Hello to all our supporters,
Did you know that the electorate of Denison (where many of us live) was shown by ABC’s ‘Vote Compass’ to be one of the most sympathetic to asylum seekers in the country? Over the last three years, we have proved that asylum seekers are welcome here; we have forged literally hundreds of amazing friendships, and had a significant impact on the nature of the asylum seeker debate in our part of the world.
Now we are at a crossroads. One of the outgoing Immigration Minister’s parting acts was to grant Community Detention to ALL the boys in Pontville. That means that Pontville is currently in the process of emptying out, and group homes are being found for the boys on the mainland and also (for the first time) in Hobart. The boys will live in a ‘share-house’ type accommodation with a paid live-in carer. You’ll be pleased to know that all of the boys who move into these new homes in Hobart will be given a gift of a hand-knitted beanie and a welcoming letter from the people of Tasmania (that’s you!) via TASS.
The question of whether or not the Pontville centre will be re-filled, and with which ages and nationalities, seems to be very uncertain. There will obviously be a transition period of some weeks before we begin to get any clarity on this. For those of us who have been visiting, we can continue to visit until our buddy leaves: after that, keeping in contact is up to you, so make sure you swap details! There’s no need to email us asking for a new buddy: we won’t be able to tell you anything until the centre re-fills. For the same reason, we are not announcing any new training days at this stage.
In the meantime, there’s plenty going on: and some new TASS initiatives which need an eager volunteer to spear-head!
New Roles At TASS
‘Adopt A Tassie Family’ program coordinator
We want to set up a program especially for the young unaccompanied minors who are about to move into our community. This would involve a regular get-together (along the same lines as our pot-luck dinners), where Tassie families or individuals can put themselves up to be ‘adopted’ by a young guy on community detention. The ‘adopted families’ (or grandmothers, brothers, etc) will not have any responsibility for the boys’ welfare; they are just there to act as ‘family’: to love, include, cherish and champion these boys as people, not as ‘clients’ or ‘victims’. You would create a forum for fostering those connections, and work with the Cultural Support Workers from Red Cross and Life Without Barriers to ensure the program is operating well and meeting everybody’s needs.
Education Outreach coordinator
TASS is seeking to partner with the award-winning educational outreach group, ‘Students Against Racism’ to develop an educational outreach program to speak to schools and other interested groups about asylum seeker policy and asylum seekers’ journeys. ‘Students Against Racism’ has agreed to take a mentorship role in this case. You would need to have an interest in education and be comfortable speaking to groups of people and taking the initiative to develop a new program.
Emailing Person
I’m seeking a secretary! I need help to tidy up my inbox, manage my email lists, and reply to straightforward emails. (I’m a bit hopeless like that.)
If you’re interested in taking on any of these roles, please email me, and we’ll arrange a time to meet up. Because TASS is a grassroots organisation, all these roles are entirely voluntary and the roles are up to you to create and manage. You don’t need any particular qualifications, but you do need to be flexible, motivated, and a good communicator. In your email, let me know a bit about yourself and any relevant experience.
Upcoming Events
TASS Pot-Luck
Our next Pot-Luck-Swap-Meet will be held on September 21st at 6:30pm at the Migrant Resource Centre, 49 Molle St. This is always a cracker of an evening (and this month will be the first time where the boys fresh out of Pontville are invited, too!) So bring a pot of something delicious and an idea for something you could swap. Everyone welcome; invite your colleagues or neighbours! https://www.facebook.com/events/159946417537457/
Julian Burnside lecture
This Thursday at UTas Law Theatre 1, renowned refugee law expert Julian Burnside discusses: ‘After the Election: where to from here?’ RSVP is necessary to [email protected]
Pontville Art Exhibition and Portraiture Prize
In Salamanca’s Long Gallery, until the 15th of September, you can see some fantastic art work by the Pontville boys, including one very special portrait: an incredibly life-like pencil drawing by Murtazza, a 16 year old boy from Afghanistan. See this website and scroll down to view the picture and vote for it in the ‘People’s Choice’ award! http://www.taspp.com.au/vote/
Thank you for your continued support; we look forward to staying in touch with you.
—
Emily Conolan
Founder, Tasmanian Asylum Seeker Support (TASS)
www.tasasylum.org
www.facebook.com/tasasylum
