Olga and her daughters.
Valeriia’s journey began on the morning of February 24, 2022, when her family were woken by bombing at Kiev airport, a short distance from their home. In that moment, they made the decision to pack up their lives and flee in search of safety.
The family arrived in Sydney on March 12, 2022, and were supported by SSI to access the essentials needed to navigate their new home.
“I was surprised someone was caring about us. Then they provided us with a case manager who was very supportive because we were like blind kittens—we didn’t know anything [about Australia],” said Valeriia.
Now, almost 12 months since they left Ukraine, they have found stable accommodation and are determined to contribute to the community that has welcomed them with open arms.
Valeriia is studying English working towards re-building her family’s successful landscaping business in Australia.
They are thrilled that their nine-year-old son, who was homeschooled in Ukraine due to his anxiety, is attending local school and making friends with his classmates for the first time ever.
“The teachers at the school are so supportive, they try so hard and are very creative. For example, the principal brought in dogs just to make him comfortable,” she said.
Olga and her two daughters also found refuge in Sydney in March after fleeing their home in Odessa.
Like many Ukrainians who have left the country, Olga’s friends have been a core support for her and her girls. Having migrated to Australia 20 years ago, they encouraged her to seek asylum and allowed her family to live with them for the first six months in Sydney.
Olga’s SSI case manager Muniera, who has supported the family to register for Medicare, translated documents, organised medical support, provided them with technology, and more, has also been key in their settlement journey.
“I did not imagine that this could happen. She was organised at such a level and so professional; I did not have time to come to my senses. I burst into tears of happiness,” said Olga.
With a 20-year career in Ukraine as an Accountant, Olga quickly found part-time employment as a finance administrator. She is working towards acquiring the English language skills needed to get her overseas qualification and experience recognised.
And like many Sydney locals, on her days off work Olga has been getting out to explore the region’s beautiful scenery and walking tracks.
“My friends gifted me a book of harbour and coastal walks because I enjoy beaches. And I have done maybe six or seven walks now, Bondi, Manly, Coogee, Bundeena,” she said.
Both Valeriia and Olga never imagined they would be forced into the situation they have experienced over the past 12 months. But despite the challenges, they are both determined to make the most out of their lives in Australia and feel positive about the future.
“When I feel bad I look around at my surroundings and see happy people and beauty,” says Valeriia. “A lot of good things have already happened, and I think they will continue to happen.”
While modern Australia celebrates multiculturalism, this appreciation of our rich, diverse communities is a recent advent. Up until the 1960s, Australia sought to achieve a homogenous culture through assimilation policies.
This was particularly devastating for First Nations communities, who lost culture, identity and connection to country through forced assimilation. These policies also affected new migrants and refugees – who were forced to abandon their culture in order to try to belong in their new home.
This treatment has had lasting effects on individuals and communities, which we must continue to acknowledge, even while celebrating the progress we have made towards creating a more cohesive, diverse nation.
There is still much work to be done to achieve true inclusion and appreciation for all cultures, but it is with the benefit of hindsight – and in reflecting on our nation’s complex history – that we can understand and appreciate the true value of celebrations like Harmony Week. This is doubly so in light of Harmony Week’s origin as a local celebration aligned with International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
By embracing our diversity and fostering understanding and respect between cultures, we can create a society where everyone feels valued and respected.
At SSI, we work every day to support migrants and refugees in settling into their new lives in Australia. We know firsthand the challenges that newcomers face, and we are committed to helping them integrate into our society and feel a sense of belonging.
But we cannot do this alone. It takes a collective effort to create a society where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of their background. We must all work together to build a community where diversity is celebrated, and differences are seen as strengths, not weaknesses.
This Harmony Week, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the importance of multiculturalism and the role we each play in creating a harmonious and inclusive society. Together, we can commit to working collaboratively to create a future where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
“They’re now my new home, they’re my family,” said Amreena about her group members, all mothers of children with disability.
After migrating to Australia, Amreena found it difficult to access information, resources and support because she did not know where to look and who to ask for help. Through the MPN program, she has found a supportive group with a shared cultural background that faces the same day-to-day challenges she does.
Amreena’s group of mothers is one of nearly a hundred groups part of the MPN program, which started three years ago with funding from the Department of Social Services (DSS).
Over the years, the MPN program grew to become a collection of impactful, peer-led support groups promoting independence among people from multicultural communities with lived experience of disability, as well as their carers and families.
Throughout the program, SSI trained 71 emerging community leaders to become peer group facilitators and supported over 1,000 participants with disability across NSW. MPN groups have been instrumental in giving participants and facilitators alike a space to hold relatable conversations, build confidence, and connect with other members.
Free resources available
As the program is soon coming to an end, SSI is launching two new web pages to ensure individuals and partner organisations can learn from our experiences and access resources so that the work continues.
- MPN resources for individuals: How to connect with your community
Contains fact sheets on how people with lived experience of disability can stay informed and where and how to seek out a community group.
- MPN resources for partners: How to start your own peer-to-peer support group
Contains a summary of successes and learnings from the MPN program as well as free resources on how to start a community group.
Continuing the work
The resources we have developed outline a step-by-step process for potential facilitators, program managers, and participants to create peer support groups of their own. They aim to empower others to create awareness around disability, understand disability tools, and the services available for the community.
SSI also offers free facilitator training for community organisations and individuals interested in starting their own community peer groups to deepen their facilitator skills.
You can find out more about the Multicultural Peer Network here or explore fact sheets to help people with a lived experience of disability stay informed here.
We look forward to seeing community groups use these resources to continue running peer groups to empower communities to connect and build capacity.
To learn more about the resources on this webpage, facilitator training or other ways SSI supports community organisations, email community@ssi.org.au.
International Women’s Day is a global celebration that has become a focal point in the women’s rights movement. It offers an opportunity to reflect on successes that have helped to advance gender equality. Here’s what we’ve been doing at SSI to progress women’s rights over the last 12 months.
SSI’s brand – our image and visual identity – traces its roots back to where we began in 2000, as a small settlement agency supporting refugees in Sydney. Fast forward to today, we are a national not-for-profit organisation that offers a diverse range of human services and promotes equal opportunities for all.
Some 19,000 refugees on temporary visas will be able to apply for permanent visas under new changes announced by the Federal Government today.
Bridget Kelly is living her dream life as an artist and business owner, thanks to the support of her family and Ignite Small Business Start-Ups.
(more…)February marks two anniversaries that highlight the generosity and success of Australia’s approach to refugee resettlement.
With over 100 languages spoken and staff from over 75 countries, SSI has grown and changed Australia’s communities through the strength of diversity.
By offering diversity training, SSI shares its knowledge with other organisations to together strive towards a more inclusive Australia – one conversation at a time.
The ANMM took part in a workshop that allowed their team to share experiences, reflect, ask questions and connect with each other. Watch the video to see the training in action and hear the ideas it sparked in participants.
After the training, Ms Habib, Chief People Officer at Australian National Maritime Museum, said it was important for the museum to partner with an organisation like SSI that had similar values, as well as lived experience with diversity and inclusion.
“In social settings, people may not be courageous enough to have these conversations. Training delivered like this has created a safe space to discuss thoughts, challenges or a lack of knowledge,” Ms Habib said.
“It’s about our employees being taken out of their everyday work environment to focus on why it matters, and what they could do differently with regards to diversity and inclusion.”
Janet Irvine, who manages SSI’s diversity training, said that SSI offers training to help build a world where everyone is seen and valued for who they are.
“We believe that through providing training, we can create that change one conversation at a time,” she said.
“There’s a lot of evidence that where there is diversity, and people feel included, they work harder and feel more satisfied in their roles, and that has good outcomes for a company or organisation.”
Ms Irvine said diversity means recognising that everyone has a different perspective to offer.
“If we approach people with that open curiosity, there’s so much for all of us to gain,” she said.
SSI training consultant Lilyana Theodossiou said it’s important for diversity and inclusion to be an ongoing organisational conversation instead of a one-off box-ticking exercise.
“Our census data keeps showing us that we are ever changing in our diversity, so it’s about constant evolution for any organisation.”
Train with SSI
Grounded in 20-plus years’ experience as a leading provider of services to multicultural communities, SSI supports non-government, government and corporate sector employers to drive their diversity and inclusion goals forward.
In the last financial year, SSI’s facilitators led over 170 workshops and engaged over 3,000 participants across organisations in Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific.
SSI provides learning experiences that transform how people respond to diversity in ways that are thought-provoking, inspire curiosity, and build confidence to engage more authentically with cultural diversity.
Explore training options and learn more on SSI’s Diversity Training webpage.
Please join us for the launch of Untapped Potential research, conducted by NATSEM at the University of Canberra, in collaboration with SSI, which explores trends and disparities in the economic participation of migrant and refugee women in Australia. A policy brief, Unlocking Potential, will also be launched which outlines ways to unlock the potential of migrant and refugee women.