribution that refugees have made and

continue to make in Australian society entrenched stereotypes and prejudices can be challenged.Your task is to celebrate the achievements and contributions of a person who was settled in

Australia as a refugee or who has a refugee

background. The person that you choose may be a prominent person or someone who you know through family or friends.

10 Media students

• Work with a peer to compile a detailed analysis of the use of story and production elements in How I Became a Refugee.

Story elementso the opening, devel-

opment and resolu-

tion of the narrative

o cause and effect

o establishment and

development of

and relationships

between characters

o point/s of view from

which the narrative

is presented

o the function of set-

ting in the narrative

o the relationship

between multiple

storylines

o the structuring of

time and its im-

pact on narrative

progression

Production elementso camera techniques,

technologies and

qualities for filmo lighting

o mise-en-scene

o acting

o sound

o editing of vision and

sound

• Examine the opening and closing sequence of How I Became a Refugee. What are the filmmakers’ inten-

tions and how are these intentions achieved?

• Working as a class and by drawing on evidence from the documentary, make a list of the challenges of film-

ing the story of the Ni Chin family.

• Consider those images that work in a symbolic way, such as the family photographs and the shoes that

Rubi looks at online. How do these images inform your understanding of the story told by How I Became a Refugee and the participants?

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» EXTENDED RESPONSES

• ‘How I Became a Refugee reminds us that refugees are

ordinary people who have experienced extraordinary

events.’ Discuss.

• Drawing on How I became a Refugee and your re-

sponses to questions and activities, write a feature

article about the Ni Chin family.

Before you begin writing, decide on the publication that

will feature your article. When you have made your de-

cision, think about your likely audience and the format of your article. Devise an attention-demanding head-

line. Download appropriate images from the Internet to

include in your article. Ask your teacher to act as your editor.

» LINKS• Australian Human Rights Commission

https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-

work/asylum-seekers-and-refugees/asylum-seekers-and-refugees-guideEstablished in 1986 by an act of the federal Parliament,

the Australian Human Rights Commission is an inde-

pendent statutory organisation and report to the federal

Parliament through the Attorney-General.

• Australia for UNHCR

http://www.unrefugees.org.au/

Australia for UNHCR is an Australian charity that raises funds to support the work of the UN Refugee Agency in Australia. Our purpose is to provide life-changing

humanitarian support to refugees and other displaced

and stateless people who come under the care and

protection of the UN Refugee Agency.

• Department of Immigration and Border Protection

http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Refu

The role of the Department of Immigration and Border

Protection is to manage the entry and settlement of

people in Australia.

• Refugee Council of Australia

http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/

The Refugee Council of Australia is the national

umbrella body for refugees and the organisations and

individuals who support them. • Settlement Council of Australia

http://www.scoa.org.au/

The Settlement Council of Australia is the national peak body for settlement. The council represents settlement

agencies across Australia providing direct services to

people of refugee and migrant background. The coun-

cil’s goal is to help ensure the best possible settlement

outcomes for migrants and refugees settling in Australia. • Parliament of Australia

http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/

Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/

pubs/rp/rp1415/AsylumFactsThe Parliament of Australia website provides access

to a series of research papers. This research paper,

updated on March 2, 2015, provides information on

asylum claims, unauthorised arrivals and irregular mi-

gration in Australia and Europe.

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This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2016) ISBN: 978-1-74295-942-9 editor@atom.org.au

For information on SCREEN EDUCATION magazine, or to download other study guides for assessment, visit <http://www.screeneducation.com.au>.

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For hundreds of articles on Film as Text, Screen Literacy, Multiliteracy and Media Studies, visit <http://theeducationshop.com.au>.

» KEY CREATIVESDR MARILYN METTA

Writer, Producer & Director

Dr Marilyn Metta is a feminist academic at Curtin University.

She teaches and researches in the area of social science,

anthropology and sociology, women’s studies, human

rights. Metta is a committed advocate for human rights

issues, especially women and children’s rights. Born in

Penang, Malaysia and raised in Singapore, Metta came

to Western Australia when she was eighteen. Metta’s rich

cultural background and her experiences negotiating differ-ence as a young person has given her valuable insights into

the power of storytelling and education in social change.

Metta has over fifteen years’ experience as a family counsellor working with women, children and families at the West Leederville Counselling Centre, Perth, Western

Australia. She received the International Congress of

Qualitative Inquiry 2011 Outstanding Book Award for her book, Writing Against, Alongside and Beyond Memory: Lifewriting as Reflexive, Poststructuralist Feminist Research Practice (2010). Her debut film, How I Became A Refugee (2014), co-produced with Christine Gosfield, has received three international film awards, was elected for a double screening at Myanmar Film Festival in Los Angeles in September 2015, and was a finalist at the IAFOR Documentary Film Award.

Metta is the co-founder of Mettamorphosis Inc, a not-for-

profit charitable organisation aimed at raising funds and awareness to support the educational needs of displaced

children.

CHRISTINE GOSFIELD

Co-Producer and Co-Director

Christine Gosfield was born in the Western Australian Goldfields town of Broad Arrow. She started working at STW Channel Nine as an apprentice film editor and then for GTV 9 Melbourne. At eighteen, Gosfield immi-grated to the USA. For the next twelve years she worked in Chicago, Texas, New York, Nashville and Northern California. In Nashville, Gosfield worked as a 35 mm film editor and stills photographer in the Nashville music industry, documenting live performances and shooting CD

covers. Her recent photography projects include the Big hART projects (WA based Yijala Yala Project, the Murru Concert and Hipbone Sticking Out theatre production in Perth and Melbourne).

Gosfield is the Silver Medal Winner of the 2007 Tourism Award for New Media and the 2003 Finalist for the Western Australian 2003 Adult Learners’ Week Award Outstanding Program Award. She is the co-founder of

Mettamorphosis Inc.

» CREDITSWritten by Marilyn Metta

Directed by Marilyn Metta and Chris GosfieldProduced by Marilyn Metta and Chris GosfieldPhotography by Chris GosfieldMusic by Lucky OceansEdited by Mike SearleProduction Company: Mettamorphosis Inc. & Storyteller

Media Group.

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