Refugee stories of resilience shared at Fed Square

Stories of displacement, resilience and rebuilding were shared at Federation Square during a special event marking Refugee Week.

The event, titled A Million Stories of Us, brought together about 80 people from across Melbourne to hear from three refugees about their lived experiences and contributions to Australian life.

Facilitated by migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia, Federation Square and the Department of Home Affairs, the event focused on the strength, determination and community impact of people who have sought safety in Australia.

One of the speakers was Afghan refugee Nahid Kazemi, now a senior case manager with AMES Australia’s refugee settlement program.

Ms Kazemi spent a decade in Malaysia as an asylum seeker before being granted a humanitarian visa to come to Australia.

She now supports newly arrived refugees, helping them find housing, access services and build confidence as they settle into life in Australia.

“My work is shaped by my own experience,” Ms Kazemi said.

“My passion is to help individuals and families find housing, access services, and build a sense of belonging. Our work helps people not just to settle, but to feel welcome, respected and part of their new communities.”

The event also heard from Jamila Alarkan, an engineering and operations leader in the renewable energy sector.

After fleeing conflict in Syria, Ms Alarkan continued her studies under difficult wartime conditions before arriving in Australia, where she rebuilt her career with limited English and no local experience.

“My experience as a refugee has shaped my career,” Ms Alarkan said.

Ms Alarkan is now chair of Women of Worley ANZ and Mongolia, where she champions gender equity, mentors emerging leaders and advocates for greater inclusion.

Researcher and advocate Johny Adhikari also shared his story, having worked for more than a decade with NGOs and agencies exposing human rights abuses linked to scam factories on the Thai-Burma border.

After being threatened by criminal gangs, Mr Adhikari said he was forced to take his family to safety and was later resettled in Australia through a humanitarian visa.

He is now studying community services at Victoria University while continuing to support organisations working to free trafficked victims.

AMES Australia director of settlement support and community care Gerard Murren said refugees had helped build modern Australia economically and contributed to the country’s vibrant multicultural society.

But he said the celebration came at a difficult time globally, with more than 117 million people forcibly displaced worldwide and only a small proportion likely to be resettled in safe third countries.

Home Affairs Assistant Secretary Zoe Williams said this year marked 75 years since the signing of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which established modern refugee protocols.

“Australia was instrumental in creating the convention and was one of the first signatories,” Ms Williams said.