This document describes the Illawarra Refugee Challenge, a program designed to raise awareness about refugee issues among high school students. The challenge involves interactive activities, including a simulated refugee camp tour, classroom discussions, and conversations with local refugees. This approach provides students with firsthand exposure to refugee experiences and fosters empathy and understanding.

Organizations can adapt this model to engage multicultural communities by:

• Creating immersive and interactive experiences: The Illawarra Refugee Challenge utilizes a simulated refugee camp tour and interactive activities to provide students with a tangible understanding of refugee experiences. Organizations can employ similar approaches to engage multicultural communities by creating immersive experiences that allow participants to step into the shoes of individuals from different backgrounds and gain a deeper understanding of their challenges and perspectives.
• Facilitating direct interactions with individuals from diverse backgrounds: The program emphasizes the impact of personal storytelling by incorporating conversations with local refugees. Organizations can replicate this by creating opportunities for members of multicultural communities to share their stories and experiences with a wider audience. This approach fosters empathy and breaks down stereotypes by humanizing the experiences of individuals from different cultures.
• Empowering youth as advocates for multicultural understanding: The Illawarra Refugee Challenge focuses on a peer-led approach, training student facilitators to lead discussions and activities. Organizations can empower young people from diverse backgrounds by providing them with platforms and resources to become advocates for multicultural understanding and inclusion within their communities.