The Community Innovation Fund is not a typical grants program but rather an “incubator” for ideas that removes barriers to funding for the community. Its specially designed application process allows great ideas to be supported without making it necessary for applicants to have perfect grant-writing skills.
The fund’s resources are offered to groups, organisations or individuals with a connection to south-west Sydney (Fairfield, Liverpool and surrounds) and projects that will benefit local refugees who have arrived in the last three years.
Local service providers and other funded bodies are not eligible to apply.
SSI Community Engagement Coordinator Kat O’Neill said Australia Day was chosen for the announcement to send a positive message about how the community’s newest Australians are contributing to what is happening in Sydney’s south west.
“This community offers not only sanctuary but also opportunity to its newest community members,”
Ms O’Neill said.
“This fund enhances that opportunity. It gives power, voice and resources where they are most needed: in the hands of the community. It aims to grow community leaders’ capacity.”
SSI received a high volume of applications, all of which demonstrated the vision and commitment of local leaders to enrich the south-west Sydney refugee community, Ms O’Neill said.
An intensive consultation process was undertaken with the refugee community to inform the fund’s selection criteria, to understand the community’s aspirations and challenges, and to learn what kind of community newly arrived refugees want to live in.
“This was a crucial step in establishing the fund, allowing the community to decide how to address its settlement needs,” Ms O’Neill said.
“It guides where the fund’s resources will go and what types of projects will be delivered.
“Investing in these ideas moves further towards a strengths-based model of refugee resettlement that recognises the skills and experiences of the community themselves.”
SSI will also resource successful applicants by providing project management and mentoring tools.
While the second funding round won’t be launched until later in 2018, Ms O’Neill is keen to hear from anyone wanting to discuss their ideas for innovative projects.
Contact Ms O’Neill on 8799 6745 or koneill@ssi.org.au.
Read more about the Community Innovation Fund, including selection criteria, here: About the Community Innovation Fund.
The Business Award recognises and celebrates a corporation that promotes and advances human rights in the Australian community.
Allianz, through a partnership with SSI, established an innovative Sustainable Employment Program aimed at building a diverse and inclusive workforce, creating employment opportunities and support for refugees and migrants with whom SSI works.
Since it was launched, the program has provided 18 employment opportunities for participants with a range of diverse talents, cultural backgrounds and disciplines, including business, accounting and finance, data science, audit and customer service.
Allianz also created SSI Allianz Scholarships to improve education and employment opportunities for refugees.
Through these initiatives, Allianz is advancing the human rights of some of the most vulnerable groups in our society as well as contributing to community cohesion.
Ms Roumeliotis, who was recently named the 2017 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year, said, “Allianz understands that to have a strong, resilient and vibrant community in Australia requires diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace.
“This can be seen in its commitment to deliver new employment opportunities and support for refugees and migrants who have settled in Australia.”
She said SSI and Allianz had a vision of playing a key support role in the community in the areas of education, employment and addressing social justice issues.
“The partnership was the first initiative of its kind and proves what can be done by corporates that want to integrate human rights policy and practice into their business operations,” she said.
Research and SSI’s professional experience in humanitarian settlement work has shown that refugees, migrants and people seeking asylum come to Australia highly motivated to work and build prosperity, while contributing to the society that has accepted them. But this motivation does not necessarily lead to employment.
“That is why innovative schemes like the Allianz-SSI partnership are so important,” said Ms Roumeliotis.
“This partnership is creating new solutions that support people to overcome challenges, while they focus their drive and skill towards a new career.”
For the past 34 years, Ms Roumeliotis has pursued a career in community services, championing the needs of migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum. As the CEO of SSI, she has overseen a period of tremendous growth in which the organisation has gone from 60 staff to more than 600, with revenue of $113 million.
Ms Roumeliotis said she was honoured to be recognised alongside Billie Sankovic — the CEO of Western Sydney Community Forum — and Professor David Rowe — an internationally recognised researcher, author and media commentator.
“My work in the not-for-profit sector has always been driven by a deep commitment to social justice and a desire to advance our society as a whole. My aim is to support people who the system has left behind or for whom the system adds barriers that can at times feel insurmountable,” she said.
“During my time in the not-for-profit sector, I’ve come to recognise the importance of learning from our peers in the business sector and applying those lessons within our own organisations.
“At SSI, for example, that means ensuring innovation and efficiency are at the core of our day-to-day work. We operate like a social business — achieving surpluses that we then re-invest in new initiatives to assist people who are at a point in their lives where they’re experiencing a vulnerability.”
Last month, Ms Roumeliotis beat nominees from across all industries and areas of Australia to be named the 2017 Telstra Business Woman of the Year.
“That was a win not just for me but for the broader not-for-profit sector. It recognised that we have the business know-how and entrepreneurial mindsets to create solutions that not only address key social issues but also overcome the challenges facing our peers in the corporate sector,” she said.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Coordinator Hannah Gartrell, 0488 680 287
SSI is a not-for-profit that, through a variety of programs and self-funded initiatives, supports newcomers and other vulnerable Australians to prosper. Operating with the approach of a social business, SSI’s innovation, out-of-the-box thinking and start-up mentality have been recognised with multiple awards, including last week when SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis was named 2017 Telstra Business Woman of the Year.
SSI’s Coffs Harbour office, which marks the organisation’s entry into the region, was launched today by Federal Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker MP.
“My father came to Australia at 17 in 1951 and at that time there were virtually no settlement services whatsoever, so I am more than mindful of the importance of settlement services in allowing people to make an easier transition into life in a new country,” said Mr Hartsuyker.
SSI HSP Manager, Yamamah Agha, said the organisation was committed to partnering with the local community and services to support refugees through the early days of life in Australia.
“At SSI, we recognise the critical role the community plays in successful settlement. Community members help new arrivals to feel welcome in Australia and to build the sense of belonging that becomes a foundation for their new lives here,” she said.
“Community support can take many forms. It might be volunteering, offering a friendly smile at the supermarket or holding an event to welcome new arrivals. Only by working in partnership can we hope to support refugees to reach their full potential in Australia.”
SSI has set up shop at 2/126 West High St, Coffs Harbour. To contact the local office or find out about partnership and volunteering opportunities, visit www.ssi.org.au.
About SSI:
Settlement Services International is a not-for-profit organisation providing a range of services in the areas of refugee settlement, migrant support services, asylum seeker assistance, housing, multicultural foster care, disability support, employment services and youth support in NSW.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Coordinator Hannah Gartrell 0488 680 287
Speaking to launch the festival, SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said that the New Beginnings Festival in Spring gave people from migrant and refugee backgrounds an important platform to showcase this heritage in all its richness.
“The festival is a chance to experience firsthand the unique culture and artistry found in new communities, and celebrates the contributions refugees and migrants make to their new homes.” Ms Roumeliotis said.
Along with an array of stalls that showcased food and craft from around the world, a jampacked program of musical and dance performances astounded audiences. Standout performances included dynamic hip hop beats from renowned Ugandan artist Kween G while guitar riffs played by classical guitarist Sako Dermenijan drove shivers up audiences’ spines.
Hani Abdile, a talented spoken word poet, was MC for the day and broke out into prolific verse in between performances keeping crowds on the edge of their seats. Hani had made her way to Australia by boat and had turned to poetry for healing while detained on Christmas Island.
Now in its third year, the New Beginnings Festival in Spring is the brainchild of Carolina Triana — the 2017 recipient of the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Community Medal for Arts & Culture, which recognised her work with refugees and people seeking asylum.
“New Beginnings gives people from refugee and migrant backgrounds an opportunity to showcase the artistic talent and rich cultural heritage they bring to their new homes. For everyday Australians, it’s a chance to experience something new and learn about our neighbours,” said Ms Triana, who is the Arts & Culture Program Manager and festival producer at SSI.
“Bringing people together to bond over the shared enjoyment of music, dance and other cultural expressions is also one of the ways we can fight stereotypes about newly arrived communities. Getting to know someone through their art makes us focus on their creativity and potential – labels like ‘refugee’ or ‘migrant’ are no longer relevant.”
For more information on the New Beginnings Festival in Spring, click here.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Coordinator Hannah Gartrell 0488 680 287
SSI Communications Coordinator Rebeka Selmeczki 0468 998 300