Before visiting the Villawood Detention Centre, our students were asked to write a kavanah, a statement of intent, of heart, mind and being, on what she/he hopes to experience and learn from this visit and to contribute to the detainees, in return. Following their visit, students were asked to share their reflections. We would like to thank our Emanuel parent  Shira Sebban, who makes our visits to Villawood possible. Below is the kavanah and reflection of Lily Berger.
Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Lily Berger – Year 10

My Villawood Reflection 

Kavanah – before:

Tomorrow I will be visiting a detention centre for the first time. I have heard about Villawood and I have met people who have come to seek refuge here in Australia before, but I feel as I do not know nearly as much as I should. I am not so sure what to expect. I know that I want to approach this new situation with an open mind and heart, I want to learn about other people and their individual stories. I feel like it is so important to learn from people of other cultures and nationalities, and who have different life experiences than I. I find I am often in an Eastern Suburbs Jewish bubble and that I lack awareness of the issues of those around me. I am slightly anxious that I will go to Villawood and come out disheartened and saddened by what I have heard and seen, but I hope that I will come out as a more empathetic, understanding and kind person who understands ways I can enact change and help refugees or other people in need.

Reflection:

Last week I was fortunate to be offered the opportunity to go to Villawood Detention Centre for the afternoon to visit refugees and learn more about some of the issues they are facing. This was a positive experience but, at the same time, it was quite confronting and difficult. 

The first thing that stood out for me was that this detention centre was in an industrial area, hiding behind huge warehouses. On the main road, there are almost no signs indicating the detention centre that lies just off of the busy street. It soon became clear that the centre was quite similar to a jail, with huge fences, barbed wire and security around the perimeter. When we first entered, we received identifying wrist bands and then tried to find a locker to hold our belongings. Many of the lockers were broken, somewhat indicative of the broken system that these refugees are a part of. We then went through a system similar to that of airport security, with a metal detector and drug tests for anyone over 18.  

We were so lucky to have been taken on this experience with Shira Sebban, an Emanuel parent who visits Villawood every week and has helped many refugees improve their lives. Shira warned us that there was always a chance that they can refuse us entry and, unfortunately, they did not allow Daniel Samowitz, who came along with us, to go through. It became clear that the centre did not work for the benefit of the detainees, who were now deprived of a visitor, but instead created a system which often works against them.  

A visitor is allowed to ‘call out’ just one person, and if a visitor is not allowed to come in detainee, the person cannot come out. It was sad to see this man, Imasi, when we first entered being barred from coming out. Shira told us that he had been in Australia’s detention centres for ten years and it was so frustrating to see how eager he was to come talk to Shira and now he was turned away. I thought about being stuck in detention for ten years and the thought was simply incomprehensible. After getting through security we entered the visiting room. It was a nice space but there were always guards keeping watch to make sure no one did anything they were not supposed to.  

Shira introduced us to one of the most positive and lovely people I have ever met named Masoud. Masoud originally lived in Iran and was forced to leave and eventually came to Australia and sent to Villawood. He has been there for two and a half years. When we met him, he had a huge smile on his face, he was warm, kind and had a spectacular sense of humour. We sat with Masoud, chatting over some food that we had brought, and he told us about his life, experiences and together we laughed and had a great time. It became so apparent that Masoud was a good person, he told us the importance of respecting our parents and looking after others. It was difficult for me to understand that someone who would contribute so much to society and his community was locked up in detention when there are so many people in Australia who do not do nearly as much as Masoud could do. It was genuinely so lovely to chat with Masoud and spend some time getting to know him and understand some of the experiences he has been through. My time with him reminded me how so many individuals are facing extremely difficult challenges in their lives but that at the end of the day we are all people and can bond over food, humour and stories regardless of where we come from. 

We also saw a father being visited by his wife and two young kids which was quite confronting as I realised the awful situation that some families are in, with family members being separated and the detention centre becoming the norm for them. I do not think that anything about the detention centre should be considered normal for these families. Personally, I believe that people should not be locked up if they have really done nothing significantly wrong. Yet, this is the way our government is treating hundreds of people who are simply seeking safety from dangerous areas. If the people in these centres were our family or friends, we would do everything we could to make sure they were treated well, and we would fight for their freedom. It seems that as a society we often tend to ignore some of the issues that we have helped create. It is so important that we are not bystanders to the actions of those in authority but that we stand up for what we believe is right, and we stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Whilst visiting refugees in a detention centre is by no means a radical movement for change, it still has a positive effect and we can educate ourselves about these issues so that we are able to form our own informed decisions about these issues. 

My visit to Villawood again reminded me of the importance of having empathy and understanding for others, and how we should treat others the way we want to be treated. I do not think that any of us can truly imagine what it would be like to be detained in a confined detention centre for ten years straight. The detainees are basically only let out for legal or medical reasons, and if they go outside the centre then they must be handcuffed and guarded by numerous security officers. We need to understand that the people in these centres are people, just like us. Like us, they have hopes, dreams and families, yet in the way we treat them their futures are constantly in doubt. Villawood for many is an indefinite detention centre – the system is built against refugees and many of the people inside never know if they will ever be let out. 

Whilst this visit was quite confronting, and at times quite saddening ,I think that overall I found this a really beneficial and important experience. I learnt much about the situation that many refugees are facing and realised the power and importance of having both positivity and hope. I come away from the experience feeling grateful for the life I am fortunate to have, but I also understand how important it is to use our privilege to enact change in the world and do whatever good we can. I hope to learn more about issues facing refugees in the future and hope that I will be able to visit Villawood again. It was clear from this experience that our current refugee policies are not working, but that there is no simple solution either. We need to ensure that we treat all people, including refugees with dignity, fairness and empathy to create a more positive and beautiful world.

I strongly encourage any person reading this to learn more about issues surrounding refugees and to visit Villawood detention to understand what is being done to other people, in our name as Australians. The stereotype of refugees in the media was so completely different to the people we were lucky enough to meet and this is why this experience was incredibly valuable, as it challenged many of my past assumptions and beliefs.