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“Parents often didn’t want to come through the gate; they had a fear of school because of the language barrier,” recalls Sanjalin Krishan, Community Hub Leader at Villawood East Public School.

Sanjalin had the challenging task of working out how best to engage these parents with their school community. She decided that if they weren’t keen to come in, she would go out to seek their feedback and invite them to join the Community Hub.

Under the leadership and vision of Sanjalin, parents started an initial informal English conversational course over coffee. That was the beginning of a thriving Hub where parents now take the initiative on activities they want to organise or topics they want to learn. They have gained so much confidence that many of them lead their own initiatives.

“Our Hub is pretty much their home. They have taken ownership of their Hub, and in doing so, they have taken ownership of their independence. I love seeing these parents so empowered,” says Sanjalin.

After expressing a desire to learn something therapeutic, Hub members recently undertook a floristry course. 20 participants took part in a six week course run by TAFE. Everyone enjoyed learning basic floristry skills enabling them to prepare floral arrangements such as bouquets, wreaths and vases. On completion, participants gained a Statement of Attainment in Basic Floristry which provides them with floristry and customer service skills applicable to gaining a job in a florist shop.

Along with the peace of mind and the creativity skills gained from the course, ten participants loved it so much that they have enrolled in TAFE to continue upskilling with Certificate III courses in floristry and customer service. They hope to increase their financial independence by starting their own business.

“The success of Community Hubs really is driven by the people that use them. Seeing these parents gain so much from their idea is amazing. Some of these parents have been through traumatic events in their lives, and many have eight or more children! Activities like the floristry course give them the personal benefits of stress relief and connection with others, plus the added vocational opportunities that really expand their horizons. This makes me so happy,” says Sanjalin.

We look forward to hearing how our budding florists bloom!

Community Hubs are based in local communities with a high migrant or refugee population. They provide a holistic approach to family support, including the creation of pathways to education, training and employment through easily accessible programs for parents. Learn more about Community Hubs.

 

Haydn Payne (L) with a group of his mentees from a peer-mentorship group that helps high-functioning young adults on the autism spectrum.

IgniteAbility® is a pilot program established by SSI to facilitate business creation for people with a disability who want to establish a small business or expand an existing one.

After being ill-diagnosed with ADHD, Mr Payne was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at age 16 and, in the context of the 1990s when it was not a social condition many had been aware of, had to break barriers and cope with his condition through his own set of resilience tactics.

“As someone growing up in a low socioeconomic environment, and during a time in the ’90s when many didn’t know what Asperger’s even was, I found myself facing many challenges,” he said.

“After many frustrations, I decided to do something more proactively and get involved in the autism community and advocate to raise awareness.”

Mr Payne worked with Autism Step Australia and developed a holistic approach to life skills for young adults aged 14-30 on the autism spectrum and now co-facilitates with the organisation.

Between 2017 and 2018 he delivered and facilitated a project — Spectrumite Group — a peer mentorship group model that creates a safe and inclusive environment for young adults on the spectrum.

In 2018, Mr Payne was introduced to IgniteAbility® and has since piloted his first podcast, Spectrumite, with the support of his IgniteAbility® facilitator Merenia Marin.

“Haydn is a remarkable and exceptionally bright young man, and I am certain that his platform will reach good traction,” she said.

“He speaks about the topic with experience, truth and conviction, but also uses his witty sense of humour to engage his audiences.”

With firsthand lived experience, Mr Payne applies astute insight and knowledge to his product, dealing with the unique challenges facing adolescents on the spectrum in integrating into mainstream social, workplace and relational environments.

“My podcast aims to help ’sperg kids so that they can reach their full potential in a world structured not for them, but neurotypical people,” he said.

The podcast is only the first step in the puzzle for Mr Payne, and he intends to continue the development of a suite of products that will help young people to more successfully navigate their adult lives.

“Once the podcast is launched and has reached some momentum, I’m planning to roll out workable solutions, online content, peer group facilitation and supports,” he said.

IgniteAbility® has been inspired by the success of the Ignite® Small Business Start-ups model and is tailored to address barriers and meet the specific needs of entrepreneurs with a disability, providing an ecosystem of support for aspiring entrepreneurs.

So far 30 IgniteAbility® businesses have been successfully established.

To follow Haydn’s journey follow Spectrumite on Facebook.

Click here to watch Haydn featured on SBS News as part of an episode for World Autism Awareness Day.

 

Thomas Kuzma is an engagement officer for autism and advocates for other young people living with autism.

 IgniteAbility® is a pilot program established by SSI to facilitate business creation for people with a disability who want to establish a small business or expand an existing one.

Mr Kuzma was diagnosed on the autism spectrum when he was a mere 16-year-old. Ever since, he has been an advocate for young people on the spectrum through a variety of roles and initiatives.

From being a professional MC at significant events to sitting on panels on SBS current affairs Insight program and ABC’s Triple-J radio, Mr Kuzma is well positioned to mentor others and share his experiences and insights.

“As someone on the autism spectrum, I am passionate about supporting other young people who have had to go through the same lived-experience as me,” Mr Kuzma said.

More recently, Mr Kuzma focused his efforts on using gaming as a means to assist others on the spectrum.

“By using a medium that people on the spectrum love, such as gaming, they will better understand the world that they inhabit,” he said.

The platform creates content in a range of forms, including short videos, and promotes gaming as a safe space for people on the spectrum while still providing a social element where they can engage with others.

With the support of his IgniteAbility® facilitator, Mr Kuzma has been able to rationalise his business’ value proposition and has identified that gaming can provide a level of confidence and mastery that can be difficult for a person on the spectrum to experience in real life.

“TK Hubworld seeks to provide, through its creative content, a metaphorical bridge to meaningful participation in the real world through gaming,” he said.

IgniteAbility® has been inspired by the success of the Ignite® Small Business Start-ups model and is tailored to address barriers and meet the specific needs of entrepreneurs with a disability, providing an ecosystem of support for aspiring entrepreneurs.

To date, 30 IgniteAbility® businesses have been successfully established.

To follow Thomas’ journey follow TK Hubworld on Facebook.

Click here to watch Thomas featured on SBS News as part of an episode for World Autism Awareness Day. 

As part of the week’s festivities at the Villawood-based school, Sacred Heart encouraged students to come to school in cultural dress and share in a community lunch of home cooked, family dishes.

Many of the families at the school come from diverse backgrounds, including China, Vietnam, the Middle East, Korea and eastern Africa. Sacred Heart is home to one of 22 Community Hubs in NSW, a national initiative that primarily supports migrant families to build parenting and employment skills and build connections to the wider community and its services.

Sacred Heart Hub Leader Christine Mallia said the community took pride in coming together for events like these.

“The parents love getting involved and seeing their children in their cultural dress and sharing their traditional food. Some parents even take the day off,” she said.

Some of the meals parents brought in included sambousek, baram tteok, fried rice, hummus, chicken wings, noodles, pies and sausage rolls, pork buns and pastizzi irkotta ― maltese ricotta pastry.

The sense of community felt at the Harmony Week event can be seen in the programs being run out of Sacred Heart’s Hub Community Centre. The Hub is currently taking enrolments for free English community classes.

Sacred Heart Principal Michelle Bourne said it was important for the school to support the local community through programs like the Community Hub that prevent people from feeling isolated.

“We are privileged to have a Community Hub at Villawood. Our parents are eagerly taking part in a certified TAFE computer course, with views to finding work using their skills, or help their children with their homework,” she said.

“The fact that the course is free makes it even more suitable for our community where many families are in a low socio-economic bracket. Child-minding is also provided, so our young mothers are able to take part without the necessity of paying for outside help.”

To find out more about the programs being run at Sacred Heart Catholic School Villawood Community Hub, contact Christine Mallia (cmallia@ssi.org.au) or visit our Community Hubs page.

The goal of the Town Hall Assembly was to secure new commitments to the asks of the Sydney Alliance, NSW Vinnies
and Everybody’s Home.

For months beforehand, civil society organisations organised and advocated with political parties on housing and energy issues at state and federal levels. They negotiated with decision-makers prior to the assembly, and briefed all politicians on the questions and process.

More than 200 community organisations — a cross-section of Sydney’s ethnic and religious communities, including Christian, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim communities, Pacific Island, South Asian, Vietnamese and Filipino communities, and labour organisations, representing two million Australians — asked all parties in NSW to commit to a suite of energy and housing costs.

They included:

Marcela Hart spoke on behalf of Settlement Services International.

“Each year, we support 27.000 people,” she said. “Today, we are calling for urgent action to make housing and energy accessible and affordable for all people to live with dignity!”

Politicians and party leaders attending, and who were asked on stage for their public commitments, included:

Both the Liberal and Labor Parties agreed to review minimum standards of rentals to include energy efficiency standards, and to an audit of social housing stock — a massive win for tenants across NSW.

More specifically, the NSW Labor Opposition committed to implementing minimum energy performance standards by 2025.

NSW Labor Opposition also made commitments to:

The NSW Greens also announced a plan for 300,000 new social housing homes, funded by a new state-based banks levy.

If implemented, those commitments will have meaningful impact for communities struggling with housing and energy.

In addition, all decisions-makers on stage reiterated existing commitments to solutions that aligned with the Assembly asks. While some existing programs fall short, the decision-makers committed to working with Sydney Alliance to further its asks.

To read more about the existing commitments that parties affirmed at the Assembly, click here.

Sign up on the Sydney Alliance website to express interest in joining a delegation to politicians following the election or take part in community organising training.

Join the Everybody’s Home Campaign to get involved in the national campaign for secure and affordable housing.

 

Captured is Ed Yousef at the refugee-run café the Four Brave Women in Summer Hill.

“Ignite was the initial step which helped me to move forward and establish the business,” he said.

Mr Yousef grew up in a family passionate about cooking delicious, authentic food and he wanted to share that passion with the people around him.

He has always hoped to share his mother’s traditional recipes by starting his own restaurant but, due to the ongoing conflict in Syria, he was unfortunately unable to pursue this dream.

When he discovered Ignite Small Business Start-Ups™, he jumped at the opportunity to get involved.

Ignite Small Business Start-Ups™ supported him in developing social media platforms and other promotional materials such as flyers and business cards.

“They also helped me navigate all the paperwork involved in starting a business, like referring me to an insurance company and helping with an accountant,” he said.

“They pretty much supported me through everything.”

Mr Yousef said that he was highly satisfied with his experience and would recommend the program to anyone who was passionate about pursuing business aspirations or personal interests.

One of the most rewarding parts of the program is the opportunity to get to know others and participate in the wider Sydney community.

“It is important for communities to have the opportunity to engage, make contact and thrive so that we can improve our society together,” he said.

“Food brings people together; it unites us.”

Thanks to Mr Yousef’s hard work and support from Ignite Small Business Start-Ups™, Syriana Traditional Cuisine held its inaugural pop-up restaurant at a refugee-run eatery — The Four Brave Women — in the heart of Summer Hill.

Mr Yousef and his team serve eager customers with mouth-watering lunches and dinners, including ricotta cheese Baklava and his famous tahini cauliflower.

According to Mr Yousef, the tahini cauliflower has been such a hit they go through 70 to 100 kilograms of the vegetable each weekend.

Mr Yousef is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the program as it has given him the support he needed to start his business and share his love of traditional Syrian food with Sydney.

“My mum has very good recipes and I love to share them with people,” he said.

“I also think it is important to present Syrian food with others, as I believe it isn’t well represented in Australia.”

To taste Syriana Traditional Cuisine, visit the Four Brave Women in Summer Hill before March 25.

To follow Ed’s journey, follow Syriana Traditional Cuisine on Facebook.

SSI staff take a moment of silence at a vigil for the Christchurch terror attack victims.

You only have to consider the events of the past week to see what happens when we allow white nationalist ideology masked as an opinion to infiltrate into the mainstream. It lends legitimacy to dangerous, xenophobic ideas.

When did it become okay for an elected politician to capitalise on a terrorist attack and claim a “growing fear” of Muslim Australians with no supporting evidence? Or for senators of a sitting government to vote in favour of a statement echoing alt-right rhetoric that “it is OK to be white”?

These kinds of remarks take our country back decades to the Yellow Peril and White Australia Policy. They take us back to an Australia where public figures stoked fear of the other and bred division, instead of raising the bar and living up to our reputation as the land of the “fair go”.

This scare mongering discourse ignores the facts on Australians’ attitudes towards their new neighbours. Research released earlier this week shows 64 per cent of Australians believe immigrants make our country stronger ― putting us just behind Canada as the second most welcoming country for immigrants globally.

The 2018 Mapping Social Cohesion report showed 82 per cent of Australians believe immigrants improve Australian society by bringing new ideas and cultures, while just 7 per cent of us view immigration as the most important problem facing Australian today.

Similar research from the Lowy Institute and the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods backs up findings that despite the changing tenor of public discussions, Australians’ attitudes towards immigration have seen little change in recent years. Multiculturalism is well and truly part of “brand” Australia. We have state and federal multiculturalism policies ― in some states they’ve even been legislated. We have national celebrations like Harmony Day on March 21, where Australians gather to promote inclusiveness, respect and building a sense of belonging for everyone.

So why are we giving fearmongers a platform to sow division and undo the incredible progress we’ve made towards social inclusion?

I’m not saying our embrace of new and emerging communities has been perfect. On days like Harmony Day, we do need to dig deeper than the food, fashion and festival, and really get to know our new neighbours. But we’ve come a long way towards being a united, multicultural Australia.

This Harmony Day, let’s look at the evidence and listen to the experiences of Australians who are of migrant and refugee background. Let’s not lend legitimacy to warped, hateful opinions that are unsupported by fact. All Australians – including public figures and commentators – have a shared responsibility to promote inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

Violet Roumeliotis

SSI CEO

Nikita (L) explored Sydney with her sisters and a group of newly arrived young people.

Ahead of Harmony Day on March 21, Iraqi-born Nikita, Aneeta and Natalee discuss their experience of inclusivity and belonging in their new home.

Nikita, Aneeta and Natalle came to Australia with their parents seven months ago from Jordan, after they were forced to flee their home in Iraq due to ongoing conflict.

Speaking during a recent youth orientation activity, 16-year-old Nikita said she has begun to feel truly Australian.

“When I first came to the airport and was trying to help my dad find the bag the air company had lost, it was so difficult because I only knew half the English I know now,” she said. “Here, being able to talk to you, for the first time I feel truly Australian.”

The Amazing Race-style orientation adventure took young refugees to landmarks across Sydney’s CBD to give them an opportunity to learn about their new home and life in Australia.

Despite interesting experiences that come with moving to a new country, Nikita’s younger sisters Natalle, 15, and Aneeta, 13, said it hasn’t all been easy.

Aneeta, who wants to be an engineer when she grows up, said almost everything in Australia was different from home, even the shape of the houses, but that “different isn’t scary.”

Nikita said it took her a while to adjust to the greater freedom of expression in Australia.

“When I first moved to Australia I felt a bit strange about what people would often wear, like the really short clothing, but now I am used to it. It’s good because here everyone can have their own life, no-one can say ‘you do this, you do that’; it’s your life and you can do what you want,” she said.

Exposure to human diversity is a fantastic learning experience, and a particularly valued one for Nikita, who said one of her greatest joys in life is learning. Since moving to Australia, Nikita and her family have had to learn a new language and adapt to many new cultural norms. “I want to learn everything, I want to try everything, I want to try it all ― just to learn and experience. You just don’t know how things in life will be if you don’t try!”
Since the family arrived in Australia, SSI has supported them to build connections in their new community and gain independence, with a focus on English language skills, education and job readiness.

According to Natalle, her SSI case manager has been a big help in teaching her about the country.

“I knew about like the animals and a little about life, but Joseph really taught me about Australia! When we got to the airport he had a meeting with us and explained what Australia was like, how we would live here and what we were going to do about money. It made us feel a lot less worried,” said Natalle.

The three sisters have high hopes for the future and are looking forward to growing up and being an active part of the multicultural country that is Australia.

The successful integration of migrants and refugees plays a key role in the social, cultural and economic success of Australia, as their diversity in skills, thought and experience adds richness to our country. On Harmony Day, Australians come together in celebration of our countries cultural diversity, our history of multiculturalism and the success that is born out of diverse communities working together as one.

 

From an impressive field of 337 individuals, 25 inspiring sector leaders have been chosen for their impact, including our very own Yamamah Agha, General Manager Service Delivery Settlement.

Yamamah has over 15 years’ experience assisting new arrivals to settle in Australia, with a strong passion for delivering social justice to refugees and vulnerable groups in need. She has a particular interest in women’s rights and supporting and empowering refugee women and their families to reach their full potential.

Congratulations Yamamah!

You can read Yamamah Agha’s winning nomination for the Pro Bono Australia’s !mpact 25 Awards below:

 

For more than 15 years, Yamamah Agha has dedicated her personal and professional life to supporting refugees and other vulnerable groups.

In her role leading refugee settlement at Settlement Services International (SSI) for the past seven years, Yamamah has overseen the settlement of thousands of refugees – including the resettlement of 10,000 refugees in one year alone.

In one memorable case, Yamamah went above and beyond her professional duty to support a Sudanese couple who became separated from their children after fleeing from war. A relative recognised the children in a video and, working alongside the embassy and organisations in Australia and Africa, Yamamah helped to reunite the children with their family after five years separated.

In another case, Yamamah worked with a young refugee to secure guardianship of her siblings when their parents suddenly passed away. Her coordination efforts even resulted in volunteers coming together to build the children a new house.

Far exceeding the limits of her role at SSI, Yamamah has established committees to meet the unique needs of vulnerable refugee groups, such as unaccompanied women and young people.

As a strong advocate for change, Yamamah also played a key role in spearheading amendments to the Migration Treatment of Disability Bill, to ensure refugees and recent migrants with disability are supported in Australia. Following a competitive national selection process in 2012, the Department of Immigration selected Yamamah to travel to Iran to participate in a study tour of the AUSCO program.

Yamamah has lobbied for change at an international level to facilitate service delivery improvements for refugees globally. Just this year, UNHCR selected Yamamah as the Rapporteur for its annual NGO Consultations in Geneva. Yamamah compiled and delivered the 2018 report on behalf of NGOs to the UNHCR’s Executive Committee, influencing the global refugee body’s program for the coming year.

Click here to read more about the awards and winners: https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2019/03/impact-25-winners-revealed/

Caring for someone is a powerful way of showing your love.

People born in a non-English speaking country have similar rates of disability to other Australians but are about half as likely to receive formal assistance ― and more often than not, women are the ones left shouldering the burden.

Statistically, women are far more likely than men to take on intensive caring roles. In NSW, 56 per cent of all carers and 68 per cent of primary carers are female. Women who undertake caring roles often do so without extra resources or acknowledgement. In many cases, their caring responsibilities come on top of paid employment, house work and the other roles and tasks we all juggle in our day-to-day lives.

This is now taking a toll on many women’s mental health, with Carers NSW research indicating female carers experience higher rates of depression, anxiety and distress than male carers. One key driver of this is a need for more support.

For refugee and migrant women, this need is particularly acute as a result of the lower rates of engagement with formal disability assistance, due to barriers including a lack of understanding of available support and the cultural stigma associated with disability and caring.

When culturally and linguistically communities don’t get their fair share of disability resources, women are the ones who pick up the slack.

I’m talking about women like Ji-woo*, a mother of two who has been caring for her son with autism for nearly 30 years. A few years ago, she was left with an uncertain future, after her husband suffered a stroke and had subsequent health issues.

Ji-woo’s story has a happy ending though. She was able to access support through the SSI Ability Links NSW program, where she worked with a ‘Linker’ with extensive experience supporting people with disability from new and emerging communities, and their carers. Ji-woo was linked with disability services to meet her family’s unique needs and assisted to develop a larger support network.

Caring for someone is a powerful way of showing your love ― whether it’s a child or a parent, a friend who is sick or has disability, or someone in your wider family or community. While it’s rewarding to care for someone, we can’t ignore the responsibility that goes hand-in-hand with that.

At the frontline, we see a pressing need for a more comprehensive and culturally competent response from the National Disability Insurance Agency to meet the diverse needs of people with disability and their carers.

International Women’s Day this Friday is an opportunity to remember what progress we’ve made in women’s rights. But we also need to acknowledge the gaps ― the extra layer of responsibility that is on the shoulders of women from diverse backgrounds, with no requisite increase in rights.

These women are missing out on the support and resources they should have access to. In a country like Australia, they deserve their fair share.

*Name has been changed