Professor Jaya Dantas, Dean International, Faculty of Health Sciences and Dr Tetiana Bogachenko from the School of Education were joined by displaced people from Ukraine and Ms Zaneta Mascarenhas MP, to launch the Photovoice Project Report on 10 April.

The project titled ‘Fleeing the War across Oceans’ aimed to facilitate a better understanding of the experiences of emergency forced displacement and settling in Western Australia through photography. A travelling exhibition has been displayed in a variety of community spaces around Perth, an online exhibition is available here.

The report provides policy recommendations including simplifying visa processes and ensuring future visa certainty, consulting displaced individuals on relevant policies, providing timely information and psychological support, supporting skills transfer and employment, and creating social spaces for networking among displaced people.

Held at the John Curtin Gallery the launch featured moving stories from the Project’s participants and a performance from a Ukrainian choir. It was well attended by representatives from a range of government and charity organisations, and staff from across Curtin.

Congratulations to Professor Dantas and Dr Bogachenko.

This project was supported by funding from Healthway and Lotterywest.

Zaneta Mascarenhas MP, Professor Jaya Dantas and Dr Tetiana Bogachenko.
A large audience seated, in front of six Ukrainian speakers wearing traditional cultural clothes. One is holding a microphone.
Stories are shared from Ukrainian participants
A choir of eight Ukrainian women wearing traditional cultural dress of a dark maroon skirt with a embroidered long navy apron and a maroon belt, white embroidered blouses and red beaded necklaces. A man in a suit is conducting them as they sing.
Ukrainian Choir singing at the launch