The 2022 Refugee Ball taking place tonight at Dockside in Darling Harbour is returning with a full house of attendees after a two year hiatus. Now in its 13th year, the Refugee Ball has become a highlight in the calendar in support of refugees and multiculturalism.
The Ball brings together a diverse group of supporters of the work of the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS). The gala is notable for its attendance by a wide range of leaders and prominent people from refugee communities in NSW as well as organisations and supporters that work closely with STARTTS.
The STARTTS CEO Jorge Aroche said, ‘I am delighted that we are holding the Ball again, coming together with so many of our friends and supporters after two years when the pandemic made such an event impossible. The Refugee Ball is a wonderful opportunity to support STARTTS work to help those most impacted by trauma rebuild their lives after living through terrible circumstances overseas and in countries of first asylum.’
This year, the Ball will feature entertainment that showcases two of the communities most affected by recent world events; the war in Ukraine and the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban. The Zahrava Youth Ensemble will perform high energy folk dances from Ukraine. The event will also feature a performance from Zohra, an Afghan musical ensemble featuring young women.
The Refugee Ball has raised funds for some of STARTTS most innovative programs over the years. This year, the Ball will raise funds to support the participation of young people from refugee backgrounds in wilderness programs delivered jointly with Outward Bound Australia. Funds raised will also be directed to support the most traumatised and persecuted people around the world to recover from their experiences of loss and torture, through the work of the International Rehabilitation Council for Victims of Torture (IRCT)
Refugees around the world have been some of those most heavily impacted by the pandemic. Many resettlement countries closed their borders in the last two and half years. In Australia, the Humanitarian program was suspended and is only now resuming full operation. Australia will accept 17,875 humanitarian entrants (including an additional 4,125 places from Afghanistan) in 2022-23 with as many as 5,000 expected to settle in NSW.
The Refugee Ball will be attended by several distinguished guests, including the NSW Minister for Multiculturalism, the Hon Mark Coure MLA.
