20 August 2018

William Abur, African Family Liaison Officer at Thomas Carr College, Tarneit, graduated from Victoria University as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) earlier this month.

William, originally from South Sudan, moved to Australia in 2006 with his family. He passed up on the opportunity to migrate to the USA with a group of men known as the ‘lost boys of Sudan’ who were living with him in Kenya as refugees. After 10 years of living in Kenya, William was granted a Humanitarian Visa to resettle in Australia.

Upon his arrival in Australia, William worked as a Settlement Social Worker, working predominantly with youths and families. During his time in this role, it became apparent to him that many of these youths struggled to integrate into the Australian culture, many facing unemployment and social seclusion. He noticed that the youths who chose to participate in things like sport seemed to integrate better and that those who didn’t have a social connection were more likely to disengage.

William took notice of notable sporting figures like Majak Daw, Aliir Aliir, Majok Machar Deng and Thon Maker, and was grateful to see that there were in fact young people from South Sudan who were making every effort and taking up every opportunity given to them here in Australia. From this, William made the decision to take on a PhD in Migration and Refugee Settlement.

William has studied for the past 4 years at Victoria University to complete his PhD. He has done extensive research and written a number of essays on Migration and Refugee Settlement, including a 100,000 word thesis.

The thesis examined the benefits of participation in employment and sport as basic strategies that could assist people from refugee backgrounds to settle better in Australia using a case study of the South Sudanese community in Melbourne. The overarching research question was ‘how does employment and sport participation affect the settlement process, and how do the benefits of employment and sport participation deliver different forms of capital that enable the South Sudanese community to effectively move through the settlement process in Melbourne, Australia?&rsquo

William said ‘in my working life as a social worker, the families and individuals whom I worked with, regularly raised the issue of unemployment and the resulting financial difficulties. They also raised the issue of feeling a lack of connection to the broader community, and lack of knowledge about opportunities for young people to engage in recreational/leisure activities. These were some of the key factors that motivated me to conduct research on sport and employment as important factors in the settlement of refugees in Melbourne, specifically the South Sudanese community.’

Thomas Carr College is not only grateful but extremely proud to have Dr William Abur as a valued member of staff, one who is willing to go above and beyond for not only his colleagues, but for the students and families of Thomas Carr College. Principal Dr Andrew Watson said, ‘this is an outstanding achievement and has required many hours of committed study. At Thomas Carr College are indeed very lucky to have Dr William Abur as a member of our College community. He is a wonderful example to all students, staff and parents.’