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.
Renewal, shared purpose and reflection were at the heart of SSI’s 2022 Annual General Meeting, which brought together more than 160 staff and community members to celebrate the past year.
International Volunteer Day, held annually on December 5, is an opportunity to celebrate the important role volunteers, like Welcome Ambassador Ms. Alaa Al Karam, play in connecting communities and enhancing people’s lives.
SSI welcomes the news that the NSW Government will extend financial assistance to foster carers or people in care until the age of 21, bringing the system into line with all other states and territories.
(more…)Mohammad Jawid Rezaei arrived in Australia from Kabul, Afghanistan, in October 2021 after the Taliban takeover and now works with Southern Steel Supplies Pty Limited in Milperra.
(more…)Ignite client Lida Mangal created her business, Ghan Fashion, to employ women in Afghanistan to create her unique designs and help lift them from poverty.
(more…)The most seismic shift we have seen in our sector over the past two years has been the arrival of COVID-19 and its implications for the individuals and families we support.
Unfortunately, the health consequences of this pandemic have fallen heavily on CALD communities. This was recently affirmed in the Fault Lines report, where Professor Shergold and other colleagues conducted an independent review of Australia’s pandemic response that found people experiencing social inequalities or particular vulnerabilities suffered unnecessarily during the pandemic.
Coming out of the pandemic, there has been great recognition of the strength of community services organisations and community leaders, who stepped up to keep individuals and families informed and safe.
With the effects of the pandemic now dwindling in our communities, the time is ripe for change.
The community services sector is ready and willing to play a more prominent role in forming policy and helping to promote a stronger and more socially inclusive Australia.
As I said at the DCJ conference, we can bring to the table our insights and solutions, but we also rely on government to drive foundational change that will shift the dial for multicultural communities.
This could include wider application of a diversity lens. For example, strengthening multicultural resources and the use of bilingual resources and organisations into day-to-day departmental work.
There is also an opportunity to introduce more dynamic, iterative mechanisms for engaging with our sector.
Existing boards, councils, and committees play an important role in enabling our sector to contribute to government decision-making, but these are often static mechanisms, pulling feedback from a small number of people, rather reaching to the heart of our sector and communities for a dynamic, two-way dialogue.
It is also important to authentically engage us in co-design during the seeding stage, not later, when the tree has already branched out.
I also believe there is a need for government to ring-fence specialist roles that elevate issues for CALD communities and ensures effective engagement
I do want to reinforce thought this is not about vulnerability. This is not about approaching multicultural communities from a deficit base. Both multicultural communities and the services that support them are strong, innovative, and resilient.
By working collaboratively with government — from service gestation through to delivery — we can fortify our sector and ensure that we are equipped to respond to crises that affect multicultural communities, both now and into the future.