Finding Your Feet (detail) by Sayd Abdali, Nasaphah Nasaphah and Jane Theau for Motherland-Exile/Refuge-Migration (repeat) Exhibition, January 2020, Australian National Maritime Museum.
Without doubt, this year was not what any of us expected. And it’s safe to say for many of us, 2020 gave the word unprecedented a new definition.
In this year alone we have survived unprecedented fires, an unprecedented pandemic, and unprecedented restrictions.
But, if I had to choose one word to define this year for us, or for the communities we support, I would choose resilience.
While it has been a difficult year, there have also been wonderful moments of optimism, like our bushfire communities rebuilding, COVID-19 restrictions easing, and our communities rallying together despite physical and social isolation.
Time and time again over this year, we have seen our clients demonstrate incredible resilience and ingenuity in the face of adversity.
Despite many individuals being in the midst of their settlement journey, they have worked tirelessly to not only keep their family on their feet in the wake of social and economic disruption, but have also come together to support the wider community.
The power and empathy of our communities is a constant inspiration.
Furthermore, the resilience of our staff and partner organisations, and the unwavering commitment to our clients and communities is something I am immensely proud of.
To have survived this year as an organisation is a credit to our hard-working staff.
Our staff have come through this year with resilience, compassion, and dedication. While they themselves have been affected by the pandemic, they have proudly continued to delivering quality services to our clients and communities.
In all the years of SSI’s operation, we have faced many tests of resilience. This year has been incredibly challenging, but I know we will again emerge with strength, and integrity and, most importantly, we will emerge together.
I think it is important to acknowledge that although it has been a difficult year, we have also made some amazing achievements.
In 2020, we proudly celebrated 20 years of serving and advocating for our communities at SSI. We provided crisis support to individuals and families from asylum seeker backgrounds through donated food packages.
We also continued our journey to provide disability support services to multicultural communities as we commenced providing the NDIS Local Area Coordination Service.
We extended our Multicultural Foster Care Program into Victoria and have recently been selected to deliver a multicultural service to address gambling harm across Victoria.
While these are only some of our achievements, this wouldn’t have been possible without support from our staff, the community, our member organisations, funders, and other partners in the community, corporate and academic sectors. Thank you.
For me, this year has served as a crucial reminder for why SSI and Access exist and why we have been proudly advocating and supporting our clients and communities for the past 20 years.
Our newly released 2019-2020 Annual Report shows that, over the course of a single year, SSI staff made a positive difference in the lives of over 37,400 people.
Thank you all for your continued help in supporting newcomers and other vulnerable community members to reach their full potential.
I also want to acknowledge that this year many people may be spending this time away from family.
It’s why I want to I encourage you, in the spirit of the season to reach out to people who may be on their own, such as those on temporary visa holders, or people who are socially isolated like your friends and neighbors to check in and offer them some company.
I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday break.
Violet Roumeliotis
SSI CEO
Photo is captured during the 7th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights (APCRR7).
The Asia Pacific region hosts a significant number of the world’s refugees and is also the site of some of the world’s most acute and protracted refugee situations in which at least 25,000 refugees from the same country have been living in exile for more than five consecutive years.
With the challenges facing refugees in this region, civil society organisations and individuals from across the region agreed to establish the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) in November 2008.
As a longstanding member, and a partner since 2017, SSI has supported APRRN’s activities in key areas, including joint advocacy for refugee rights at national, regional and international levels.
APRRN members are diverse, comprising service providers, human rights advocacy groups, research institutions, lawyers and law firms providing pro-bono legal aid, and refugee community-based organisations.
SSI supports APRRN to advance refugee protection in the region through APRRN’s regional and international advocacy, civil society coordination, and capacity strengthening of NGOs.
SSI Senior Policy Officer Carmen Ghaly said SSI’s partnership with APRRN had several aims, including strengthening the capacity and sustainability of APRRN’s Secretariat to coordinate its membership and refugee rights advocacy.
“SSI and APRRN’s shared values in advancing refugee rights in the region and strengthening the capacity of the sector are at the core of our partnership,” she said.
“SSI is excited to continue its partnership with APRRN and support the work of the Secretariat and the network.”
Program Coordinator APRRN Secretariat Janeen Sawatzky said that APRRN was excited to be soon receiving training from SSI in the areas of a trauma-informed practice.
“APRRN is excited to have SSI supporting and partnering with us on our Short Course on Refugee Rights and Advocacy this year – lending their expertise and bringing critical insights on trauma-informed practice to guide strategic advocacy efforts.”
Other activities between the affiliated organisations include knowledge sharing and capacity-strengthening, and addressing responses to key protection challenges, focusing on legal aid, advocacy, refugee law, mental health, gender issues, statelessness, and alternatives to detention.
SSI and APRRN have shared values and principles, and alignment on specific goals such as a commitment to the Global Compact on Refugees and pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum, including refugee leadership and protection.
The partnership also aims to facilitate the organisation and implementation of APRRN’s 8th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights (APCRR8) and Regional Protection Forum in October 2021 and to continue supporting the annual implementation of APRRN’s annual Short Course on “Refugee Rights and Advocacy”.
Community Refugee Welcome Centre Coordinator Moones Mansoubi captured with event attendee and refugee Solmaz Mirzaei.
Production of the eight-minute video fostered social inclusion and participation while providing an opportunity for refugee artists to present their work during the pandemic.
Many iconic Inner West Council locations are featured along with 22 artists – newly arrived refugees, Aboriginal community members and local Inner West musicians – who all bring elements from their culture to the project. See the video here.
Solmaz Mirzaei arrived in Australia from Iran as a refugee two years ago and attended the event. SSI provided her with wrap-around services, including accommodation, and assisted her in settling into her new home.
“As a woman in Iran, it is difficult, and we decided to come to a country like Australia that respects our human rights.
“Human rights mean for me a world full of peace, fairness and freedom for all the people and no prejudices in the world.”
Ms Mirzaei said that human rights existed in a world where people are valued as humans and nothing else; not because of race, education, economic background, gender or religion.
“Unity among all people is very important in the world because there is only one truth and it’s unity that helps us to reach that truth.
“This video shows us that people can show their belief about human rights through art. Art is the language of unity.”
Ms Mirzaei said that the support that was provided to her family by the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program, delivered by SSI, was extensive.
“SSI is an organisation that supports people, something that I have experienced in my first two years in Australia.
“They have supported us in many different areas, including helping us become independent, finding services and also programs that help us be more happy where we can celebrate.”
The Community Refugee Welcome Centre is a partnership between Inner West Council and Settlement Services International (SSI).
Centre Coordinator Moones Mansoubi said, “The Melody of Humanity project has provided a professional development opportunity for everyone involved, including the artists who actively participated in the creative process of production and who demonstrated their remarkable skills and talents.”
SSI General Manager Service Delivery – Settlement, Yamamah Agha said the project was a reminder that human rights belonged to everyone, and was what bound people together as a community.
“The video provides a vehicle for people to connect and experience culture from diverse perspectives, particularly during a time when many communities are experiencing poor mental health due to the pandemic,” she said.
Refugee and filmmaker Ali Rezvani arrived in Australia in March this year to start a new life. Ms Mansoubi supported him to find opportunities in his field, including connecting him with the Inner West Council, enabling him to use his filmmaking skills to create the project’s video about local refugee experiences.
“The video is a great example of where the skills, motivations and aspirations of diverse human languages come together,” he said.
The Community Refugee Welcome Centre in Callan Park is where refugees and people seeking asylum are welcomed and supported to re-build their lives in their new country while forming meaningful connections with Inner West locals. It was established by the former Leichhardt Council in 2016.
“The Welcome Centre is a great example of how Council is promoting social justice in our own backyard,” said Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne.
“The Centre makes a practical difference in the lives of people who have escaped war and oppression to make it to Australia and become part of our Inner West community,” he said.
“This beautiful video is uplifting, inclusive and inspiring. I hope people watch it and open their hearts and minds and reflect on why people leave their homes and flee from their countries, and why we must do a better job of welcoming people who have been displaced by injustice,” Mayor Byrne said.
Former refugee Dolkar Lhamo and her son.
Ms Lhamo was born in Tibet and lived there with her parents and four siblings until the age of 15.
After continuing her education and practising medicine in India, Ms Lhamo arrived in Australia with her husband and son in August 2019 and was welcomed at the airport by Settlement Services International (SSI).
She said that the support that was provided to her family by The Humanitarian Settlement Program, funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs* and delivered by Settlement Services International (SSI), was extensive. “They gave us furniture, took us to many events and familiarised us with the Australian ways,” she said.
As a child, she was enrolled into a Tibetan children’s boarding school where she completed her studies. Fulfilling her parents’ dreams for her to have a brighter future, she went on to study medicine at a Tibetan medical college.
“I left my parents when I was 15. I was alone, and I knew that’s what they wanted me to do – to become a doctor, especially a traditional one,” she said.
After completing her studies and a one-year internship, she ambitiously sought and secured a job where she worked as a GP in a Tibetan medical institution for 10 years. Having to leave her family while she was an adolescent, Ms Lhamo said she developed a strong connection with her sponsor parent, who visited her four times in India.
“When I was in India, in my school, this one lady was sponsoring me from Luxemburg. She was like a mum to me. When my son was born, she came to see him. We still speak often,” she said.
While her sponsor parent continues to act as a support network, Ms Lhamo still yearns to be reconnected with her biological family, who she has not seen for 20 years.
“I have had no contact with them, not on the phone or anywhere. I tried many times to go back to Tibet to see my parents, but the Chinese embassy did not give me permission to go.”
Her inability to travel from India to Tibet became a defining factor in Ms Lhamo’s decision to seek refuge in Australia. As there is more political freedom to travel between Australia and Tibet, Ms Lhamo hopes she will now be able to rekindle connections with her estranged family.
“One of my cousins here got permission to visit Tibet. The Australian government is more willing to give me the chance (to go to Tibet.)”
While waiting for the opportunity to travel to Tibet, Ms Lhamo has started studying a Diploma of Library and Information Services at TAFE. Her English teacher at Brookvale introduced her to Avalon Community Library, where she started working as a volunteer. She aspires to secure a job as a librarian in the future.
“I love working in a library because, when I was in India, I spent a lot of time there. I was working in the library when studying to be Tibetan doctor,” she said.
For Mrs Lhamo, working at the library is an opportunity to connect with diverse communities and people from all walks of life, similar to her life as a doctor.
“While working for 10 years in India, I went to many different places and learnt different cultures. I feel the same thing in the library. Every day there are different people asking different questions. I can help them.”
Ms Lhamo’s local community is home to people who speak an array of different languages. Her multilingualism in English, Indian, Chinese and Tibetan are skills that she hopes can make her a valuable librarian in the future.
“We have lots of different people … I think I can be helpful to my community.”
While Ms Lhamo has made a significant change in her home and careers, with her future showing bright prospects, her hope to reunite with her family remains strong.
“For me, I really I hope I can go back to Tibet and see my parents before it’s too late. This is my dream to see them and talk to them.”
*Go to https://homeaffairs.gov.au/ for more information.
Saif has a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Baghdad College of Medicine and had worked for four years at Al-Imam Ali Hospital in Iraq.
In the beginning, Saif, who had come to Australia by himself, faced difficulties settling, including with the language barrier, new system, culture and lifestyle, and with overseas qualification recognition processes. To work as a doctor in Australia, international medical graduates need to complete the AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) registration requirement by passing the Australian Medical Council (AMC) exams, as well as an English test.
On a friend’s recommendation, Saif contacted SSI in October 2018 for help with his employment journey in Australia, starting with understanding the process of getting his qualification recognised.
SSI’s Refugee Employment Support Program (RESP), an initiative of the NSW government, supported Saif to complete the Australian Medical Council exams, occupational English test exam, and eventually his AHPRA registration. RESP also provided financial support and educational courses that helped him pass the exams. Additionally, SSI assisted Saif to get a driver’s license through driving lessons, and helped with workshops about finding jobs in Australia. This essential support was crucial, and made a huge difference to Saif’s journey.
After two years of hard study and struggle, Saif secured a job as an Emergency Resident Medical Officer at Royal Hobart Hospital; back practising medicine, and back on track saving lives.
Saif recently wrote to his RESP Employment Facilitator, Sevan Chilingeryan:
I would like to thank the SSI team especially my case managers Sevan, Marlen, and Rahaf for their guidance and help they provided. Great job.
– Saif Noori
Learn more about the Refugee Employment Support Program.
IoNV’s three arms — education and training, a therapeutic and clinical program, and a social lens that focuses on advocacy and research – bring a particular focus on domestic and family violence with a focus on being more inclusive of Australia’s multicultural communities.
“I want to address how we can entrench our work in this (intersectionality) framework, rather than thinking of it as an attachment. That’s a massive task,” she said.
“Australian systems are Anglo and Eurocentric. What comes with this is an Anglo view of what family is and what family violence looks like.”
Ms Abdelnour, who has a background in psychology and social work, said that her business offered a framework and set of tools for people working in the family and domestic violence field, supporting them to deliver an inclusive approach to the issue.
“We want to work with everybody to create a model that is culturally safe and inclusive,” she said.
Ms Abdelnour established IoNV this year with support from Settlement Service International’s (SSI) Ignite Small Business Start-ups program.
The business will be officially launched online on November 25 in collaboration with poet Luka Lesson whose new song commissioned by IoNV will premiere at the event.
The launch coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls and day one of ‘16 Days of Activism’.
“IoNV wouldn’t be where it’s at if it wasn’t for Ignite. They gave me access to a world I wouldn’t have known how to access. I mean that in terms of the things you need when you’re setting up a business structure so that it can have longevity,” Ms Abdelnour said.
Ms Abdelnour emigrated from Lebanon with her family at the age of 9, as the country was in a civil war. While she has lived in Australia for most of her life, her migrant experience has posed unforeseen challenges for her in starting a business.
“Regardless of how long you’ve been here, it’s not having a historical connection to Australia, or to people who understand Australia and how the system and government work.
“I grew up listening to my parents discuss a political landscape that’s on the other side of the world.”
Her experiences as a first-generation migrant, coupled with an extensive employment history with culturally diverse communities and individuals, resulted in Ms Abdelnour’s business being built on the foundations of intersectionality.
“I worked in men’s behavioural change programs and, at the same time, I was consulting with the family violence sector on workforce development, training design and delivery, and inclusion. There was an alignment of events that led me to grow exponentially in a short period.
“I was able to bring my experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds and traumatic life experiences to aid my understanding of how this interacts with family violence. It became the perfect marriage of knowledge and skill from the past into the present.”
Some of IoNV’s research and advocacy work is reflected in Ms Abdelnour’s research paper, a report commissioned in 2020 by the Victorian Multicultural Commission, into enhancing the services available to culturally diverse men who use violence.
“There were significant gaps where communities reflected that they (perpetrators of family violence) didn’t feel culturally safe in the existing model,” she said.
“Service providers also felt they didn’t have the resources they needed to work inclusively with diverse communities. The multicultural sector expressed a strong interest in wanting to be more trained and skilled in the family violence sector.”
Ms Abdelnour will present at a webinar on the findings of the report on December 10 to complete the final day of ‘16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence’.
Watch SSI’s 20th anniversary interview with CEO Violet Roumeliotis here.
SSI was launched with a Humanitarian Settlement Services contract in February 2000 – commencing operations on August 1, 2001 from a small building in Holden Street, Ashfield.
Back then, we were called the NSW Migrant Resource Centres Association. We employed 23 people and were focused on early settlement and multicultural Australia in the Sydney area.
Fast forward to today, we have expanded to be in the top 1% of Australian charities (as listed by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission in 2018) – having expanded our workforce to over 800 employees and broadened the scope of services we provide, and the states we have a footprint in.
This period of growth has taught me the immense value in collaboration between communities, organisations, sectors, and governments at all levels. I am deeply proud of initiatives such as the NSW Settlement Partnership (NSP), which brings together the grassroots expertise of 21 organisations to deliver settlement services under the Department of Home Affairs’ Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) program.
Initiatives such as the NSP work as an opportunity for organisations with a long and proud history in service delivery to migrants, refugees, and humanitarian entrants, to work collaboratively to address collective aims and objectives.
Despite our growth, SSI’s focus on supporting newly arrived refugees and those seeking asylum to settle in Australia and reach their goals and full potential has been unwavering.
We have expanded on the supports we provide, developing new innovative programs and thought leadership initiatives, and responded quickly to local national and international crisis, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In late 2018, SSI grew substantially, when Access Community Services, one of Australia’s leaders in multicultural support services based in Queensland, became a subsidiary of SSI.
This was a huge milestone in our history. Working as one organisation, Access and SSI came together to strengthen our position and support service growth around the country and collaborate to provide better outcomes for clients, funding partners and key stakeholders.
At the same time, I believe that one of SSI’s greatest successes as an organisation has been the diversification of the support we provide.
The experience and insights created, relationships SSI has gained over the past 20 years, has enabled us to expand our services into other areas including foster care, disability, and the support of LGBTQIA+ Australians and First Nations communities.
Just this year, SSI began our delivery of the Local Area Coordinator (LAC) services for the NDIS to over 16,000 people living in Sydney and South West Sydney areas, marking a huge step forward for the organisation.
We also recently expanded our Multicultural Foster Care Program (MFCP) into Victoria, an exciting step for such an innovative program that has broadened SSI’s impact since it was launched in NSW in 2013. The MFCP approaches out-of- home care in the ‘SSI way,’ utilising our cultural expertise to ensure children are supported to learn about and maintain a connection to their ethnic background, religion, and language, to achieve better outcomes
This has demonstrated how culturally informed and diverse organisations like SSI can add value and voice to wide ranging services. In partnership with community and clients we bring a unique approach to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) – and non-CALD communities, through bespoke case management models and an expansive community mindset.
Despite all this growth and change, I am proud to say that SSI’s core values, client focus, and mission has remained consistent.
We continue to be a client-focused organisation that provides individualised services to support people and communities to reach their full potential. Our work and strategies are focused on walking alongside our clients and communities, giving them agency and voice to ensure that they live the life that they want to live.
And this vision would not be possible without our staff, who’s dedication, community connection and expertise, has, and always will be, the bedrock of the work SSI and Access does.
In fact, SSI’s entire identity is absolutely founded through people – the people we are comprised of, the people we support, and the stakeholders and communities we work with. No matter the circumstance, our success is built up from mutual, receptive relationships, that are focused on building capacity and power together.
We will carry this approach into the coming 20 years, where I aspire for SSI to spread our vision and organisation across the country; creating an impact in all states and territories.
We will also strive to have impact internationally through thought leadership and social justice policies. In what can be predicted as the turbulent years to come, we will do our best to ensure that the voices and needs of the globe’s most vulnerable are heard, represented, and included in international discourse.
As we approach the conclusion of our 20th year it is clear now more than ever, we need robust social supports. The pandemic has illustrated that locally, nationally, and globally, we are only as strong as our most vulnerable community member.
SSI’s mission is centred around this adage, and we have held and practised this principle well before it was highlighted by the current crisis. This year has been immensely difficult for SSI and the communities we support.
Despite this, the challenges we have faced have solidified our resilience and our ability to adapt and be innovative.
Reflecting on our history, has reminded me of the storms we have weathered over the past two decades, and the support and hard work of SSI staff, that have kept our vision alive.
I am proud to lead an organisation like SSI and work alongside a group of compassionate, driven, and dedicated people.
Looking ahead to the future, our vision remains the same, and our passion keeps us moving. To you, our supporters, I want to say thank you, I hope you will follow along as we continue to advocate and support communities over the next 20 years.
The family has faced numerous challenges in its journey towards its ultimate goal: achieving a fulfilling, independent life for the children. Now, with the support of LAC planner, Erin, they are closer than ever.
Disabilities can affect individuals to varying degrees and in different ways. This is illustrated through Eve’s three children, who face different challenges associated with their cognitive, behavioural, or social disabilities.
Eve’s daughter Rhiannan, aged 21, is thriving in her work as a Disability Support Worker. She has just bought her first house and is about to begin nursing studies at University.
“Despite being the middle child, she is both her brother’s protector; doing whatever it takes to support them,” said Eve.
Michael and Damon* have both faced significant challenges to their day-to-day functioning and receive support through the Local Area Coordinator (LAC) program.
Eve’s eldest son, 27-year-old Michael, is an articulate, engaging man with a passion for reading. He was born with a learning disorder and is on the Autism spectrum. He has previously volunteered with the Australian SES and one day hopes to take advantage of his love for structure and focus in a career as a police officer.
Damon, aged 20, was born with Autism and lives with severe oppositional defiance disorder.
“He is a funny character, though, and a great person,” said Eve. “He tries really hard, but it is quite tricky for him.”
Although it was initially challenging to find a supporter who connected with Damon and Michael, after meeting SSI LAC planner Erin, they have both seen significant improvements.
Eve said that, before they met Erin, Michael’s wellness had deteriorated to a point where he was at risk of being kicked out of his home.
“He had become a complete recluse, refused to speak to anybody, including his own family, all because he didn’t have the support he needed. But Erin has been amazing with him and helped me to get the support he needs,” said Eve.
Erin’s assistance has helped Michael to get out of the house once a week and visit the family to have a dinner. He has been able to maintain the property he lives in and is well enough to consider joining self-development programs.
Damon has also seen significant improvement, having reduced the frequency of violent or aggressive responses after he was put in contact with a therapist he can trust and be open with.
The connection Erin made with Michael and Damon was key to their success.
“A close connection with the caseworker is really important because having that gets better outcomes for my sons. That is crucial, I believe, for them to get the support they need and eventually become independent,” said Eve.
Damon has also built a close, positive relationship with his support worker, who’s ongoing support has been integral to his progress.
Although the journey has not always been easy, Eve and her husband are determined to give their children the best quality of life possible and support them to achieve independence. The family is well on their way to achieving that.
“This has been so challenging, but my boys did not ask to be born with a disability, and we focus on making the absolute most of the life we have.”
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SSI recently took on the role as a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) provider in the Sydney region. As an LAC provider, SSI supports people aged 7 and over to access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and other mainstream services in the community.
For more information, visit www.ssi.org.au/local-area-coordination or call 1800 960 975 to speak to with the SSI LAC Intake Team.
*Pseudonym and stock photo used to protect individual’s privacy.
In Syria, Mr Smith studied engineering and worked at a travel agency. While in limbo in Lebanon he worked as a supervisor for eight unisex clothing stores.
Arriving in Australia, Mr Smith was met by the Settlement Services International (SSI) team who took him to his temporary accommodation and assisted him in settling into his new home.
The Australian Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program delivered by SSI has ambitiously sought to find Mr Smith education and employment opportunities since his arrival.
SSI provided him with useful information and guidance about the workforce, and he independently furthered his studies and secured work.
Since making Australia his home, he has harnessed his bilingual skills through supporting the elderly community.
“I actually have this job because I speak Arabic and English. People in aged care who are from the Middle East can often only speak Arabic, so they need help,” he said.
Mr Smith completed a Certificate 3 in Community Service at TAFE and then job-hunted online, where he found a position as an aged care worker.
With a history of assisting the elderly, his aged care patients often describe him as being “their son”. Back in Syria, he would regularly be called on to help his grandparents, as he was one of the only young males in his family fit to help.
Mr Smith has close interactions with aged care patients, as his job is to help them shop, bathe, translate and speak with them when they need human connection.
He said that the people at the facility were friendly and he had a good relationship with them.
“Most of the time, they will ask for me when I’m not there. They will ask, ‘Why hasn’t JS come? We need JS.’”
Mr Smith is determined to further his career and has aspirations to continue his studies.
“Next year, I want to do my Certificate 4 at TAFE for aged care and disability. I also want to get a diploma and one day go to university to study community services,” he said.
While Mr Smith has flourished in his work, he has had to overcome social adversity due to his sexuality.
“I have had challenges with my community. They didn’t accept my sexuality,” he said. “The best community I have found is the Australian community.”
Mr Smith also has a close relationship with his family, who have accepted his sexuality.
His mother likes his partner of four years, who is still in Lebanon waiting to have his humanitarian visa granted.
“The Australian community wanted my help because I can speak two languages,” he said.
“I love to help people wherever they are.”
* Name changed to protect anonymity
SSI Ignite® entrepreneur Hedayat Osyan giving a TED talk at the TEDxSydney 2019 conference
Since Hedayat came to Australia in 2010, his passion for pairing social responsibility and entrepreneurship has been significant. After graduating with a bachelor degree in politics and international relations and an honours degree from the University of Canberra, he worked as a youth consultant for the Cumberland Council, MYAN NSW and Community Migrant Resource Centre.
As the passionate founder and managing director of social enterprise Nick Tiling Services, Hedayat harnesses his lived experience and trains, employs and supports other refugees and asylum seekers.
Hedayat says that his “main goal” is “to help [refugees] become independent and empower them”.
Testament to his dedication to the cause was his selection as Young Social Pioneer by Foundation for Young Australians in 2018 and First Gens Accelerator by ygap in 2019. Also in 2019, Hedayat was selected as a speaker at TEDxSydney 2019, after being part of SSI’s Pay it Forward contingent at TEDxSydney 2018. Pay it Forward was a key component of a partnership between TEDx and SSI where community members from a range of SSI programs were given the opportunity to attend the conference by generous conference participants.
Hedayat was so inspired by his 2018 TEDx experience that he took part in one of the 2019 pitch nights and finally spoke at the main event, where his message around welcoming refugees reached an audience of 5,000 people.
Hedayat was supported by Ignite® to found Nick Tiling Services, which has trained and supported more than 43 people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds and has completed 85 projects in NSW.
SSI developed Ignite® to facilitate small business creation for people from a refugee background who want to start their own business or expand an existing one.
Research indicates that people from a refugee background display strong entrepreneurial qualities, with a higher than average proportion engaging in small and medium business compared to the general Australian population.
Ignite® harnesses these qualities and delivers the first start-ups program in Australia to focus on refugees, based on an enterprise facilitation model developed by the Sirolli Institute.
Find out more about the SSI Ignite® Small Business Start-ups program and help other refugee entrepreneurs by making a donation.