The federal government recently selected SSI as the regional NSW provider of the new Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP), which supports refugees from the moment they arrive at the airport until they are established in the community.
SSI will expand operations to support its work in regional areas, including in Coffs Harbour, where Federal Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker MP launched the new SSI office on Friday December 1.
SSI HSP Manager, Yamamah Agha, said the organisation was committed to partnering with the local community and services to support refugees through the early days of life in Australia.
“At SSI, we recognise the critical role the community plays in successful settlement. Community members help new arrivals to feel welcome in Australia and to build the sense of belonging that becomes a foundation for their new lives here,” she said.
“Community support can take many forms. It might be volunteering, offering a friendly smile at the supermarket or holding an event to welcome new arrivals. Only by working in partnership can we hope to support refugees to reach their full potential in Australia.”
An SSI refugee settlement team is now also set up in Newcastle, and next year, SSI will launch an Armidale office to cater for the newly announced settlement hub in the regional city.
Ms Agha said settling refugees in regional areas had dual benefits for both refugees and the communities welcoming them.
“New arrivals make important cultural and social contributions, such as reviving regional schools and countering population decline,” she said.
“Refugee resettlement also has economic benefits. With the population growth, comes an increased need for teachers, doctors and other services to support an expanding community. In the Victorian town of Nhill, for example, the net monetary gain of resettling 160 refugees over a five-year period exceeded $41 million.”
Click hereClick here for contact details for SSI’s new regional offices.
Plenary panel with image on screen “Redfern All Blacks football team at Casino”
(Andrew Jakubowicz, photographer, 1969).*
Among an array of impressive gigs, Jakubowicz was a historical advisor on the SBS series, “Immigration Nation” in 2011, he developed the concept for “The Great Australian Race Riot” for SBS in 2015, and Making Multicultural Australia.
An added layer to the celebrations was the book launch of Cyber Racism and Community Resilience: Strategies for combating online race hate, which was co-authored by Jakubowicz and his collaborators.
Jakubowicz’s own family refugee journey from Lodz in Poland via Lithuania during WWII can be traced via “The Menorah of Fang Bang Lu” (with Tatiana Pentes, multi-media designer). This strong family lineage is certainly cornerstone to his lifetime fascination and academic inquiry into topics of ethnicity and multiculturalism.
The two-day conference encapsulated a wide range of plenary sessions with Australia’s critically acclaimed and multidisciplinary academic rockstars.
Dr. Christina Ho, Senior Lecturer & Discipline Coordinator from Social & Political Sciences at UTS, reflected on the far-reaching impact of Jakubowicz’s research and teaching, which was evident in the forty presenters who spoke on topics from neoliberal multiculturalism through to Hazara entrepreneurs.
“We had around 100 people come together to celebrate the career of our friend and colleague, Andrew Jakubowicz and also had keynotes from SBS’s Anton Enus and community workers Paula Abood and Amrit Versha.” Dr. Ho said.
Jakubowicz himself reflected on how he was moved by the conference and how the experience prompted insights on his fifty year career in academia.
“I was very grateful for the care and thought my colleagues had invested in thinking through how their contact with me had been of help on their own journeys. I was struck by the link people made between the scholar and the activist, that knowledge has to be made available for social betterment,” Andrew Jakubowicz said.
Anton Enus from SBS opened the first plenary with a talk on the risk of fake news in today’s digital media landscape, and the need for trusted people with expert knowledge in fostering credible debate.
Paula Abood discussed the rise of neoliberal multiculturalism and how this shift has both decimated the political culture in the multicultural NGO sector and emptied anti-racism discourse from multicultural politics.
Other standout sessions included one on cyber racism that explored innovative anti-racism research for disruptive online futures. One of the panelists, Andre Oboler, discussed a prototype tool that could in future provide technological support for a more robust online ecosystem, combating cyber racism and threats. The prototype is called CSI-CHAT (Crowd Sourced Intelligence— Cyber-Hate and Threats), a tool that was completed by OHPI in late 2016.
Conference celebrations peaked with Andrew Jakubowicz and guests during a conference dinner in Haymarket. Explore the gallery of photos here.
* Festschrift Friday December 8, 2017. From Left: Assoc Prof Heidi Norman, Assoc Prof Devleena Ghosh, Prof Heather Goodall, Assoc Prof Nina Burridge , Prof Hilary Yerbury.
Participants at SSI’s IDPwD celebration (clockwise from top left): SSI Chief Operations
Officer Steve O’Neill presents an award to Core Community Services Multicultural
Communities settlement worker Aylin Yokhanna; Sean Willenberg; Georgia
Zogalis; Jonathan Yung and Neill Duncan; Javier Ortiz; and Yasmin Farhat.
The theme for (IDPwD) 2017 was “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all”, with the overarching principle “leave no one behind”.
The theme resonated with SSI’s values of equity and diversity and a special event held in SSI’s Bankstown office on December 5 showcased the positive outcomes stemming from SSI’s partnerships and collaboration in disability inclusion.
The event tapped into the talent, knowledge and experience of people with disabilities. It was MCed by Ability Links participant Yasmin Farhat and entertainment was provided by Jonathan Yung and Neill Duncan, both professional musicians living with a disability.
Catering was provided by ‘Syrian Kitchen’ and ‘The Magic Table Cloth’, businesses started through SSI’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups and IgniteAbility programs.
The Hon. Lou Amato MLC addressed the event and acknowledged the importance of SSI’s work conducted towards an inclusive society in the multicultural sector.
Keynote speaker was the Chair of the Disability Council NSW, Mark Tonga, who since a spinal injury during rugby training has been a passionate and committed advocate for people with disability.
“People think of me after my accident as a lesser able version of myself,” he said. “However, I think of me as a new person, not less or more of a person just different with different abilities.”
Mr Tonga highlighted the journey that people from multicultural backgrounds go through when accepting and acknowledging disability and the role that community has in making that journey somewhat easier.
Georgia Zogalis, manager of SSI’s FutureAbility program, spoke of SSI’s expertise in supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and being trusted by government to help increase National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) access by CALD communities in NSW.
She said the FutureAbility team had been busy organising the first state conference on DiverseAbility: NDIS Inclusion on April 19, 2018, seven roundtable discussions for CALD communities and disability providers, 20 in-language NDIS sessions for under-resourced groups, an SBS radio campaign on the NDIS, and training all of SSI’s service teams on the NDIS and issues relating to CALD disability.
Sean Willenberg, Disability Inclusion Promotions Officer for the NSW Business Chamber, said with over 55 per cent of Australians with disability being of working age it made good sense for businesses and organisations to access that talent pool. The cost savings of employing people with disability could be seen through reduced staff turnover, recruitment and retraining costs, he said.
Javier Ortiz, SSI’s Multicultural Disability Inclusion and Promotion Officer, said it was difficult for recently arrived migrants to find a feeling of belonging but sports clubs, migrant resource centres, English lesson providers, service providers and community groups made the process far easier.
“Strengthening these connections so they are inclusive and accessible to everyone can make a huge difference in the lives of people with different abilities, their families and carers,” he said.
Steve Gholab, Operations Manager for Ability Links NSW, said the lived experience of a person with disability was an asset to all.
“A person-centred approach goes a long way towards creating meaningful connections and building a more inclusive community — something we can all work towards, as individuals and organisations,” he said.
Twelve non-government and community organisations, businesses and local governments received awards to recognise their work in disability and inclusion: Iraqi Australian University Graduates Forum, Japan Club of Sydney, Ahmadiyya Muslim Organisation, CORE Community Services, Capital Careers, Australian Learning Institute, Sydney Multicultural Community Services, Canterbury Bankstown Council, SydWest Multicultural Services, Blacktown City Council, Pacific Islands Mount Druitt Action Network and MTC Liverpool.
The event’s celebratory focus was underlined by Mr Ortiz’s call to action: “It will be up to you to keep this momentum going, in your workplaces, in your communities, sports clubs, in your programs and projects. Building an inclusive society for all will ensure we all benefit and no one is left behind.”
Over 60 people actively looking for employment attended the Blacktown Employment Accelerator held at Blacktown City Council to connect with potential employers, service providers and community organisations offering targeted support, such as resume and cover letter writing.
“Finding employment is not only one of the highest priorities, but also one of the biggest hurdles during the settlement process for refugees and migrants,” said SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis.
“However, the barriers to achieving sustainable employment grow exponentially for those living with a disability, who are usually at the most vulnerable end of the spectrum of the newly-arrived community.”
SSI knows this and, besides delivering the Ability Links NSW (ALNSW) program, it developed innovative initiatives that ensure the social and economic participation of people with disability in all aspects of our community. These include EmployAbility, which offers tailored career pathways or IgniteAbility, which supports people with disability to start their own businesses, Ms Roumeliotis said.
The Blacktown Employment Accelerator was co-developed by SSI ALNSW as a community development project after the local team identified radical variations in the unemployment rates across the LGA, peaking at around 20 per cent in areas such as Bidwill, Hebersham, Emerton and Lethbridge Park, Tregear.
A concerning trend also shows that unemployment rate improvements seen during 2012 to 2013 were disappearing. This prompted, prompted SSI Linkers in the area to begin envisaging work that could be done to improve job prospects for unemployed ALNSW participants and community members — particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability and recently arrived refugees.
Twenty-year old Joel, who arrived in Australia earlier this year from Syria, was one of the job seekers who attended the Employment Accelerator to improve her working situation.
“I’m currently working as an admin assistant at UNHCR; however, I only do five days a fortnight, which isn’t enough,” she said.
“I’m here today to try to find another job I can combine with the one I have, as I need to work full time to be able to make a living.”
Mahnaz also arrived in Australia on a humanitarian visa but isfrom Iran. She’s been here for two years, but she hasn’t been able to secure a job yet.
“I need to find a job. I’m looking in the aged care sector but I would be happy to take any offer I get today,” she said. “I used to work as a teacher, but here I don’t have my qualifications recognised and that’s not an option — so I need to expand my search.”
The job seekers attending the event had the opportunity to connect with representatives of organisations such as Bolton Clarke, BE Campbell, Macarthur Aged Care, Ridley, Hire Up, Thrive Refugee Enterprise, Reach for Training, Max Solutions and Parramatta College.
You can check out the photos of the event here.
Mehradad Mohammodian is the owner of this Marrickville –based bakery and is a connoisseur in Iranian traditional pastries and sweets.
“I’ve been baking Iranian traditional sweets and pastries since I was eight years old, when I started helping my grandfather at his own bakery back in Esfahan,” Mr Mohammodian said.
“When I grew up, I continued to run the family business for 15 years, until I moved here in 2013.”
Mr Mohammodian arrived in to Australia by himself, with no family or friends waiting for him in his new country. To dispel the loneliness, he decided to invest all his time and effort in working hard to start a new business. In 2015, he established Esfahan Sweets.
“Although I started my business two years ago, I’m having trouble finding more customers and opportunities, and this is where the IgniteAbility team are supporting me.”
“I meet once a week with my IgniteAbility facilitator and we assess what we can do to expand my business. Currently, we’re working on new ways of packaging for my sweets and finding more markets to trade at. They’re very good people, I’m super happy.”
Mr Mohammodian says his sweets and pastries are special because none else makes them in Australia and because he has adapted them to the tastebuds of Sydneysiders, making them low sugar, low fat and vegan.
“I gave my pastries to my Australian friends to try but their feedback was that they were too sweet. I realised that not only what people like, but also the ingredients taste different here, so I have adapted my recipes to suit my my new country.”
Mr Mohammodian spent many hours testing new ingredients, quantities, giving them to his local friends to try and repeating the process again until he found the right balance to start selling them to the public.
You can find out more about Esfahan Sweets, check out photos of the pastries and make order on its Facebook page.
As the CEO of SSI, Ms Roumeliotis has overseen innovative diversification leading to more than 1,100 per cent revenue growth to $113 million over five years.
At an awards ceremony in Melbourne on November 22, she won firstly in the ‘For Purpose and Social Enterprise’ category before being named the 2017 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year.
Ms Roumeliotis took the opportunity to implore corporate Australia to tap into the out-of-the-box thinking and start-up mentality in the not-for-profit sector in order to solve pressing business challenges such as workforce shortages.
“Now begins the time when corporate Australia needs us in the not-for-profit sector to access the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking needed to advance our country — the exact things we’ve built our sector on for so many years,” she said.
“Many would be surprised to know just how effective community organisations are at developing world-class initiatives that address key social challenges and provide a win-win for business and community.”
At SSI, this is exemplified by a range of self-funded social enterprises that, in addition to providing services, give job seekers work experience opportunities in a real workplace environment.
“Our low cost supermarket, The Staples Bag, actively reduces Australia’s food wastage problem and addresses the growing issue of food insecurity. We have distributed over 500 tonnes of food in the last 12 months alone. At the same time, it provides work experience to help people break the cycle of unemployment,” she said.
This innovation is similarly present in SSI’s partnerships with businesses ranging from Google to Woolworths to Allianz Australia.
“Eighteen refugees and migrants with existing skills and qualifications who were matched to Allianz’s business needs embarked on a 12-month program that includes two job rotations in areas such as marketing, claims, finance and IT,” Ms Roumeliotis said.
“The mutual success of the Settlement Services International-Allianz partnership has been recognised by Australian Human Rights Commission as a finalist in the Human Rights Awards 2017.”
Ms Roumeliotis called on other business leaders to consider the innovation and commercial impact to be gained from partnership with the not-for-profit sector.
“Let’s work together to solve commercial and social challenges,” she said.
The Uganda Cultural Group gets festival crowds moving with traditional dance.
Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park hosted the SSI New Beginnings Festival in Spring, where hundreds gathered to enjoy the musical, culinary and artistic talents of people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. The event had many newly arrived refugees come and join the festivities.
SSI’s Ability Links NSW program also had a presence at the festival, showcasing the talents of individuals from the community who live with disability.
Pictured with SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis (third from the left) is Kaelin Bird, a visual artist from Jindabyne who has been working with Ability Links NSW to achieve her goals.
The festival showcased a jam-packed program of musical and dance performances that astounded audiences, including Sendas Salvadoreñas, an El Salvadoran dance and music performance group that celebrates the diversity of Latin American culture through rich storytelling.
Sendas Salvadoreñas performing acrobatic dance moves.
Dynamic hip hop and afro beats were performed by renowned Ugandan artist Kween G, who came to Australia after her family was granted asylum. Listen to a recent interview with SSI’s Carolina Triana and Kween on ABC’s Evening Show here.
Hip hop artist Kween G gets crowds bopping to phenomenal beats.
Guitar riffs played by classical guitarist Sako Dermenijan drove shivers up audiences’ spines. Sako is an Armenian classical guitarist who sought refuge after the war broke out in his country.
Sako’s musical talents move festival audiences.
The festival’s finale comprised a mesmerising performance from Worlds Collide, which fuses contemporary Australian music with African rhythms, Uyghur song cycles, funk beats, soaring vocals and hip hop rhymes.
World Collide wrap up the festival with outstanding beats.
Now in its third year, the New Beginnings Festival in Spring is the brainchild of Carolina Triana — the 2017 recipient of the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Community Medal for Arts & Culture, which recognised her work with refugees and people seeking asylum. It is one of several events that make up the broader SSI New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival.
Stay tuned for the next New Beginnings Festival event, which will take place as part of Refugee Week in June 2018. For more information on the New Beginnings Festival in Spring, click here.
Deutsche Bank volunteers teamed up with members of the Armenian community at
SSI’s Community Kitchen.
Community Kitchen is SSI’s free multicultural lunch and social day for refugees and people seeking asylum, held fortnightly at Auburn Centre for Community.
It offers a space for guests to share a meal and experience multicultural Australia. They have fun meeting new people, practise their English, and participate in music and sporting activities.
In addition to interacting with the broader Australian community, guests can access specialist service providers, information and skills development.
Community Kitchen volunteers work with volunteer leaders, chefs and SSI staff to offer a welcoming space by greeting guests, assisting with food preparation and service, organising activities and setting-up and packing-down.
The Armenian Community Kitchen, hosted by SSI in collaboration with the Western Sydney Armenian Committee for Middle Eastern Refugee Assistance, featured Armenian food, dancing with Armenian dancer Colette Mardirossian, and free hairdressing.
Deutsche Bank has a generous volunteering policy. Employees can volunteer for two days a year with a registered charity of their choice.
Camilla, one of the Deutsche Bank participants at Community Kitchen, said the refugee and asylum seeking cause was something that resonated with her team so they came to spend a day learning more about the challenges refugees face and how they could help.
She said, “The best bit for me was chatting in the kitchen with the other volunteers, learning about Armenian food, helping out and meeting new people.”
Lynn said she came to help SSI with its beautiful Armenian community day.
“We’ve had an excellent time,” she said. “I’ve met many wonderful people with incredible stories, people who were very engaged and who were also keen to meet new people.”
Lynn was on set-up-room and outdoor duty, and then on name badge duty, which is why she was able to meet so many people.
She said she was grateful for the opportunity. “I will come again. I think our whole group will be back because we’ve all enjoyed it and I’ll be recommending to at least 50 other people that they should come too.”
Jill said she also had an excellent time. “I’ve cooked kebabs, I’ve played hula hoops with the little kids, I’ve been on barbecue duty. I’ve been very busy, very active, and it’s been very enjoyable.”
She said the best thing was talking with the children: “Just chatting to them, even though we couldn’t always communicate in English. Through the art of play we were able to guess what each other was trying to say.”
Jill said she learned a lot about the difference between refugees and asylum seekers. “And I’ve learned about Armenians, where they are from and what the day was all about — bringing the community together.
“I’ve also learned how to make a really good kebab. I’m going to practise that at home, though not as many as I made today.”
The Deutsche Bank team made hundreds of kebabs. They must have been tasty, said Lynn, because there were none left over.
Who was the best face painter?
“Definitely not me!” laughed Camilla, claiming there must have been lots of disappointed children. The huge smiles on the children’s faces said otherwise.
To volunteer at Community Kitchen, click here.
If you would like to get your colleagues together for corporate team volunteering, contact Naushin Rahman, Partnerships and Fundraising Manager, 8799 6700 or nrahman@ssi.org.au.
Like many of you, I am overjoyed about this result. While the result of the survey is non-binding and it is now in the hands of the government, we have moved a step closer to the moment when our friends in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) communities will have the right to marry the person they love.
Over the duration of the survey, we’ve seen many examples of the strong public support for LGBTI communities and equality. This has taken the form of marches, flags, murals, social media campaigns, phone bank campaigns for voter turnout, and numerous opinion pieces. You only have to look at the rainbow signs on the desks throughout SSI offices to see this support in practice.
Unfortunately, the extensive and unpleasant debate on this issue has also empowered people who would deny their neighbours the right to marry, without discrimination, regardless of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. Worse still, it has given a public platform to people who represent the extreme exclusivist and intolerant fringes of our society.
The period from the start of the survey to the announcement of the result has been a stressful and anxious time for many members of our community. If you or someone you know needs support, call QLife on 1800 184 527, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
There is much healing to be done — and also much celebrating.
In delivering this historic vote, Australians have sent a strong message and affirmed their support for a diverse Australia that values equality and human rights.
Violet Roumeliotis
SSI CEO