Refugees as community builders: Lessons from Refugee Camp in My Neighbourhood

Participants spoke of increased empathy and a willingness to reflect on assumptions and stereotypes they had previously held.

The impact was not limited to visitors. Guides described how participating in the program strengthened their confidence, expanded their professional skills and created new friendships and networks. For some, it provided opportunities for leadership, public speaking and community engagement. For others, it fostered a stronger sense of belonging within Australian society.

Challenging deficit narratives

These findings challenge a common tendency to view people from refugee backgrounds primarily through a lens of vulnerability or need. While many refugees face significant challenges as they rebuild their lives, our research highlights another equally important reality: refugees are also educators, leaders, mentors, professionals and community builders.

One of the most important lessons from RCIMN is that meaningful engagement rarely happens by accident. The initiative relied on guides drawing on their lived experience, cultural knowledge, communication skills and personal stories to create learning opportunities for others.

At a time when public debate is increasingly shaped by social division and polarisation, this lesson feels particularly relevant. Building understanding requires more than awareness campaigns or information sharing. It requires opportunities for people to engage with one another as individuals, listen to different experiences and reflect on assumptions they may hold.

A shared social fabric

As we celebrate Refugee Week, it is worth reflecting not only on the journeys that bring people to Australia, but also on the ongoing contributions they make once they are here. More than one million refugees have made Australia home since the end of the Second World War. They have helped shape our schools, workplaces, neighbourhoods, businesses, cultural institutions and community organisations. Their contributions extend beyond economics or employment. They enrich communities through their experiences, perspectives, knowledge and leadership.

The legacy of RCIMN reminds us that refugees are not simply rebuilding their lives, they are helping build stronger, more connected communities. In doing so, they contribute not only to their own communities, but to the social fabric of Australia.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the refugee and asylum seeker guides, visitors, committee members, volunteers and partner organisations who contributed to Refugee Camp in My Neighbourhood over more than a decade, particularly those who shared their experiences and reflections as part of this study.

We also acknowledge the financial and institutional support provided by the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion and UTS Business School, which made the legacy study possible.