ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

I Came by Boat is a campaign celebrating the contribution of refugees to Australia. We want to show that asylum seekers are people with courage and humanity, and that they can contribute greatly to Australian society.
What

What we are doing:

We are working to raise enough money for a campaign to demonstrate that asylum seekers are people with courage, humility, and the ability like all of us, to contribute greatly to Australian society.

Posters will be rolled out nationally, through bus, tram and train stations at up to 400 locations nationwide, and via social media.

Why

Why we are doing it:

There is an urgent need to highlight the social, economic and cultural diversity that asylum seekers bring to our country. But advertising isn’t cheap – the more money we raise, the greater impact we will have.

Everything we raise will go towards buying advertising space so that the posters can be put up all over the country! We will need more than $150,000 and hope to raise a part of it via crowd funding, grants and corporate funding.

As we are working as a part of a charity, donations are tax-deductible.

How

How we are doing it:

First, we put together an amazing crew of creatives who worked together on various components of the campaign.

We already photographed an extraordinary group of people from different occupations and backgrounds, and we recorded their remarkable stories. We then partnered with I Am a Boat Person, a charity committed to raising awareness of and solidarity with asylum seekers and their communities.

Now all that’s left is our screening and exhibition, showcasing the amazing people asylum seekers are.

Who

Who we are:

We are a collective of creativess from the advertising industry, who have come together to shed light on the plight of asylum seekers.
Our coordinator, Blanka Dudas, who initiated the campaign, is a successful international makeup artist who was a refugee herself – from former Yugoslavia.

“I know what it’s like to run for your life with nothing but the clothes you are wearing, and to have to start again. I am grateful for the treatment I received; it was immensely helpful in rebuilding my life. I was able to create a successful career as a makeup artist, in Australia and overseas. I would like to see that sort of opportunity given to all asylum seekers, no matter how they get here.”

Help us to raise money for the campaign

Latest Events

Screening-300x150

Chasing Asylum

I Came By Boat invites you to see ‘Chasing Asylum’, the powerful new documentary feature about Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers, followed by a Q&A with its Academy Award winning …

Watch the video