On 30th June, 360 young people from all over Sydney gathered at the Jesuit Refugee Service mid-Winter ball to hear a young Afghani refugee, Mahmood Baquiri, speak of the hardship he endured as well as the hope he now feels as a refugee settled in Australia. You can read the talk, Living a life with hope, here .

Ellen Hansen, a Senior Protection Officer for UNHCR Regional Office (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific) also spoke. her talk was entitled Individuals make the difference, and can be read here .

The message from the all of the speakers on the night was: “Individuals can make a difference. Take each day as a gift and be the best person you can be”.  It was a profound message of hope.  

The Director of JRS Australia spoke briefly of the projects to which money raised from the Ball was to be contributed.  One of the aims was to house asylum seekers who are appealing their cases and who have visas which prevent them from working.