Re-imagining the resettlement of refugees by engaging with an ethic of thriving

Learning to thrive in the context of refugee resettlement can be a difficult task to consider and sustain when so much focus is given to promoting survival, recovery from trauma and self-sufficiency. It is argued that this resettlement paradigm is rooted in notions of refugee passivity, primarily motivated by a minimalistic approach to social assimilation. We argue this resettlement paradigm suffocates thriving by imposing the government’s aim of achieving independence instead of privileging the newly arrived person, their lived experiences, dreams and aspirations. This article shares how an ethic of thriving in resettlement, with its focus on relationality, could transform the way we think about ‘integration’ and what ‘successful resettlement’ means within the Australian context. To anchor what the ethic of thriving offers the resettlement sector we share lessons learned from applying a thriving paradigm to YoungMILE—a mentorship project dedicated to launching young refugee arrived leaders in the community. This unique programme embraced relational, experimental and exploratory approaches characterised by flexibility, mutual learning, curiosity, listening to bigger goals and acknowledging the skill sets of people’s past experiences. Importantly, the project also prioritised connecting people of refugee background and the host community to promote meaningful integration.