Participation and Empowerment for Refugee Backgrounds in Education

The Strategy Underpinning Participation and Empowerment of Refugee Backgrounds in Education (SUPERBE) is a multi-dimensional research and practice based strategy developed by the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education to engage and support community members and current students from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds in education across the Hunter region. Driven by principles of equity and social justice SUPERBE is a praxis-based framework.

Louis Ndagijimana, the SUPERBE coordinator, works across the University and in the local community. For more information about SUPERBE,  student gatherings, community partnerships or support for students from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds, you can contact Louis at louis.ndagijimana@newcastle.edu.au or (02) 4033 9461.


Student Gatherings and Drop-in Dialogue Spaces

Students from Refugee and Refugee-like backgrounds are invited to attend gatherings to get to know each other, share their experiences, meet different service providers (across UON and the community), and discuss different learning environments.

With food, conversation, and access to service knowledge and people, the student gatherings are a casual and regular way for students to engage with each other, the university and support services in the community.

There are eight (8) gatherings each year.

Louis is also available for informal conversation and welcomes students to drop-in and chat, be it about university generally or a specific challenge or process.


Multi-Cultural Youth Group

The Multicultural Youth Group (MYG) is convened by the Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) and supported by a host of local community-based and government organisations – meeting up weekly outside of schooling in community venues. The major purpose of the MYG is to provide a safe place for young people to build connections with peers, reduce social isolation and dislocation, increase trust and bonding and increase self-esteem. CEEHE aims to deliver information in relation to access and participation to higher education, as one way to facilitate a variety of choices to reach hidden opportunities.

Through the MYG, CEEHE partners with:

  • Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS),
  • Northern Settlement Services (NSS),
  • Development and Relief Agency (DARA),
  • Multicultural Neighbourhood Centre (MNC),
  • Northlakes Youth Service,
  • Headspace Newcastle,
  • Wesley Mission,
  • Multicultural Community Liaison Officer- NSW Police,
  • Newcastle Youth Development Officer, and
  • Newcastle Community Development Youth Project.