‘Engendering social inclusion and success for refugee women through place-based empowering practices’

ABSTRACT

The 3Es to Freedom was a program for women from refugee and migrant backgrounds, operating in northern New South Wales and South East Queensland, Australia, from 2016 to 2021. The program offered a welcoming space where the women could build on their skills to develop confidence, enabling them to pursue their ambitions. This article focuses on how the program’s responsiveness supported the needs of refugee women in regional communities. Place making and a place-based approach provided a theoretical framework to analyse the ways in which the staff embedded the program in local, distinctive regional communities, which provided opportunities for the women to forge bonds to build bridges into their broader communities. The place-based approach can be identified in how the women walked together to discover local places of interest, secured a plot in the community garden, and connected to social groups and local services. Involvement in art exhibitions acknowledged and gave voice to the women’s presence in the community, enhancing their sense of belonging and increasing public understanding of how these newcomers enriched their chosen communities. By investing in these local connections, a sense of place was established, contributing to the women’s adaptation, resilience and social inclusion in their region.

KEYWORDS:

• refugee
• place
• regional
• inclusion
• success
• women

Acknowledgements

The researchers received funding from Anglicare North Coast.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Group painting on canvas, see www.storyclothconnection.com.au.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mandy Hughes

Mandy Hughes is a senior lecturer in sociology and social science course coordinator at Southern Cross University, Australia. Her research interests include refugee studies, community studies, food cultures, and digital communication. Other research includes an examination of domestic and family violence in CALD communities, and an exploration of the foodways of the Myanmar community now residing in regional Australia . Mandy has a strong commitment to using audio visual materials to communicate cultural and social justice issues.

Louise Whitaker

Louise Whitaker is a senior lecturer in social work and community welfare at Southern Cross University, Australia. She has practiced in mental health social work and managed programs promoting access to justice and developing the cancer workforce. In her research, she favors collaborative practice-based research methods and is interested in mental health social work practice and pedagogy.

Barbara Rugendyke

Barbara Rugendyke has enjoyed a twenty-year career as an academic geographer, teaching and researching in the field of international development. Barbara has also worked as a facilitator in community development planning in remote Aboriginal communities in Australia and conducted research about sustainable livelihoods for resettled indigenous minority communities in northern Vietnam. Barbara is currently an Adjunct Professor at Southern Cross University where she previously served as Dean and Head of School of Arts and Social Sciences.