Zahra Armian & Adiam Tefera, the first entrepreneurs to be part of Four Brave Women cafe.
The main purpose of the initiative is to work through the barriers that refugees face when starting work in a new country and to provide them with the support to start, run and grow their own small businesses.
Refugees have the opportunity to earn an income while being in a supportive environment set up to enable their success and give them the necessary experience to pursue their own journey.
The program consists of eight-week cycles where the entrepreneurs serve lunch and dinner six days each week (Tuesday to Sunday) at 26 Lackey Street, Summer Hill.
The eight-week cycle allows time for participants to experience the challenges of running a small business and testing their product, menu and business plan.
Zahra Armian and Adiam Tefera are the first two women to take part in the initiative. For six weeks, diners at Four Brave Women will be able to taste delicious Persian lunch and dinner, and Ethiopian coffee and breakfast.
Ms Tefera said she had nothing when she came to Australia but having access to a program like this was great for any refugee wanting to create a better future for themselves.
Ms Armian said she was learning skills she never thought she would need because business in Australia was very different to her home country.
“Having the support from SSI IgniteAbility to develop myself as an entrepreneur and then having the support of Four Brave Women to put it into practice is an incredible opportunity,” she said.
Four Brave Women was featured on ABC News. Watch the video to meet the chefs and learn more about the initiative.
Ms Tefera and Ms Armian are part of SSI IgniteAbility, a start-up program that facilitates business creation for people with disabilities who are passionate about establishing a small business or expanding an existing one. For more information, visit SSI IgniteAbility.
The conference was organised by SSI to raise awareness about the changing landscape of the disability sector in Australia and the opportunities that the National Disability Scheme (NDIS) can offer to CALD communities in NSW.
It was great to see delegates having active conversations about their experiences and the many opportunities to improve NDIS access and utilisation, with great feedback from the Scheme in terms of making those improvements happen.
It is estimated that, with the Scheme fully operational in 2019-20, 20% of the NDIS packages nationally will be used by people from CALD backgrounds. The national participation rate is currently at 7.2% (9% in NSW).
The conference brought together people with disabilities from CALD backgrounds, their families and carers, CALD service providers, government agencies and disability experts, to identify and discuss ways to improve the engagement and participation of people with disability from CALD backgrounds into the NDIS.
Delegates also showcased projects and initiatives that emphasised CALD access, a person-centred approach, and the improvements needed in the NDIS.
“It was great to have people with disability and carers from CALD backgrounds sharing their stories on stage,” said Georgia Zogalis, FutureAbility project manager.
“For most of them, this was the first time they have spoken in public and we are very proud of them. Having them share their stories is the best way to help decrease the stigma that is often associated with disability in CALD communities. Thank you, V Samuela, Quang Nguyen, Jubran Eesee, Thomas Kuzma and Bala Adhikaris.”
The Hon. Ray Williams MP, Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Disability Services, was also a speaker at the conference. He highlighted DiverseAbility as a great initiative that complemented the work done by the Government to ensure people with disability from CALD backgrounds built confidence and knowledge to access the NDIS.
Scott McNaughton, General Manager, Participant Pathway Design at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), mentioned the need to continue getting the message out to people from all communities, especially those from CALD backgrounds, and highlighted how this conference gave the Agency invaluable feedback to keep enhancing the NDIS rollout and keep making it better for all participants.
Ms Zogalis added, “When talking about equal access to the NDIS, targeting the needs and views of different CALD communities will generate more awareness and increase their participation. A one-size-fits-all approach does not help raise awareness nor engage CALD communities with the NDIS.
“SSI contributes with expertise in engaging with CALD communities through tailored support services and leads the way on how best to inform and support them to understand and access the NDIS.
“I hope this is just one more milestone in our ongoing conversation. We need to keep the momentum until we achieve our goal of seeing one in five people with an NDIS package have a CALD background.”
The DiverseAbility Conference is an initiative of the SSI FutureAbility project.
Stephanie Stevenson-Wong and Jodie Mckane were on hand when AND’s Stephanie
Littlewood presented Javier Ortiz, SSI’s Multicultural Disability Inclusion and
Promotion Officer, with a Disability Confident Recruiter certificate of completion.
DCR status is earned by organisations that understand the benefits of a diverse work force and are committed to ensuring their recruitment and selection processes are inclusive and accessible to people with disability.
SSI has much experience working with recently arrived and migrant communities and knows about the barriers to employment faced by people from diverse backgrounds and cultures, despite their skills and willingness to contribute to their new home.
People with disability are also skilled and capable social and economic contributors, entitled to fair and equitable opportunities in society and this resonates with SSI’s parallel experience of refugee and recently resettled communities.
That is why SSI has decided to adjust its processes and procedures to enable skilled jobseekers with disability to compete for positions on a level playing field, make appropriate adjustments to the recruitment process for candidates who have disability, and provide an excellent candidate experience to all applicants.
As the sixth organisation to receive this acknowledgment (and the first non-disability specific NGO at a national level), this achievement demonstrates how SSI continues to be not only a thought leader in diversity and inclusion but also leading by example and “walking the talk”.
“We want to acknowledge that even though achieving the DCR status is linked to our values of diversity and equity, becoming a disability confident recruiter makes good business sense given our success as a business has stemmed from the diversity of cultures, thoughts and experiences of our staff,” said Caroline Reid, SSI’s Executive Manager for People and Culture.
“Tapping into a larger talent pool facilitated by the adoption of this initiative will continue to add to our success as a business.”
“SSI’s achievement of DCR status and commitment to the inclusion of people with disability is commendable,” said Suzanne Colbert AM, CEO of Australian Network on Disability.
“We look forward to sharing in more of SSI’s successes as they continue their journey and reap the rewards of a diverse workforce that includes people with disability.”
With one in five people in Australia living with disability, ensuring that organisations, businesses and communities are accessible for all will strengthen our society. In doing so, the advantages stemming from living and working in a strong inclusive environment will benefit and enrich everyone’s experience across all areas of life.
For more information on DCR and the DCR Charter, visit the AND website.
To apply for one of our roles at SSI, visit careers at SSI.
SSI values diversity and welcomes applications from Indigenous Australians, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and people with disability. If you require an adjustment to the recruitment process, please inform your SSI contact.
SSI is dedicated to establishing itself as a thought leader in the refugee and migrant support services sector, in Australia and internationally.
Our latest step in achieving this goal on an international stage is hosting International Metropolis Conference 2018. This international conference on migration has an incredible history of driving discussion, creating new perspectives and influencing refugee and migration policy in countries all over the world.
In 200 days, academics, politicians, industry experts and refugee speakers will meet in Sydney to present and discuss one of the most critical, controversial and relevant international topics of modern times.
We’re currently in the process of accepting abstract submissions for workshops and individual papers for consideration in the Metropolis 2018 program, under the overarching theme of “Global Migration in Turbulent Times”. The deadline for submitting an abstract is April 30, 2018. More information can be found here.
As we prepare for Metropolis, SSI is also proud to be hosting the first DiverseAbility NDIS Inclusion Conference on Thursday, April 19.
DiverseAbility has been organised by FutureAbility, the project through which SSI is addressing the gap in the implementation of the NDIS, so people with disability from CALD backgrounds are provided with opportunities to exercise more choice and control over the supports they receive under the NDIS.
The conference seeks to further support our culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in the face of a swiftly evolving disability support sector in Australia.
A number of challenges are faced by those in some CALD communities when it comes to accessing support services available under the new NDIS scheme. Often these barriers can be cultural, with stigma being attached to disability, which can mean a lack of discussion and understanding around disability, and ultimately a lack of knowledge as to the new services supported by NDIS.
A key goal of the DiverseAbility NDIS Inclusion Conference will be to achieve a greater quality of life and increase economic and social participation of people with disability from CALD backgrounds who can access the NDIS.
There is further capacity for our CALD community members to access the NDIS and SSI is proud to be developing our relationships with partner organisations and community members through projects like FutureAbilty and conferences like DiverseAbility.
Violet Roumeliotis
CEO, Settlement Services International
Ms Kye had previously done work experience as a volunteer at her local church, but she decided she wanted to achieve financial freedom and autonomy. She worked with her EmployAbility employment facilitator to develop her skills.
“Over six months, we worked on personal presentation, job search techniques and completing my working with children check,” said Ms Kye. “I also worked very hard on writing my resume and, once that was done, I started submitting job applications.”
The thoughtful preparation and Ms Kye’s determination enabled her to successfully land a job in an administration support role.
“I manage the reception desk, do filing, scanning and other administration tasks,” said Ms Kye, who is thriving in this role and has already received great feedback from visitors to the office.
Now Ms Kye has the opportunity to work in a team environment where she has daily mentoring from staff and continues to grow in confidence and skill level.
Ms Kye and her family are very happy with her new job and the income that enables her to be more independent and to further develop her skills.
Congratulations on this great achievement!
As conditions worsened, she moved to a new neighbourhood with her family where they waited for their visa applications to be accepted. Despite these disruptive conditions, Ms Hagob was able to complete her secondary education and gain experience teaching graphic design at a local college.
When Ms Hagob and her family were granted their visas to Australia she was in her final year of studying a Bachelor of Economics. Due to sudden relocation, she was unable to complete her degree.
After moving from Melbourne to Sydney in April of 2017, Ms Hagob and her family discovered SSI through Refugee Talent, a digital platform to connect skilled refugees with companies offering short and long term job opportunities.
“SSI supported my family by helping us get a bond and furniture for our new home in Sydney,” Ms Hagob said.
Shortly afterwards, Ms Hagob joined a youth group that referred her to the SSI Youth Pathways and Placement Project (YPPP) to gain local work experience.
“I was also supported by SSI when I enrolled into the YPPP, as this program gave me a paid job and helped me improve and develop my skills.”
SSI Youth Employment and Social Enterprise Manager Leanne Hung described the YPPP as a launch-pad of opportunity for youth of refugee background.
“The YPPP gives youth the opportunity to gain local, paid work experience in a safe-to-fail environment. Our refugee participants are able to significantly improve their English and make the transition to external employment,” Ms Hung said.
Ms Hagob is grateful for the opportunities that came to fruition after she completed the YPPP. She is currently working as a part-time Admin Assistant for Australia for UNHCR and has more recently secured another part-time role in her qualified field as a graphic designer for design agency RedK.
“I am grateful to be working as graphic designer, but what makes me most happy is working in an organisation that helps refugees — this is very important for me.”
- a comprehensive SBS radio campaign on the NDIS in 13 different languages
- in-language NDIS information sessions for smaller and less supported language groups (Bengali, Burundi, Hindi, Farsi, Arabic, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Somali)
- eight regional round table discussions and
- 20 workshops for NDIA, LAC and disability providers on Culturally Responsive Practice in a Disability Setting
Also, as part of this program, a state-wide conference DiverseAbility: NDIS Inclusion will be held on April 19 in Parramatta. To learn more about this conference, visit this website.
Some standout achievements of SSI under Ms Roumeliotis’ leadership include increased revenues from $9 million to $110 million, supporting 1,185 migrants gain work, securing funding for refugee entrepreneurs, and securing a place at the UNHCR Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR) as one of only four Australian delegates.
Ms Roumeliotis said she approaches challenges with a focus on values rather than financial outcomes. She advised that money would inevitably follow if the focus remained on the value of what was done.
“To overcome roadblocks or to help me make decisions I refer back to the values of the organisation; our principles are at the heart of who SSI strives to be as a pillar of the community,” Ms Roumeliotis said.
When speaking about past challenges, Ms Roumeliotis raised SSI’s biggest challenge and achievement to date: the resettlement of 10,000 refugees during 2017.
“Last year, SSI supported 10,000 refugees to settle in Australia. This was a huge challenge — and huge achievement — that was driven by the government’s one-off intake of 12,000 refugees affected by the conflict in Syria and Iraq. To put this into context, in a typical year we settle 3,000 refugees.
“Thankfully, the staff in that program and their formidable leader Yamamah Agha rose to the challenge. We hired where we needed to, revised our processes and tools where we needed to, and were able to settle this new cohort of refugees with no decline in the quality of service provided or — more importantly — settlement outcomes.”
Ms Roumeliotis narrowed her most valuable business advice to three notions: trust your instincts, nurture meaningful relationships and be open to collaboration.
“Over the years I’ve really come to depend on colleagues, friends and family that nourish me. These meaningful relationships take nurturing. I always find the time, as these are the people I lean on during challenging times. Be generous with your time for those that nourish you.”
“Another aspect that has stood out for me is the power of collaboration. So much of the work I’ve been able to do has been down to inviting people to partner where there has been no partnership before. When you invite people in to help and work together, it is incredible what can be achieved.”
Tune in to hear Violet Roumeliotis answer the question: “What advice would you give your 25-year-old-self?” Click here to watch the interview!
We need to be mindful there are many countries in the world that don’t have the social cohesion and integration of such a variety of cultures and faiths as we have in Australia.
Perhaps we take some of it for granted. It is great we live in a society where we feel comfortable and see the richness and benefits of diversity: our wonderful food and cultural events like Sydney Festival, film festivals and SSI’s own New Beginnings Festival.
However, Harmony Day for me is a reminder that we have multiple identities, that we are a very complex nation and there is a human element that links all of us. It is something we can celebrate as we reflect on the many positives of living in a vibrant, multicultural country.
Harmony Day is also a reminder that every day we should be curious about our differences and wary of the negativity we hear in the media.
Things may not be perfect but we do need to sometimes critique what we see and hear and bring it back to the personal and the human rather than the stereotypes of people, religions, communities and cultures that can only be counterproductive.
Happy Harmony Day!
Violet Roumeliotis
CEO, Settlement Services International