The Moose Jaw Multicultural Council (MJMC), along with their partners the Moose Jaw Police Service, the Public Library, and the Wakamow Aboriginal Community Association, took over the Crescent Park amphitheater for World Refugee Day on Wednesday.

For their third year, the MJMC joined in with the rest of the world in raising awareness around refugee and the current situation they go through.

Refugees and newcomers alike who have made the Friendly City their home all came to help run stations and explain to kids what its like to live in refugee camps.

The different stations included a life jacket display to commemorate those who have crossed or have perished crossing the Mediterranean Sea, a food rations table that shows what refugee families receive in a month, a rice and beans lunch as it would be served in a camp, a flag table, a simulated camp tent, what it's like registering for a passport, and a water jug carry to show kids what its like to carry water back and forth to their camps.

Kids also got a booklet to complete before the end of their day. Every time they would complete one of the stations they would receive a stamp to show they did it, getting them more involved with the day.

Omot Omot moved to Canada from South Sudan twelve years ago and decided to help at World Refugee Day since the MJMC was able to help him when he came to Moose Jaw. He ran the water jug stations.

One thing Omot was pleased with was being able to talk to so many kids.

"I think it is a really good thing to do that because you know, kids are like the future right, and if we can get them to be thinking about those kinds of thing then they are going to be more open-minded," Omot said. "They are going to be willing to help other people because now they know what people go through, refugees go through."

Omot is actually training to be a teacher also. He believes that his background and other educators or those who work with children who are refugees or newcomers will really be able to teach children more, making them the advocates for refugees in the future.

This year's theme is "Now More Than Ever, We Need to Stand with Refugees,” which is true especially since, according to the UN, there were over 68 million people displaced last year. This is especially relevant with all the media surrounding refugees right now.

"As we can, like you know, all over the media lately there's been a lot of refugee problems and a lot of people don't understand," Omot said. "Sure we see it you know on tv and stuff but we don't have a personal connection and so when kids come out here they get a little bit of that. They actually get to see."

With stations running throughout the day and a panel of refugees talking about their life before moving to Moose Jaw. All of which did help paint a clearer picture for kids.

"It's harder than you think," Jacob Michelson, a grade 7 student from St. Agnes Elementary School. "They went through a lot of bad stuff that we couldn't imagine sometimes and you just kind of feel for them and want to help them out."

This is the third year where MJMC has held a World Refugee Day celebration in Moose Jaw.