Go Back to Where You Came From - Series 1 (ATOM Study Guide)

This three-part documentary series produced for SBS informs and provokes discourse across all sectors of Australian society as the nation continues to deal with the complex international issue of the humanitarian care of refugees and asylum seekers.

In the documentary, six ordinary Australians agree to challenge their preconceived notions about refugees and asylum seekers by embarking on a confronting 25-day journey. Tracing in reverse the journeys that refugees have taken to reach Australia, they travel to some of the most dangerous and desperate corners of the world, with no idea what is in store for them along the way.

Deprived of their wallets, phones and passports, they board a leaky refugee boat, are rescued mid-ocean, experience immigration raids in Malaysia, live in a Kenyan refugee camp and visit slums in Jordan before ultimately making it to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, protected by UN Peacekeepers and the US military. For some of them it is their first time abroad. For all of them, it is an epic journey and the most challenging experience of their lives.

This controversial series follows the participants over one month as they are confronted with the harsh realities of life as a refugee in their journey to some of the most dangerous and desperate regions of the world.

The series presents six participants from different backgrounds and with different viewpoints, providing six contentious perspectives that will challenge and test students' attitudes.

Teachers of Geography, SOSE, HSIE, History, Values and Religion will embrace this invaluable classroom resource to incite learning and debate about this complex issue that continues to divide our nation.

Curriculum guidelines

As a comprehensive resource for teachers and students of Australian secondary schools, Go Back to Where You Came From is specific to the study of Geography, but it also has cross-curricula relevance across several subject areas:

• Geography (Years 9 and 10)
• Senior Geography (Years 11 and 12)
• SOSE/HSIE
• Civics and Citizenship
• Values and Religious Education