Here and There Program: Connecting schools to everywhere

Thank you to the schools around Australia who registered and submitted entries to take part in the Australia for UNHCR and Skype real-time video cross with students in Nakivale. We are pleased to announce that the winning entry was from Killara High School, in Sydney, NSW. View their submission.

The Here & There Program teamed Killara High School with the Australian-funded high school in the Nakivale refugee settlement in Uganda. Using Skype technology, students in both countries will be able to connect their classrooms, ask each other questions and work together on a creative project to learn more about each other's lives. In a real-time video cross on 21st September 2011, Australian students talked with young refugee students from a secondary school in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement supported by Australian donors through Australia for UNHCR. They gained a unique insight into each other's lives while exploring their shared interests in areas like music and sport.

The Here & There Program aims to raise awareness among young Australians of the issues facing refugees of their own age, many of whom have spent their childhoods in refugee camps. For the students in Uganda, it is an exciting opportunity to engage with young people on the other side of the world and share their ideas and interests. The program has been designed in consultation with educators, both here and in Uganda, and aligns with the Australian secondary school curriculum and geography syllabus.

VIDEOS:

About the Here & There Program
Australian media coverage on the Here and There Program

Reasons for interest in the Here & There program: Testimonials from students of Killara High School

Romy Silver, Year 8: Because it is a really rare experience. Not many people get to see the life of the kids in Uganda and Refugees in the way we will if we get to participate in the Here and There Program.I hope to learn more about how the effects of being a refugee changes your childhood and the way you see life as well as getting to learn about just how lucky everyone is at Killara High School.I do not know if it will, because whether or not their lives are the way I imagine...I can only really find out once I've started the program. No research or written interviews could let you be the one to ask the questions or see the opinions of different individuals.

Melissa Xu and Ann Quian, Year 7: Because we think that we will be able to learn more about the students by face to face communication rather than reading reports.What differences we have and if there are any similarities. What thoughts [questions] they have for us.Yes, because they'll probably have a very different life so we'll have more knowledge about their lifestyle and their past.

Julia Gapon, Year 8: I am really interested in participating in the Here and There program as, honestly, I have no clue where Uganda is, how the population lives, in fact, until now, I barely knew it existed. It is quite an unknown country and I would love to learn more about it. I hope to learn the differences and similarities between our everyday lives. I hope to learn about the difficulties children in Uganda have to deal with every day.I think it will greatly change my perspective on education and refugees as we will learn more about them. It will be a great experience and I am really looking forward to it.

Daniella Csizmadia, Year 8: Because it is a great opportunity to know what people / students in Uganda are like, how they live their lives everyday. So basically it just sounds like an interesting program to be a part of. What students hope to learn through interaction with the refugee students.What they need to go through just to be able to go to school, What their daily morning routine consists of, what problems they face. Potential for changing your perspective on refugees, education or other aspects of life.