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In the lead-up to the United Nations International Day of People with Disability on December 3, SSI Disability Employment Services will be taking part in AccessAbility Day, a new Australian Government initiative developed to connect employers with job seekers with a disability for a one-day workplace experience.

During the week of Monday, November 26, to Friday, November 30, employers and job seekers with disabilities will have the opportunity to connect and explore new possibilities in the workplace.

AccessAbility Day is not a job interview, work trial or work experience. It is a job shadowing opportunity for participants to experience a workplace or role that aligns with their career interests. It is also an opportunity for employers to learn more about working with job seekers with disabilities.

Being part of AccessAbility Day, participants will be able to:

Employers will be able to:

There is no obligation to employ the participant after the placement, and both employers and job seekers will be supported by the SSI Disability Employment Services teams and JobAccess Australia, so the day is a mutually beneficial and rewarding experience.

If this sounds like a good opportunity for you, contact us on 02 8713 9200 or email desemployment@ssi.org.au

 

SSI Ignite volunteer Cornelia Schulze.

“I was lucky because I was not a refugee and I had a job, but I still had to relearn so many things,” Ms Schulze said.

She approached SSI to help out with the Ignite Small Business Start-ups program.

“I thought ‘maybe it’s not a bad idea to help people who are less fortunate than I am.’”

For the past year, Ms Schulze has been involved with creating business cases for entrepreneurs who are part of the Ignite program. She has worked with tradespeople, a tennis coach, a fashion designer and a cake decorator to name a few, helping them to work out a two-year plan for their businesses.

“When I sit down with a client, I ask a lot of questions, but the most important one is ‘why is your idea special?’ It helps me to work out what sets them apart.”

Once Ms Schulze has spoken with a client, she conducts research and looks at environmental considerations and legal implications, and also does a PEST (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological) analysis.

Once the research is done, she helps her clients work out their start-up costs, creates a marketing and promotional plan and a cash flow plan.

“Putting numbers on a piece of paper makes them tangible,” she explained.

“You need to understand what your goals are.”

Ms Schulze has also drawn on her industry contacts and even managed to help her fashion designer client land a spot in high-end fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar.

“I pump the network I have. I have not been shy in asking for support, and everyone is so happy to help out,” Ms Schulze said.

“I’ve been so utterly impressed and humbled by the refugees I’ve met. I’ve not met a single one who has complained or expected special treatment. They want to get on with things, and they want to contribute,” she said.

And what advice would she give to someone thinking about volunteering?

“I would say give it a shot, jump in with both feet, you will be blown away,” she said.

“Leave everything you think you know at the door, take it all in and be open and you’ll be in for the ride of your life.”

Young refugees from Syria meet new friends playing rooftop basketball.

Since its launch in January 2018, Welcome2Sydney has been hosting social, cultural and recreational activities to welcome newcomers to Sydney.

Over the last nine months, more than 700 participants have met with volunteer ambassadors to discover the city together. Visiting museums, having picnics in parks and walks in the city have all been opportunities for established community members and new ones to come together, learn from each other, establish new friendships and become familiar with their city, Sydney.

The basketball activity was a perfect opportunity for the young Syrian participants —part of SSI’s Humanitarian Settlement Program and CORE Refugee Youth Peer Mentoring — to socialise and meet with people their age.

Habib, one of the participants, expressed how difficult it was for a newcomer to meet people and make some friends in a new country.

After meeting Kate and playing rooftop basketball, he said, “We felt really comfortable and there was a warm and familiar atmosphere. There was a feeling of friendliness and we spent an amazing time. We had so much fun, met new people, learnt to play basketball without falling on the ground and then we went on a tour around the city to explore Sydney.”

Kate said the activity helped increase her understanding of the humanitarian program and refugee needs. She said, “It made me realise that while I may not be able to relate to a lot of the things these people are experiencing as refugees, I can understand the need for friendship and a social life to make life more fun.

“I spent the day with the participants doing things I would do on a weekend with my friends and we all had fun. We all had the same kind of interests and decided on the activities as a team. Participants tried Mexican food for the first time. Two out of four weren’t fans but I was proud of them for trying something new.”

Welcome2Sydney is a partnership between the City of Sydney and Settlement Services International to increase newcomers’ social wellbeing, contribute to physical and mental wellbeing and increase the involvement and engagement of communities in community life.

Members of the Welcome2Sydney Advisory Community include Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre, Jesuit Refugee Services and Asylum Seekers Centre.

Welcome2Sydney ambassadors and new arrivals celebrate National Unity Week at Observatory Hill Park.

In an attempt to provide newcomers with increased access to services and information within the City of Sydney, Welcome2Sydney has been helping new arrivals explore their new city with a volunteer ambassador who introduces them to the city’s highlights.

Newcomers and ambassadors from different cultures were invited to meet each other and exchange cross-cultural conversations while eating together and playing some games.

One participant said, “It was amazing to spend a beautiful day outdoors and see a new location while sharing food and meeting with new ambassadors and catch up with others we have previously met.

“We also did not know that this park existed and the view of the harbour is just stunning.”

Another family said, “Everyone was so friendly and we felt part of the community.

“We are also now friends with some of the ambassadors and feel more comfortable every time we meet.”

Ambassadors also had the opportunity to get to know new families.

“It was fantastic to reconnect with families and hear about their progress in settling into Sydney,” an ambassador said. “I loved being able to explore Observatory Hill with them and play rugby and Jenga with the kids. We invented a new game: Ultimate Frisbee but with a rugby ball!”

Another ambassador said, “I enjoyed talking to participants and it was nice seeing people chatting to each other and playing games in a very lovely environment.”

Welcome2Sydney is a collaboration between SSI and the City of Sydney.

 

Small business owner Carly Bishop is a thriving program participant of SSI IgniteAbility. Photograph: Damon Amb.

Ms Bishop officially launched her business – Carly’s Coffee Couriers – in April, and it’s been such a success in her South-Sydney locale that she’s ready to enter her next phase of growth and scale up business, offering services in multiple locations.

When asked about her experience working alongside IgniteAbility, Ms Bishop says that IgniteAbility has been invaluable in providing business support in a range of areas from general business planning to the setting up of social media pages.

“Ignite provided me with the opportunity to start my business, I had no idea about the process and where to begin,” Ms Bishop said.

“Ignite has supported me by helping draw up the business plan, being with me in initial meetings with shopping centre management, organising flyers and business cards, setting up of social media accounts, and insurance.”

Ms Bishop is Australian-born and says one of the most rewarding and interesting aspects of the IgniteAbility program is becoming more aware of refugee and CALD communities.

“Ignite has shed light on refugee and CALD communities that I have previously never known about,” Ms Bishop said.

When asked what she finds most rewarding in her business, Ms Bishop says it’s connecting with her regular customers and the community.

“Most of my job satisfaction comes from the community of customers and vendors that I have developed relationships with.”

Ms Bishop’s advice to other budding entrepreneurs is around starting something from a place of pure passion.

“Think of an idea that you want to do and enjoy; something that you’re passionate about, and then get the right support.”

Manjit is one example of the vital and selfless contribution that millions of carers around Australia make for their communities and loved ones. Carers Week is a great opportunity to celebrate them and acknowledge the amazing and loving work they do every day.

Manjit shares her story

Jasamit was diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability when he was three years old. At that time, we joined a playgroup for kids with disabilities and that opened a new world for me. Being able to talk with people that were on the same journey as us, sharing experiences, and having that peer support, has been very important for us to support Jasamit.

Fifteen years later, I still keep in contact with some of the people that were part of that group. Now, we have other spaces, like basketball, where we get the chance to share time and have chats with other families.

Being a carer can be challenging; I look for ways to look after myself, because when I feel good, I find better ways of helping my son. The best way I find to look after myself is to remain patient and calm, and go for walks; walking allows me to dedicate time to myself.

I spend a lot of time taking Jasamit to different places. He plays basketball and has different appointments throughout the week. I love helping him, and my best satisfaction is when he succeeds on completing his tasks.

I am the primary carer, but I wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of my family and friends. We are a network, and if I can’t do it, there is always someone to help. The support I have received in the last years from SSI Ability Links Linker Sonal has also been very helpful. She provided very important information, and guided me through different options to improve my son’s quality of life.

This is a journey. I have learned so much from experience, research and never taking the first opinion as the right one.

We carers work long hours and never complain. We put big dedication to care for our loved ones, and it’s absolutely worth it. Sometimes it can be hard, but it is so rewarding to have the opportunity to support him in leading a better life.

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Ms Ehsan discovered the Ignite Small Business Start-ups program when volunteering for SSI and already considering starting up her own business.

“I was thinking a lot about starting my own business and had done a bit of research on my particular idea and the demand for it, but I didn’t know how to start. I thought to myself, there’s no better way to start up than with Ignite,” Ms Ehsan said.

Ms Ehsan is highly satisfied with the program and is grateful for the support she has received from Ignite, commenting that the staff are professional and knowledgeable in their service delivery practice.

“I can’t say enough about how grateful I am for participating in Ignite, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made!”

“Every time I have a meeting with Ignite, it feels like home, it’s like everyone is striving for my success.”

Ms Ehsan says that the most rewarding part of working with Ignite is access to industry knowledge, connections and mentorship.

“Ignite has been helping me to start my business in every way, from getting the right insurance to picking a business name,” Ms Ehsan said.

When asked what she finds most rewarding about her business, Ms Ehsan says that putting a smile on her clients’ faces after they receive treatment is what gives her the most job-satisfaction, while what she finds most challenging is harnessing new business opportunities.

“The challenging part for me is striving to be the best at what I do while finding different opportunities to promote my business and what I stand for,” she said.

“But I do enjoy teeth whitening because it works and I believe in it, and I am going to work hard to promote my business and provide the best service to all other similar businesses out there.”

Ms Ehsan’s advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs is around conducting robust market testing and research before launching into any business realms.

“Don’t rush things and do lots of research on your product or the service, prioritise market research and add something to your service or business that would help you stand out amongst all of your competitors.”

“And finally, don’t be afraid to use your creativity.”

This theatre production is part of SSI FutureAbility, a project that has been looking at innovative ways of engaging with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. The show provides information about disability, the NDIS and how to access services to improve the quality of life for people with a disability, their families and carers.
“To address this need, we commissioned a group of artists to write three theatre plays to talk about the specific cultural issues of disability in the Greek, Italian and Macedonian communities. Some of the themes include cultural issues prevalent in these communities such as elderly parents or carers of adult children with disability that are likely to require information in their first language,” said Georgia Zogalis, Project Manager of the FutureAbility program.

In March, the Italian play “Io Mammeta e Tu: Me, Your Mother and You” had eight performances at the Canada Bay Club and the Marconi Club in Bossley Park, with over 600 people in attendance. The Italian community identified a need to expand the scope of audience to other areas in NSW, and now, this theatre play presented by Teatro Arte and SSI, will be performing in Griffith, Newcastle and Wollongong. Check out the details below:

Griffith – The Yoogali Club
26 October, 7:30pm
27 October, 7.30pm
Book now

Newcastle – Club Azzurri
3 November, 7.30pm
Book now

Woolongong – The Fraternity Club
10 November, 7.30pm
Book now

Io, Mammeta E Tu is the journey of five Italo Australians living with disability. With stories, song and dance, they explore what it is like to live with disability And then finally, through a clear understanding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), we celebrate lives changed forever!

The play has been written in the original language, covering cultural-specific issues relevant to the Italian community. The play will be performed in Italian with English subtitles. 

While gender equality, if not yet achieved, is a front-line issue, cultural diversity is not receiving comparable attention. A unique partnership is taking on both fronts simultaneously.

In a collaborative effort to turn the spotlight on diversity and equality in the Australian music industry, community organisation Settlement Services International (SSI) together with the Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) have joined forces through a groundbreaking initiative and will be taking six female artists to attend the Awards ceremony in Brisbane this month.

The cohort of female artists includes an eclectic mix of diverse talent and skills across genres and cultures.

Meet Zela Margossian: an Armenian-Lebanese jazz composer and artist. Zela’s music has been described as “Armenian folk-jazz”, “ethno-jazz” or a “fusion of folk and jazz with traditional Armenian musical influences”. It’s hard to place a neat label on it.

Zela has performed internationally with piano solo recitals in Beirut, Yerevan, New Jersey, Montreal and Sydney, including a performance with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra.

More recently, Zela has been making her mark as a blossoming artist with her band, the Zela Margossian Quintet, and has made appearances at festivals such as the International Women’s Jazz Festival 2017 and the Beirut International Jazz Festival 2018.

The Zela Margossian Quintet debut album is scheduled for release in November 2018.

Armenian-Lebanese jazz composer and artist Zela Margossian.

Meet Non Chalant: co-founder of Club Swytch a DJ collective seeking to subvert Sydney’s nightlife by putting on inclusive events.

Born out of a frustration with the mainstream club scene, the music Swytch plays and loves ranges from deep house to vogue and Afrobeat, with an all-female/gender neutral lineup.

Non Chalant says “For me, making music is an exploration of my own complex identity and experiences that many mixed-race/second generation immigrants similarly experience, especially in regards to our relationships with home countries and cultures.

“I co-founded Club Swytch with two friends to actively make a change in the culture of the Sydney dance music scene.”

 Non Chalant Monica2

Co-founder of Club Swytch Non Chalant.

Meet Zeadala: a South-West Sydney musician who is a voice for underrepresented women of colour in the Australian music scene. As a triple-j Unearthed artist, Zeadala’s music is described as a fusion of hip-hop, jazz and bossa nova, and as a performer, she challenges normative narratives with a unique style, simple yet rhythmic guitar compositions, amiable vocals and bold lyrics.

Zeadala has supported international artists like Omar Offendum at his exclusive concert in Sydney and Akala at his artists and community talks as part of Sydney Ideas at The Seymour Centre.

Meet Irene Pedrino: founding member of Stayfly Sydney an initiative that promotes female artists and musicians in the Sydney arts community to thrive. As a platform creating new collaborations, connections and friendships, Stayfly is a community representing female artists from diverse backgrounds and skills.

Irene was born in Milan where she graduated from music school before moving to Sydney. Irene has a diploma in Interactive Digital Media and attended the College of Fine Arts. Her passion for music and art is what led her to launch Stayfly, a space that empowers and showcases female creatives.

Meet Pamela Rodriguez: a newly arrived singer and guitarist from Chile. As a singer known for promoting spaces for cultural exchange through art, Pamela is a part of Teyuna Collective, a band of roving musicians who collaborate on different musical projects. She is also the founder of Maroubra Caves, a local South-American community fostering culture through music.

As a singer and guitarist, she has performed in wide-spanning festivals in Chile, Catalonia and Australia, both independently and accompanying various artists. Her voice emerges from the soul.

Meet Shahnaz Martin: an Iranian classically-trained setar player who arrived in Australia from Tehran in 2006. Shahnaz studied “Radif” classical Persian music for five years and had been performing setar ever since.

Since in Australia, Shanaz has completed her qualifications in Interpreting and Translation in Community Services and works as a community engagement worker sharing her talent at a wide range of community events such as Harmony Day, Refugee Week and Giant Multicultural Festival.

About the Awards

AWMA recognises the contribution and value of First Nations and multicultural performers by acknowledging excellence in artistry and musicianship, technical and production skills, cross-cultural development, songwriting, music education, music photography, filmmaking, management, humanitarian work, leadership and more.

AWMA is the brainchild of Founding Director and Sydney-based music producer Vicki Gordon. AWMA was established to address the under-representation of Australian women artists on the radio, in festival line-ups, as award recipients, on stage, backstage and in the boardrooms of the Australian music industry by empowering women and recognising their value, achievements and contributions.

Aware that equality will be only achieved in the Australian music industry when women from all backgrounds have equal access and opportunity, the AWMA and SSI partnership aims to create a platform where culturally diverse female artists can become recognised for their talents and contributions to the Australian music industry. Through joint commitment and collaboration to the cause, the opportunity is ripe to cast the spotlight on talented women of all backgrounds.

Keeping diversity front of mind, SSI is also sponsoring the Diversity in Music Award, recognising individual artists or female-driven musical collaborations for their contribution to advancing a more culturally diverse and inclusive music industry.

The inaugural Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) will be staged in QLD at the Brisbane Powerhouse, October 9-10, 2018. AWMA will present a series of free forums, a keynote address by Kate Ceberano, a film screening, a photographic exhibition and unique networking opportunities.

This article was originally written for LoudMouth – The Music Trust E-Zine

Click here to access the original article on their website including more info about the Awards. 

Newcomers to Sydney are introduced to The Rocks.

In an attempt to provide newcomers with increased access to services and information within the City of Sydney, Welcome2Sydney has been helping new arrivals explore their new city with a volunteer ambassador who introduces them to the city’s highlights.

Since its launch early this year, the project has welcomed more than 500 newly arrived individuals and toured more than 30 different locations in the city while using over 20 different services.

Participants were able to receive information from their hosts about diverse local communities, venues and events in the city as well as tips about living in Australia.

The Syrian family has already been to The Rocks, Circular Quay, Hyde Park, Darling Harbour and the Australian Museum, as well as taking exciting ferry trips and participating in multicultural community events such as NAIDOC.

They said, “We do not have a car so became more confident about using public transport and getting off in new stations. The activities helped us know more about Sydney, and we always look to go on repeats in order to improve our knowledge and become more familiar with life in Australia.

“Sydney is so beautiful and incomparable to other places, the more we visit and see things the more we like it.”

They said the activities allowed them to learn about Aboriginal culture and Australian nature and history. “This is stuff we see only on TV or hear about during orientation sessions. With these activities we can interact with society, traditions and customs, and get to know more about Australians and local communities.

“Attending different festivals is so much fun and opens us to new cultures.

“We are really glad that SSI is helping us explore and this is a very nice initiative to make us more connected to society. If we stay at home and do nothing, we will learn nothing and we will miss out on what is going on in Sydney.”