Ukrainian refugee Yurii Chuchenko and his heavily pregnant wife Inna arrived in Australia from Thailand after Russia invaded their homeland earlier this year.

Ukrainian refugees Yurii and Inna Chuchenko settled in Fern Bay in April this year.

When their visas in Thailand expired, the couple were working in Thailand and expecting their first child and their families back home begged them not to return to Ukraine with Inna due to soon give birth.

“Our families wanted to protect us from terror and desperation back home,” Mr Chuchenko said.

After Port Stephens couple Mark and Jenni Chapple shared a post with their Instagram followers and learned about Yurii and Inna’s situation, they immediately contacted them, offering support.

Mr Chapple arranged flights and temporary visas for the Chuchenkos to fly to Australia away from the devastation in Ukraine.

The Chapples are keen to assist Ukrainian refugees in securing jobs and starting new lives in northwestern NSW, where the cost of living is cheaper and industries have dire needs for workers.

Like other Ukrainian refugees, the Chuchenkos received support from Settlement Services International through the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs* to access essential services and integrate into Australian life.

When the Chuchenkos settled in Fern Bay in April, they were still on their 600 visas which gave them limited access to local services, and they were connected to SSI to help them access 449 visas.

SSI Humanitarian Settlement Program Regional Coordinator for Newcastle and the Hunter Helen Larkin said that the Chuchenkos now have a better footing to start their new lives.

“The Chuchenkos are extremely self-sufficient, but with SSI’s support to access mainstream services and AMEP classes, they’re able to steamroll ahead in starting new lives here in Australia.” Mr Chuchenko said he is grateful for the whole-of-community support they’ve received from the Chapples, SSI and other community groups and members.

“Mark and Jenni, they saved us. They are now like our mother and father.

“Organisations like SSI are so important when you arrive in Australia as a refugee, and you have no prior knowledge of anything in the country.”

The Chapples’ proposal for a pathway to assist Ukrainians to settle in regional NSW – the CH2 project – is something that the Chuchenkos highly endorse and are supporting.

Mr Chuchenko said he was eager to raise awareness about the benefits of refugee resettlement in regional Australia with the Ukrainian community.

“As newly arrived refugees in Fern Bay, we’ve had such a positive experience so far and want to share our insights with other Ukrainians across Australia.

“This is why we started the CH2 Project to provide a fluid, secure and efficient pathway for Ukrainian Nationals to a life in Regional NSW.

“Our first project is to build this pathway to the regional cities and townships within the Upper Hunter, Liverpool Plains and New England areas.”

 

*For information about Australia’s settlement program, visit https://homeaffairs.gov.au/

Getting a job has been on Faith Zadro’s mind a long time.

That was SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis’ message to those attending the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) conference at the Sofitel Melbourne, June 16-17.

Speaking during the conference dinner, Ms Roumeliotis said that only by working together could Australia be a place of belonging, a place where all people, regardless of where they came from, felt they were welcomed and encouraged to reach their full potential.

FECCA is the peak, national body representing people in Australia from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Its role is to advocate and promote issues on behalf of its constituency to government, business and the broader community.

The FECCA conference is Australia’s premier conference on multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, and migration.

This year’s conference was themed “Advancing Multicultural Australia” and brought together multicultural communities, policy makers, service providers, and academics over two days of interesting presentations, speakers and topics.

In addition to being the conference dinner sponsor, SSI was represented by staff making presentations and Ms Roumeliotis delivering the conference dinner speech.

Juliana Nkrumah AM, SSI’s Project Manager Domestic & Family Violence and Founder/President of African Women Australia, delivered a keynote address with Professor Megan Davis, providing a multicultural perspective on The Uluru Statement from the Heart.

She also presented a poster showcasing an innovative SSI project, Supporting U, that trains CALD leaders to respond to domestic and family violence in their communities.

Astrid Perry OAM, SSI’s Head of Women, Equity and Domestic and Family Violence, presented a paper called “Beyond the RAP Document: Embracing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in Multicultural Australia”.

Tadgh McMahon, Head of Research and Policy, presented a paper on digital inclusion from the 2021 Foundations for Belonging report. The paper focused on the gaps in access to digital devices used for remote education (i.e. laptops and desktops) among refugee households and the gaps in digital skills among older refugees, especially women.

At the conference dinner, Ms Roumeliotis spoke about the power of humanity.

“We must remind everyone that the most precious resource in Australia is not what we mine out of the earth – it is the people that walk on it who will deliver the prosperous future for our country,” she said.

She said the need for an open-mindedness to embrace diversity and unleash human potential was not a sentiment shared by all.

“So our challenge as guardians of human rights is to sell this story to others, to influence conversations at every opportunity, and remind our fellow Australians that multiculturalism is part of our DNA.”

She said the political and media support for Afghans and Ukrainians gave hope for the safe, equal and successful settlement of the newly arrived – but that should be the standard response every time people were in need of safety and support.

“For there is much to do. And a long way to go. But we can do this, working together and focusing on what really matters.”

MSP is a free MiniRoos program for boys and girls aged 5 to 11 who have arrived in Australia within the past five years. It aims to foster relationships between clubs, schools and local communities to engage and provide playing opportunities for newly-arrived children.

The day of tournaments and celebrations included events for children, women and girls, parents versus kids, walking football, cultural performances, face painting, rides, dance battles and prizes.

It provided an opportunity for newly arrived migrants and refugees to socialise, build stronger connections with other individuals and communities, and make new friends.

It also provided a space where parents could be involved in their children’s and young people’s interests and talents, and explore different things.

Of those who attended, 150 participated in the facilitated games and an overwhelming 110 of those participants were female.

The walking football activity was the talk of the day as it gave those who preferred a less-active approach a chance to participate in the day’s festivities and excitement.

Tresor Rusangiza, Senior Sports and Recreation Officer at MSC, was thrilled with the turnout and people’s involvement.

“The Family Event provided MSC a great opportunity to build a stronger relationship with Football Queensland and it will definitely be a benefit as we work towards future events and opportunities for people in our community,” he said.

On World Refugee Day, June 20, Fatima Payman became Australia’s first Afghan-born Australian elected to the federal parliament.

Ms Payman’s refugee father brought her to Australia with the rest of her family when she was 8. She is also the first hijab-wearing member of parliament and the third youngest to be elected to the Senate.

This is important for many reasons.

We all benefit when our nation is governed by diverse representatives with lived experience they can bring to the floor of parliament. But, as Ms Payman herself said in her first public interview as a senator, young girls and other women “can’t be what they can’t see”, and so I hope that her win serves as inspiration to others, whether from refugee or other backgrounds.

The second heartwarming thing was the release of new research from Amnesty International, and Ipsos, showing Australians’ strong support of refugees.

Highlights from Amnesty’s research, released on June 19, found that 72 per cent of Australians support either maintaining or increasing Australia’s humanitarian intake and that most Australians support refugees being settled in Australia. Fifty-seven per cent back community sponsorship if communities can support the refugees.

Amnesty’s annual Human Rights Barometer also found that most Australians think our government spends too much money keeping asylum seekers locked in detention.

The Ipsos research paints an international picture and includes Australian respondents. It found that three-in-four adults across 28 countries surveyed agreed that people should be able to take refuge in other countries to escape war or persecution.

It also found attitudes towards refugees have become more positive on average, since last year.

SSI will continue to work with the Federal Government to advocate for refugees and asylum seekers. We hope to soon see an increase in Australia’s humanitarian intake, community sponsored refugee program intake, and other key settlement changes Labor took to the election as promises.

I want to leave you with some more positive information.

When I’m asked to speak about those who come to our country as refugees, asylum seekers or migrants, I like to remind people of this research from Oxford University Professor Ian Goldin, who found that migrants are:

• 2 to 3 times more likely to start a business
• 2 to 3 times more likely to win Nobel Prizes
• 2 to 4 times more likely to lodge patents!

Of course, that doesn’t include the rich cultural and social contributions they bring, along with admirable traits like resilience and adaptability.

At SSI we are privileged to be able to offer a warm welcome to our new arrivals and help them adjust to living in a new culture and society where much of what they find is different, can be complex, and at times overwhelming. Every day I get to meet the most amazing people!

I hope you have been able to participate in some of our celebration events, had a chance to meet some of our refugees, or simply took a moment to appreciate that we truly are the lucky country in a world where millions of others face wars, famine and displacement.

We welcome your support outside of Refugee Week of course. We welcome donations and have many volunteering opportunities. Perhaps you might listen to some stories to understand more about the refugee experience, extend a warm smile, or the hand of friendship.

Building awareness of the refugee and migration experience helps promote understanding and greater community harmony.

In today’s world, this is a rare and precious thing.

Let’s all play our part, every day of the week, to welcome and celebrate refugees and contribute to a better and more cohesive multicultural Australia.

Violet Roumeliotis

Diramu Aboriginal Dance and Didgeridoo Performers at the launch of SSI’s Reconciliation Action Plan.

Sorry Day commemorates the Stolen Generations – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities.

National Reconciliation Week falls on the same dates each year to commemorate the 1967 referendum that amended the constitution to include First Nation Peoples in the census and allowed the Commonwealth to create laws for them, and the 1992 High Court Mabo decision, that recognised First Nation Peoples as the Traditional Owners of this land.

This is one reason why an Acknowledgement of Country is so important. I acknowledge, and encourage us all to acknowledge, the Traditional Custodians of the lands that we work across at SSI and Access, and pay our respects to past, present and future Elders of this nation. At SSI, we recognise the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

For non-First Nations Peoples, National Reconciliation Week provides opportunities for listening, learning, and reflecting. Underpinning this is recognising the past and continued intergenerational trauma that colonisation has caused First Nations Peoples, so that healing can be fostered.

Uncle Charles (Chicka) Madden, a respected Elder from Gadigal country who holds several titles including Director of the Aboriginal Medical Service, discusses the importance of acknowledging the past wrongdoings in SSI Group’s Reconciliation Action Plan.

“It’s important to talk about and acknowledge the poor treatment of Aboriginal People in the past, and only once it is acknowledged and spoken about can we move on to Reconciliation.

“We need to communicate the truth of what happened in the past, in order to move forward in the future.”

This year, the theme for National Reconciliation Week is “Be Brave. Make Change”. Reconciliation Australia states on its website that during this time all Australians are “challenged to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can make change for the benefit of all Australians”.

Reconciliation is not a passive term – it requires two parties to openly communicate, so that a deep sense of understanding can be established and relationships can grow and thrive.

We all play a role in this process. We can all take time to expand our own learning. We can all help to create safe and supportive spaces for First Nations Peoples, Educators and Elders to share their stories and histories, in a spirit of compassion.

I encourage you to see this week as an opportunity to be an active supporter of Reconciliation, by attending an event (click here to see events that have been registered with Reconciliation Australia; you may know of others in your local communities).

Be brave, make change – now is the time to come together to connect and grow as an Australian community.

Violet Roumeliotis

Despite the challenges presented by COVID, hub programs and activities flourished.

Community hubs create invaluable space and support for families to build confidence, social connections, improve educational outcomes and increase employment potential.

Parramatta West’s programs and activities included yoga, Pilates, English classes, coffee and chat, financial assistance, food hampers and family assistance … all online.

In spite of the rain, the hub celebrated this year’s International Women’s Day in its newly furbished premises. After eight months connecting online, the women finally were able to meet face-to-face.

It was an open day event that celebrated friendship, happiness, hope and building connections.

Over 80 hub participants and school staff attended. Catering was provided by program partner Piccolo Me, and Sonyla’s Beauty Spot donated a $200 beauty voucher for a lucky door prize.

Guest speakers included Dianne Kersten from Parramatta College, speaking about courses the college offers, and Nicole Senior from the P&C, speaking about the meaning behind International Women’s Day and how everyone could advocate for change.

Hub Leader Kristina Medak’s exceptional engagement and communication skills have helped create a hub space that fosters trust, friendship and belonging.

For many years, Foster Cortis was unemployed due to living with arthritis, a lung condition and chronic depression.

The virtual conference provided the opportunity to hear not just from service providers but from the newcomers they have helped.

Australia is one of the most urbanised nations in the world, with nearly 70% of us living in capital cities. As a result, regional and rural areas often miss out on the social and economic benefits of migration because newcomers are more likely to live in a capital city where there are more employment opportunities, infrastructure and established social connections.

Often this trend is amplified by people moving away from regional areas, driven by more opportunities in the cities.

Migrants often choose to stay in regional and rural areas based on factors including employment, education, lifestyle, availability of services and the warmth of welcome from locals. 

Local community attitudes and involvement, and strong social networks within and between communities, are important prerequisites for successful settlement.

Yet regional settlement policy often doesn’t consider the local host community conditions or the aspirations of newcomers. As a result, regional areas often lack the specialised health, education, housing and employment services that refugees and migrants need to build their lives.

The NSP is a consortium of settlement providers with a footprint across Sydney and regional NSW, through which we deliver the Australian Government’s Settlement Engagement and Transition Support program.

The partnership’s ethos is underpinned by the belief that there is a need for a coordinated, holistic approach to regional development that acknowledges the role refugees and migrants play in reinvigorating regional areas.

At today’s conference, our insightful panels and discussions explored a wide range of issues, including affordable housing, educational and employment opportunities, and culturally responsive service delivery.

SSI supports a regional settlement approach that builds social connections through community-led activities. Regional migration and settlement policy should seek to align newcomers’ aspirations with host community needs and settlement capacities and capabilities at a local level. Newcomers in regional areas should feel empowered to make life choices and shape their future in their new community.

While community engagement and social cohesion are important, there is no substitute for the specialised settlement services and expertise that settlement providers can offer. Robust, adequately funded, and resourced settlement services can help newly arrived people to gain confidence and become self-reliant in a new and unfamiliar environment. 

I am proud of the important work being done by SSI and the NSP to ensure our regions continue to be attractive destinations for Australia’s newcomers.

Violet Roumeliotis

SSI CEO

This year’s theme – “Everyone Belongs” – celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. It’s about fostering inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. 

Amid the inevitable saturation of news around the war in Ukraine, and not to forget the continued global unrest in places like Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen, it’s challenging to pause and celebrate this year.

I was fortunate to be invited to unveil the National Monument to Migration of Australia in a special ceremony on Sunday, March 20, at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

The Monument is a major Museum initiative that promotes Australia’s multicultural identity Australia-wide. It features more than 30,000 migrant names engraved on a series of bronze panels that thread along our waterfront site at Darling Harbour, Sydney.

In recognition of Harmony Week, 1,281 new names (including 91 from Greece, my father’s place of birth) representing 73 countries were unveiled, thanks to 627 donations towards the Migration Heritage Fund, which supports the Museum’s efforts to share the national migration story.

Unveiling the monument was quite emotionally triggering, as it brought memories of my late father to the fore.

My parents made the journey to Australia after World War Two and the civil war in Greece, seeking a better life.

As a child, I saw firsthand my parents’ resilience and optimism, the support they had from the surrounding Greek community and the support they in turn gave others as passionate and active leaders in the community — because, of course, organisations like SSI were not around in those days.

My parents were hardworking and humble and, at one stage, even mortgaged our house to buy land to build a Greek Orthodox Church in Bankstown, which stands today.

I saw all the things they did to integrate into the Australian community while also continuing to embrace and celebrate their own cultural heritage. As their daughter, I am today very proud of my dual Greek-Australian heritage.

I first heard about the National Monument to Migration many years ago when it was called the Welcome Wall. My Dad had passed away, and the family wanted a way to honour him and his contribution, his memory, and his life. The story of the Katsaros family is now part of this exhibition of personal stories and family histories.

In recent discussions with the Museum, I became aware that not all countries were well represented on the monument, so SSI initiated a program with the museum called Honour a New Migrant.

It does cost to incorporate these stories on the monument, and we were aware that new migrants and refugees might not be in a position to fund this themselves.

So, as part of the initiative, SSI — along with Multicultural Australia in Queensland — helps identify individuals and families who might like to have their stories historically recorded in this way. The Museum provides the funds through its generous donation program.

Together with the Museum, we hope to develop a fully rounded collection of stories because a broad representation is vital to accurately reflect the richness of the migrant experience.

At SSI, we have the privilege of welcoming new migrants and refugees on their arrival to Australia and connecting them to services and programs that help them find their feet in their new home.

I am proud to say that 14 people we have come to know through our delivery of the Australian government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program were honoured on the monument this year. They come from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Samoa, Lebanon, Turkey and South Africa.

Migrants bring so much richness to our country and a warm welcome from the local community makes a big difference in newcomers’ sense of belonging. Appearing on the National Monument to Migration is an extension of that welcome to our diverse migrant communities. It says, “This is your home, and your story matters.”

Building awareness of the migration experience to Australia also helps promote understanding and greater community harmony. This Harmony Week, let’s welcome our newcomers and migrants as part of multicultural Australia’s wonderful success story.

Violet Roumeliotis

SSI CEO