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SSI and Access locations to close temporarily due to the escalating COVID-19 pandemic.

We will continue to deliver essential services to our clients and communities with staff working remotely.
Our priority is to limit disruption to those services and to ensure that clients continue to receive adequate support and service delivery.

This situation is unprecedented, and we are unable to say when operations will resume as normal.

Our new operating arrangement will be reviewed regularly in line with advice from the government and health experts.

We will continue to actively engage with staff, clients and community to listen to their concerns and questions.
We are developing a suite of resources on the SSI website to help our clients and the community navigate the challenging time ahead. And we will communicate regularly as we adapt to the changing situation.

Even though we’re physically distancing, in such times of crisis it is critical that we take care of ourselves, physically and mentally, and stay connected.

Anyone with concerns or questions should contact SSI.

Further information and resources

The ‘Building Workplace Capability for Indigenous Australia Network’ conference gathered organisations, business leaders and indigenous elders to investigate the role corporate Australia can play as allies to the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

The Uluru Statement calls for a First Nations voice to Parliament and a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making and truth-telling. These reforms are: voice, treaty and truth.

Nicole Laupepa, a proud Goomeri woman and SSI Project Officer and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Specialist, represented SSI at the conference and said she was proud to present our vision statement to attendees.

“First Nation people seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country.”

For the past two years, SSI has embarked on a journey of reconciliation that was built on community consultation and the vision of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

After a long journey of learning and discovery, we are at the final stages in the development our first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and organisational revival vision.

SSI’s revival vision ensures we will listen, learn and share the wisdom of 60,000 years of an ancient culture.

SSI will also work towards realising makarrata —birth a new season of kinship, where all people and cultures acknowledge our past, see each other and walk together in the spirit of strength and unity.

Finally, we will strive to shape a pathway where everyone has an opportunity to prosper, contributing to an Australia that redefines difference and steps out in courage to build a unified, equal and respectful Nation.

Read more on the Uluru Statement from the Heart here 

Learn more about SSI’s reconciliation journey here 

We’re writing to let you know that, as a community-led organisation, SSI will continue to work hard to find ways to support community members and ensure that, despite physical distancing, social connection remains strong.

Our thoughts are with our clients, communities and staff as we negotiate these rapidly changing and challenging times.

As we face empty supermarket shelves, fighting over rations, and general uncertainty, we must hold on to our compassion, care and sense of community.

As government, business and community efforts ramp up to reduce the impact of COVID-19, SSI’s number one priority is to protect the health and wellbeing of our clients, communities and staff.

Following Australian Department of Heath recommendations, SSI has implemented steps for the safety of staff and visitors, while continuing to support our clients.

While none of us knows how this will evolve over the next few weeks, we want you to know that SSI is:

We will continue to monitor advice and reports from the Australian government and state authorities, and communicate any changes to our services with our staff, clients and stakeholders.

This is a challenging and uncertain time for us all. Everyone has a role to play in minimising the impact and spread of COVID-19. By acting together in a measured and caring way we all can contribute to the safety of ourselves, each other and our clients.

Now, more than ever, we must show care and compassion, and avoid the urge to put our needs above those of others.

In such times of crisis we must take care of ourselves both physically and mentally, be kind to one another and stay connected.

Anyone with concerns or questions should contact SSI here. 

Further information and resources

Participants in the Empowering Women Through Engagement Table Talks

The table talks were held at the Novotel, Parramatta, on February 28, in the lead up to IWD on March 8.

The women from CALD backgrounds, including community leaders and leaders from the corporate world, were joined by Federal Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, and Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash.

Along with the ministers, Hawanatu Bangura, an entrepreneur and former refugee, spoke to the gathering.

Ms Bangura arrived in Australia in 2002 as a refugee from Sierra Leone. With the support of SSI’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups, she founded Mahawa Creative, a storytelling agency that helps organisations and individuals to craft meaningful narratives.

Ms Bangura said the table talks were a great opportunity to talk about her journey with likeminded women.

“We have all had similar challenges when it comes to finding employment. Talking to these women really encouraged me and validated my experiences,” she said.

The positive energy of Ministers Cash and Payne was also a highlight for Ms Bangura.

“Listening to Minister Cash’s and Minister Payne’s speeches, and seeing their friendship, was an inspiring reminder that it is possible for women to make it in politics. There is still so much to do and young women need positive role models in this space.”

After the event, SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis explained that Empowering Women through Employment recognised that women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds were at a unique intersection of gender and culture that could limit employment opportunities and career progression.

“In order to drive change on a larger scale, we need to ensure the voices of women from CALD backgrounds are front and centre. Let’s be #EachforEqual,” she said, referring to an IWD theme.

Learn more about SSI’s Employment program here

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of girls and women.

Women from migrant and refugee backgrounds are at the intersection of gender and culture, and experience many additional challenges.

For example, the unemployment rate for female migrants is higher than both migrant men and Australian-born women, while one in four women from diverse backgrounds have been forced to scale back at work due to cultural barriers.

Few of us are in a position to influence employment barriers. But we can progress gender equality by something as simple as offering formal or informal mentoring. This 1:1 support helps women access the local networks that is often so critical in gaining employment or progressing a career.

Domestic and family violence is another issue that affects women from all walks of life but can present additional challenges for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds. They are often less likely to seek assistance due to barriers like lack of knowledge about their rights, fear of deportation and removal of children, or lack of English language skills.

There is a pressing need for consistent funding of domestic violence services that are tailored for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Again, very few of us are in a position to influence an issue of this scale, but we can take small steps. You can add your voice to the Each for Equal social media hashtag or write to your local member.

At the end of the day, gender equity is not just a women’s issue. It is an issue for everyone. When women do well, their families, businesses and whole communities prosper. On International Women’s Day, I hope you’ll join me in re-committing ourselves to progressing gender equality through small actions within our spheres of influence.

Violet Roumeliotis

SSI CEO

 

Teacher aide and refugee Yasser Ibrahim has found his calling in youth work. 

Although Mr Ibrahim has faced many challenges, with the support of SSI he found accommodation within a community he loves and completed tertiary studies to pursue his dream job, supporting youth in all aspects of their lives.

After completing a teacher aide course at TAFE, he worked full-time as a Learning Support Officer at Fairfield High School on a year-long contract.

“It was a dream come true that I was offered a job in Fairfield High School as Education Aid, where I supported students in academic achievements in all different subjects,” Mr Ibrahim said.

“Students from years 7 to 12 were approaching me for support in personal issues and life struggles as well.”

Mr Ibrahim has also completed a Certificate 4 in Youth Work and is currently studying a Diploma in Counselling. He has volunteered at youth centres and other organisations in the city for over two years now.

“Teaching is my dream job, and I am very happy where I am now. The whole experience has been very good,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim was granted asylum to Australia when religious persecution caused him to fear for his life.

“My pastor came up with the idea of leaving Egypt as my life was at great risk. If it was my choice, I never would think to leave Egypt but I was so grateful to the Australian government to give me this chance and save my life,” he said.

Despite his deep sense of relief when granted asylum, the move to Australia came with a set of complex personal challenges.

Mr Ibrahim had to leave his three sons (aged 19, 17 and 10) in Egypt with their mother, who had terminated all contact with him as a direct consequence of him changing his faith.

Moving to a foreign country can be a daunting experience, especially when you are completely alone. Mr Ibrahim said when he arrived in Sydney airport he was overwhelmed by a bittersweet sense of loss and gratitude.

“I was excited to come to Australia as I would have the freedom to be myself, which was not the case back in Egypt,” he said.

“But I was worried because I was coming to a place where I knew nobody.”

Once in Australia, Mr Ibrahim received full wrap-around refugee support services provided by SSI’s Humanitarian Settlement Program, including securing accommodation and supporting him to navigate his everyday life.

Mr Ibrahim spent his first three months in a granny flat in Granville, before gaining long-term accommodation in Kings Cross.

“I chose to live in Kings Cross because I wanted to meet with people from different faiths and backgrounds,” he said.

“It’s very safe and I’m trying to make friends from the neighbourhood.”

His case manager worked with him extensively to provide him with relevant information, easing his life in a country where he had no family or friends.

In Egypt, Mr Ibrahim graduated with a degree in agriculture and had worked for many years as a production manager. Since moving to Australia, he has pursued teaching as a career because he has a strong command of English and is passionate about education.

“I am here to make a positive contribution to the society and help others as much as I can.”

 

Aspiring photographer and Ezidi refugee Salwan Qasm Muhi (L) with Armidale local and freelance photographer Simon Scott (R).

Mr Scott has lived in Armidale for 18 years with a successful career as a photographer, producing images for politicians, universities and organisations including the local youth support hub, Backtrack.

He has also travelled to Africa, teaching photography at an educational institution in Tanzania and documenting life stories for a string of humanitarian organisations and NGOs.

On learning of Armidale’s selection as a major refugee resettlement location, Mr Scott was eager to channel his skills and document the lives of his new neighbours or, better yet, teach them how to document and tell the story of their own lives.

Mr Scott contacted SSI and was connected to Mr Muhi, a young refugee with a desire to hone his skills and pursue a career as a photographer.

After a phone call facilitated by an interpreter, the duo met face-to-face and wandered the streets of Armidale, taking photos and discussing their image compositions.

Despite the language barriers, Mr Scott and Mr Muhi formed a strong artistic bond, with Mr Scott describing Mr Muhi as someone with a warm and positive attitude — and a sharp dresser.

“He just wanted to try something new and be positive,” said Mr Scott.

Mr Scott said that there also were benefits to their meetings outside of photography, as he hoped to assist Mr Muhi to develop his English.

“He wanted to know the English words for things like family members, aunts and uncles, and, if we can’t explain a word, we use mobiles and sometimes I ask him the translation for words.”

Mr Scott plans to continue mentoring Mr Muhi and hopes to support the young refugee in finding his place within the Armidale community and, ultimately, in developing a body of work that would form his own photography exhibition.

Mr Scott is a strong believer that photography provides people with a platform to connect with others who otherwise would not have the chance to form a friendship, and that it makes communities a more welcoming place.

He said, fortunately, his job allowed him to spend time volunteering — a true passion point for him.

“Helping others allows me to give back to my core values, and it reminds me of how fortunate we are.”

 

SSI’s international program and Global Refugee Forum (GRF) delegates with UN High Commissioner for UNHCR, Filippo Grandi.

SSI was represented by its international program at the GRF, which came at the end of a tumultuous decade and served as a direct response to the unprecedented rise in the number of refugees displaced worldwide, now over 25 million people.

The occasion was ripe for the international community to advance the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees by mobilising political will, broadening the base of support, and implementing arrangements that facilitate more equitable, sustained, and predictable responsibility-sharing.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said Australia could build a community refugee sponsorship model based on Canada’s scheme.

“We’re urging others to join and endorse the pledge to help get a new community refugee sponsorship scheme up and running,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

“Imagine how proud Australia could be if we showcased an inclusive and affordable model at the next Global Refugee Forum in 2023.”

The GRF received a total of 840 pledges made by stakeholders across government, private and civil society, and served as a collective effort to respond to the needs of refugees and the communities that host them.

SSI submitted pledges in the areas of Solutions and Jobs and Livelihoods, including a joint pledge with the Community Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (CRSI) to continue to establish a community refugee sponsorship scheme in Australia.

SSI International Policy and Project Officer Carmen Ghaly said that SSI pledged to continue to develop partnerships with the private sector and create employment pathways through training and cadetship programs for refugees in Australia and globally.

“We attended various side events of the GRF, including a Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative event hosted by Ben and Jerry’s to build new partnerships with the private sector and learn from global practice.”

Through a marketplace stall that was run in partnership with Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the University of Virginia, SSI shared its local practices to a global audience, focusing on successful SSI-led community engagement initiatives, including the New Beginnings Festival and the Community Innovation Fund (CIF).

Accelerating refugee participation was a key driver of the GRF, with 70 refugees participating from 52 countries.

SSI supported the development and launch of the Refugee Participation Guidelines at the Forum and co-signed the Asia Pacific Network of Refugees (APNOR) pledge on refugee engagement with the governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands.

SSI Gender Advocate and Policy Influencer Najeeba Wazefadost said that the joint pledge sought to formalise refugee inclusion across sectors.

“This is our strategy, to encourage inclusion from the inside out; we want a participation revolution, and a human-centred design approach to refugee policymaking,” Ms Wazefadost said.

“Without a space for these stories and our voices, no policy discussions will be as meaningful and effective as refugees need them to be.”

 

George Karam takes a “selfie” with his wife, Hana (R), and daughter, Atra (L).

The Karam family received humanitarian visas from the Australian government after they were forced to flee Syria due to the vicious attack on the village that they had once called home.

“We were living very happy and settled life, completed our education, working and our daughters were in a private schools even we had farm there,” Mr Karam said.

“When they attacked our village we had no option but to flee to Lebanon, and from there we applied for the Australian humanitarian visa.”

Unfortunately, the whole Karam family were not able to come to Australia, as Mr Karam’s eldest daughter and her husband could not leave Lebanon due to declined visa applications.

“Hopefully the process of her application to come to Australia will not take much time, as this is extremely distressing for us,” Mr Karam said.

Despite the painful separation from his daughter, Mr Karam explained the sheer excitement and relief that he and his family had felt when they had been given the news about being resettled in Australia. It marked the end to an era of suffering and the beginning of a new life.

Despite his initial excitement to resettle, Mr Karam maintained some healthy realism and knew their move would have its set of challenges. He held concerns about the many barriers they would face in settling in Australia; a different law and social system, a foreign language and limited work opportunities.

With the assistance of their SSI case manager Najeeba Wazefadost and the wider settlement services team, Mr Karam and his family are overcoming the difficulties of resettling and rebuilding their lives in a new home.

Since their arrival in Sydney, SSI has supported Mr Karam and his family, meeting them at the airport and assisting them in transitioning into their new environment.

Ms Wazefadost has supported Mr Karam and his family in finding long-term accommodation in Fairfield, where there is also a large Syrian community.

“It’s so nice to run into old friends on Fairfield streets after years of separation and displacement,” he said.

“We don’t feel homesick, and there is no language barrier, which has a positive impact on our settlement in Australia.”

Back in Syria, Mr Karam, known in Arabic music circles as the “Assyrian King”, travelled throughout the Middle East and UAE, performing as a well-known musician and singer in both Assyrian and Arabic.

With a diploma of music education from an array of credible institutions in Syria, Lebanon and the UAE under his belt, he had plans to develop and run the ‘OUD Eastern Musical Instalment’ program before he and his family were uprooted.

Despite his achievements as a renowned musician, initially, it was challenging for Mr Karam to find sustainable work in Australia.

Yet more recently, he has managed to secure a consistent flow of music gigs, including SSI’s annual flagship arts and culture event New Beginnings Festival. He’s determined to continue to find work as a musician, as the cost of living in Australia is the family’s biggest struggle.

Mr Karam’s wife, Hana Karam, who was a long-term employee at a pharmaceutical company in Syria, has been working hard to improve her English language skills.

Ms Karam and her husband have been attending regular English language classes at Navitas and have experienced a positive shift in their overall language competencies.

“Now we are able to communicate with others with no difficulties. We find English grammar very difficult, but our classes along with YouTube and the internet help a lot,” Mr Karam said.

His youngest daughter Atra Karam, a student at the University of Western Sydney, and who frequently acts as her father’s music manager said that she prefers life in Australia.

“It’s more open and safe and not closed, culturally. At least there is no war here.”

When asked what advice he would give to others moving to Australia, Mr Karam said that a positive attitude and persistence is the key to successful integration.
“I would like to tell everyone that in Australia you can work and study no matter who you are or how old you are,” he said.

“And, with determination and hard work, you will reach your target. The most positive advantage living in Australia is law above all and law above religions.”

Learn more about SSI’s Arts and Culture Program here.

 

Violet (centre) with her mother (bottom row, second from right) and family members and colleagues.

I felt a real sense of joy in this because I know it is not something I’ve achieved alone. It is an achievement that began with my parents, whose story I’ve shared before. When I told my mum about this recognition, she said she never would have believed that her family could achieve such things when she arrived on our shores as an immigrant in the 1950s.

My parents lived simple but inherently good lives. Their resilience and capacity for generosity are values they instilled in me and my sisters, and that I now see with pride in my own children.

I think my father, as a former military man, would have particularly loved the idea of me joining an order of chivalry. As I sat in the kitchen with mum and my family, we reflected on my father’s medal, which was framed on the wall behind us. He was a captain in the Greek National Army during the civil war, and was injured and recognised for his bravery.

Greek civil war medal
Violet’s father was recognised in the Greek Civil War for his bravery.

My dad passed away in his sleep in 1990 when he was 64 years old, leaving a big gap in our lives. He was a man of great value and integrity, who always thought about the common good. My mum, who is now in the twilight of her life, is enjoying seeing her children and grandchildren build a positive cultural, spiritual and political identity in Australia. We are connected to our country of birth but also to our Greek heritage.

That capacity to live with and appreciate an array of beliefs, cultures and perspectives is a thing of great value.

It is not lost on me that the day the Australian Honours are announced – January 26 – is a date that means different things to different people. Many celebrate our national day, Australia Day, with barbecues or festivities. Others receive their citizenship and are able to participate in all aspects our society.

For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, January 26 is a day of mourning, marking the beginning of the loss of Indigenous land, people and culture. This year, tens of thousands of Australians marched in ‘Invasion Day’ rallies to mark the anniversary of the First Fleet’s arrival in Sydney.

For me, January 26 is a day of ambivalence because of our country’s inability to come to terms with this history and to unify with our First Nation’s People. How can we celebrate a day of national unity on a date that excludes so many?

I hope that the year ahead is one of continuing reflection for our nation, and deeper curiosity and understanding about the experiences of our neighbours. I hope that, when we next come together in a celebration of national unity, it is one that includes all the voices, beliefs, aspirations and experiences that add to the rich multicultural mosaic of our nation.

Read more about Violet and SSI’s leaderhip team here.