Next month, delegates from within the settlement sector, and beyond, will gather again to discuss how they are using more innovative and creative ways to enhance the support these families receive.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis recalled there was a strong sense of optimism and enthusiasm among delegates for continued action to improve service responses for recently arrived families.
“Many of the lessons and recommendations from that day have informed our thinking and practices on how SSI can work more effectively and collaboratively to enhance settlement and support services for refugee and migrant families,” Ms Roumeliotis said.
Post-conference evaluation indicated an extremely high level of satisfaction across all aspects of the symposium, and feedback included “really good to see so many services from the sector coming together; would love to see this event continue into the future” and a suggested improvement was “make it a two-day symposium”.
In light of this, SSI is pleased to be hosting another Cultural Shift event, this time a two-day conference that extends the theme of settlement further, to also discuss the concept of ‘belonging’.
“I’m really looking forward to exploring with my colleagues in the sector how best to foster a sense of belonging that is so important to people’s health and wellbeing, and how we can create better settlement conditions and opportunities for families.
“I’m also curious to learn more about the wonderful work that is happening in the sector during the concurrent and plenary sessions. There are some fantastic speakers and presenters scheduled,” Ms Roumeliotis said.
For more information about the conference program and to register to attend, please visit the Cultural Shift website.
The New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week — the first instalment of SSI’s 2017 New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival — attracted 600 people to a series of creative events that highlighted the artistic talents of exiled artists and craftspeople.
SSI Arts & Culture Coordinator Carolina Triana, who produced the festival, said it was an opportunity for Sydneysiders to come together and learn about the cultural heritage and vibrant artistry of some of Australia’s newest community members.
“Being a ‘refugee’ is not the singularly defining aspect of a person’s identity,” she said. “Our aim was to facilitate creative exchanges between refugee and non-refugee communities. Getting to know someone through their art makes us focus on their creativity and potential — labels are no longer relevant.”
The festival launched on June 21 at 107 in Redfern with the opening of the Singular/Plural art exhibition. Curated by Denise Thwaites, the exhibition featured work from newly arrived artists alongside their established peers Garry Trinh, Alex Seton, Aroha Groves and Lindy Lee.
The fun continued three days later with a sold-out traditional Persian tea ceremony hosted by Ladan Haghighat. After watching Ms Haghighat prepare her aromatic blend, guests sampled the tea and learned how to make their own, using a mixture of herbs and spices.
The event was organised by the Community Kouzina Project as part of a collaboration with the New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week that also included an installation and a special series of recipes and stories from people of refugee background created in the lead-up to the festival.
The New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week also strayed into the world of film, giving refugee filmmakers an opportunity to tell their stories in their own voices at the Sydney Stories screening night.
The short films were developed during a six-week community filmmaking workshop facilitated by arts company CuriousWorks. The filmmakers produced works on everything from gender equality and marriage to family reunions and adapting to life in Australia.
On July 1, as the New Beginnings festivities drew to a close, Sydneysiders got their chance to meet some of the artists exhibiting in Singular/Plural during two creative workshops. A master weaver from Afghanistan, Sayd Mahmod taught a unique tapestry making technique, while Sameer Dakhil gave a demonstration of the intricate engraving work that his family has undertaken in Iraq for more than six hundred years.
Missed out on the fun? The New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival will resume on Saturday, November 18 with a one-day festival in Darling Harbour. Click here for more information, or follow New Beginnings on Instagram for updates.
The festival has been a free public celebration of the diverse and rich creativity and talents of refugees, migrants and people seeking asylum since it started in 2015. Click here to find out how you can support this important event.
SSI City2Surf team member Zhen Hua Lin with his Ability Links linker Li Hua Chu and training partner Brian O’Dea.
Zhen Hua Lin, a participant in the Ability Links NSW (ALNSW) program, was told about running in the City2Surf by his linker, Li Hua Chu.
From early childhood, Mr Lin had always loved running but three years ago he went from being totally active to living in a nursing home after an allergic reaction to antibiotics rendered him blind.
He could no longer run and was reluctant to venture outside. His fitness deteriorated.
Concord Hospital case workers referred Mr Lin to ALNSW, a free program that SSI delivers to support people with disability. It is designed to help them plan for their future by building on their strengths and skills.
Ms Chu found a way to get Mr Lin out of his house and start training. She contacted the Achilles Running Club, which offers a supportive social environment for people with disabilities to achieve life changing goals through training and participation in running and walking events.
At Achilles she found Brian O’Dea, a volunteer who jumped at the challenge.
Mr O’Dea said Achilles sought to get people with disability to enjoy the benefits of exercise. “We exist for people like Mr Lin,” he said.
“This kind of exercise can be life changing. We’ve been delighted how by giving people the opportunity we can change things for them.”
After three years with no activity outside his house, Mr Lin is now getting exercise in the open air, training on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
And he is already much healthier.
When training began, Mr Lin’s aerobic fitness was so bad he couldn’t run for more than two minutes.
After six weeks training, Mr O’Dea has noticed that Lin is getting stronger aerobically. He can run 10 kilometres. Now Mr O’Dea is worried that, by the time City2Surf comes on August 13, Mr Lin will be dragging him around.
City2Surf and beyond
Mr Lin said he was keen to be involved in the City2Surf because it was a charitable event and it gave him the opportunity to participate and improve his own fitness.
Mr O’Dea was aware that, while it was great to set goals and training for the City2Surf was an incredible opportunity for Mr Lin to get outdoors, it was also important to think about what would happen next. What were the opportunities beyond the City2Surf?
Mr O’Dea put out a message through the Achilles club and found Mr Lin further support at the Devils running club at Rhodes, which has a number of Mandarin speakers, including Sabrina Wang.
He said Ms Wang and the Devils club had been very welcoming of Mr Lin, had already taken him on 10 kilometre runs, and would have a very positive impact on Mr Lin’s future running.
Mr O’Dea has also recruited Chinese-speaking runners to support Lin and work as “tour guides” during the City2Surf.
Mr O’Dea said running with a group offered practical benefits plus it was better socially.
“We know running is health-giving but it’s more than that. Society can keep people out — not deliberately — but we don’t make it easy for some people,” he said.
“At Achilles we’ve had people do Mount Kilimanjaro, Everest base camp and the Kokoda Trail. But seeing someone do their first five kilometre run is just as worthwhile.”
Mr Lin said the best thing about his training sessions was experiencing the outdoors and using his senses — hearing people, feeling water, knowing when he was running over a bridge.
Another happy time is when he has a coffee with Mr O’Dea.
They are good companions.
Mr Lin said he was grateful Mr O’Dea was looking after him and was so joyful to be running with him every week. And he was happy that after City2Surf, there would be a social and running outlet for him.
The benefit is mutual.
Mr O’Dea said, since he was returning from an ankle injury, running with Mr Lin was good for him too. And Mr Lin is a professional masseur who can return the favour when Brian’s shoulders get stiff and sore.
One of many angels
Mr O’Dea is a former soccer player who now loves running to keep fit. He has been running with the Achilles club for nine years.
Now 71, he has run in 11 marathons and in November he will accompany a blind member of the Achilles Running Club in the New York Marathon.
SSI Community Engagement Coordinator Marcela Hart described Mr O’Dea as “one of those many angels that we seem to find often in our field”.
She said Mr O’Dea’s partnership with Mr Lin was community engagement at its best: a connection that provided Mr Lin with many other opportunities.
City2Surf was a wonderful exercise for connecting people, she said. And there was the added bonus of being able to fundraise for SSI.
“We are all part of an exceptional team that does make a difference,” she said.
Follow this link to join Mr Lin and Team SSI in the 2017 City2Surf.
The 25-year-old social work student said volunteering with SSI’s inclusive community gardening project, the Friendship Garden, had showed her how meaningful relationships and a shared purpose can help to create a sense of belonging for people who are new to Australia.
“A lack of shared language can be a barrier between people, but when you’re actually doing work together in the Friendship Garden there’s this whole other language that develops that doesn’t require words in order to communicate,” she said.
“One day, one of the men who work in the garden and I were staking the tomato vines, and after tying a bunch of the vines the man realised I had used the wrong type of tie. We played a bit of charades before I realised what the problem was, but he was able to show me the correct tie to use to ensure the stems were not cut as they continued to grow.
“We had a good laugh about it, and now I will always remember that you need to use a soft material tie when staking tomatoes. So I have not only learnt about gardening, but I’ve learnt how to overcome language and cultural barriers with others.”
Originally from Canada, Ms Williams moved back to Australia when she was five and lived in the regional town of Tamworth until finishing school.
“Growing up in rural NSW I did not have much contact with people who have come from a refugee background. It has been such a rich experience being able to hear small fragments of the stories that have led people to settle in Australia,” she said.
“I have really been encouraged by the perseverance and resilience of so many of the people within the program as many have had to make huge sacrifices to come to Australia and have been faced with many challenges once arriving here.”
When Ms Williams began volunteering with SSI in 2016, she didn’t know much about working in the garden, but quickly realised it wasn’t the gardening itself that brought people back to the Friendship Garden.
“It’s the quality time you get to spend with one another and the friendships that continue to grow every week that keep people coming back. In between the weeding and watering, we share a tea and catch up on the weeks we have all had,” she said.
“One gardener has brought her own seeds in to grow corn from El Salvador and others have their own flower gardens they tend to. People take pride in their gardens, and it is always satisfying when we share lunch to have a salad made up of our own fresh produce!”
The garden gives people a chance to make connections over a shared common goal: making sure the plants grow and thrive, Ms Williams said.
“And that’s ultimately what we all want as well — to grow and thrive within our community, whether we have lived here our whole lives or if we have only just arrived to Australia.”
The SSI Volunteer Program draws on the skills and talents of community members who want to make a difference to the lives of people seeking asylum, refugees, humanitarian entrants and people with disability. Volunteers work in a range of roles that will suit a variety of interests, expertise and availabilities.
Click here to find out more about volunteering with SSI.
Spurred by the growing conflict in Syria, refugee arrivals in Greece rose 750 per cent between 2014 and 2015, with the majority of the 124,000 people arriving on the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Kos, Samos and Leros.
Seeing firsthand the experiences of people leaving their homes in search of safety was one of the factors behind Eleni’s connection to SSI’s New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week, where her installation for the Community Kouzina project will be on display as part of the Singular/Plural exhibition until 2 July.
“I still don’t know how to describe being there in this moment of history, among people who were in the middle of this difficult journey but feeling extremely liberated because they had made it to Greece,” Ms Christou said.
“There was an element of feeling safe but also the uncertainty of what lies ahead when, or if, they got to their final destination.”
During her stay, Ms Christou became close with a young woman from Syria, who shared a parting gift before heading to the Greek mainland to continue her journey.
“I was waiting with her at the ferry until it left and she gave me a packet of biscuits that she had brought with her from Syria. They had come with her on this incredible journey, leaving Syria, going through Turkey and on the boat to Greece.”
For the young woman, the biscuits were a reminder of a homeland left behind.
Along with volunteering with refugees on Kos, Eleni was also running cooking sessions with locals that would form the basis of the first iteration of Community Kouzina. The project comprises both an installation and online components, emphasising methods of food creation, preparation and sourcing as symbols of expression, personality, heritage, community and solidarity.
“Food is definitely something that transcends borders. It’s something uniting that a lot of people can relate to. It’s a source of pride,” Ms Christou said.
“It was fascinating that this young woman gave me a food item, because of the project I was doing. It also made me think about how packaged food can be really symbolic for people. It was a commercial, industrial food; it wasn’t homemade. But this young woman had a strong sense of attachment to it.”
Community Kouzina shared a gallery space with the New Beginnings art exhibition last year — an experience that Eleni has built on in 2017 with a new installation and a special series of recipes and stories collected from people who came to Australia as refugees.
“New Beginnings signifies opportunities to reset and refresh our perspective, our behaviour and our being. That we can we can challenge the routine, the stereotype, the ‘norm’ and inequality. Every new beginning is a warm embrace for change,” Ms Christou said.
“Celebrating the cultural heritage of refugees and new arrivals honours their personal and collective histories; their past, their geographic journey and their future in Australia. In the current local and international political climate, it is important to engage in festivals, dialogue, and everyday behaviour recognising that borders are a human construct, are permeable, and furthermore, can be dismantled.”
Ms Christou’s Community Kouzina installation will be on display at 107 in Redfern until 2 July as part of the Singular/Plural exhibition during the New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week. Click here for details. At the gallery, you can also purchase a zine with a collection of recipes from the special series Community Kouzina created featuring recipes and stories from people of refugee backgrounds.
Held at 107 in Redfern on 21 June, the 150-person venue was soon at capacity, packed with people who’d come along to show their support for refugees and an inclusive arts community. More than 250 people attended across the course of the evening.
SSI Arts & Culture Coordinator and festival producer Carolina Triana said the opening of the Singular/Plural exhibition was a chance for the broader Australian public to engage with the communities SSI supports and learn about their experiences and culture through art.
“Events such as New Beginnings also support newly arrived artists to develop their networks in the local art industry, share their skills and hone their artistic practice,” she said.
“Having established local artists appearing alongside newly arrived artists in this year’s exhibition is a wonderful testimony to collaboration and inclusiveness among the artistic community in NSW.”
New Beginnings has become one of the biggest annual events produced by SSI’s self-funded Arts & Culture program, growing from a one-day festival at a local community centre in 2015 to a multi-event program attracting an audience of several thousand Sydneysiders.
“In founding the festival, we were hoping to use the language of art to break down barriers between new and established communities in Sydney and encourage intercultural understanding,” Ms Triana said.
“People who come to Australia in search of safety come from all walks of life, including the art world. It’s important that newly arrived artists have access to professional development and networking opportunities where they can hone their craft and re-establish themselves in the Australian arts community.”
From now until 2 July, the New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week will include a number of free, family-friendly creative events that are a great opportunity to support up-and-coming refugee artists and an inclusive arts community. Everyone is welcome!
Click here for more information, or RSVP to the Facebook event for regular updates.
After fleeing his war-torn country, Karim had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, which had evolved to an acute depression that kept him in isolation, and kept him awake with persistent nightmares.
At the time, Karim was still learning English, so he got very excited when he met SSI Linker Shabana, who spoke Dari like him, and who told him about the ALNSW program, which is funded by the NSW Government.
ALNSW is a free program that supports people with disability aged 9 to 64, their families and carers. The program is designed to help people plan for their future by building on their strengths and skills to lead the life they want as valued members of their community.
SSI delivers ALNSW through its Linkers, who work closely with participants to identify their goals and interests. Many of the SSI Linkers are also bilingual and bicultural, making it easier for people of all backgrounds to feel supported to achieve their goals.
In his mother tongue, Karim explained his situation to the Linker and they discussed options.
On that same day, Shabana provided him with information about counselling services in his local area and told him about STARTTS (Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors), an organisation that offers counselling specifically for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Karim liked the idea, so the Linker contacted STARTTS and registered him over the phone for counselling sessions. Karim said his first session with the psychologist went very well, and he told his Linker he couldn’t wait to attend the next one.
A few weeks later, when the SSI Linker contacted him again, Karim said he had just finished his tenth counselling session with STARTTS and that he could already feel how his life had improved.
“Now I can sleep better at night and I think I have the courage to talk to people with no fear,” he said.
To find your nearest SSI Linker, call (02) 8713 9200 or email abilitylinks@ssi.org.au.
Pictured clockwise from top left: Anisa Shadieh on the knee of her mother Sarah, seated with other “We Are All Sydney” graduates, Lesli Berger, Lynda Ben-Menashe, Julie McCrossin, and Marcela Hart, SSI’s Community Engagement Coordinator, with graduates Atra and Babel Korko.
Initiated and run by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, “We Are All Sydney” brought together emerging women leaders from the Jewish community and other ethnic, faith and NGO communities and organisations.
Participants undertook a four-month leadership development program facilitated by academics and other professionals. Many also interned in Jewish organisations that provided services of which they had some experience in their own organisations.
The aim of the program for the Jewish community was to share with leaders from other communities what it had learned as a small minority immigrant community, first as convicts and then in various waves as refugees from persecution, war and genocide.
Lesli Berger, Vice President of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said, “The Jewish community sees it as both a moral duty and a logical undertaking to try to give back and strengthen the social fabric of this city. It is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do, for the benefit of all.”
Lynda Ben-Menashe, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Community Relations and Policy Manager, said, “Stronger, more connected community leaders can only build a stronger, more connected Sydney and this is the intended legacy of the program.”
Trina Soulos, SSI’s Community Engagement and Capacity Manager, said “We Are All Sydney”, which was supported by the Department of Social Services, was significant for the way it supported women’s leadership capacity, refining their skills so change could happen in the community.
One of the SSI graduates, Sarah Shadieh, was accompanied by her family. Her daughter Anisa was proud to see her mother graduate and collect her certificate. When asked at school to write about a member of her family, Anisa chose her mother because of everything she had achieved.
“By supporting women like Sarah, we are supporting a generation of women to come,” said Ms Soulos.
The graduates of the program, from Aboriginal, Afghani, African-American, Anglo, Burmese, Chinese, Ethiopian, South Sea Islander, Iranian, Iraqi, Jewish, Lebanese, Sierra Leonean and Syrian backgrounds, were identified as leaders by organisations that care deeply about the future of Sydney: the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, the Barnabas Fund, CORE Community Services, the Mandaean Women in Australia, Parliament on King, the Salvation Army, SSI, the Association of South Sea Islanders Port Jackson and Sydney Alliance.
Another graduate identified by SSI, Atra Korko, said she liked how the program encouraged women to be leaders, to believe in themselves and to reach their goals.
It also helped them to understand different kinds of personalities and how women could best relate to one another, she said.
Ms Korko’s sister, Babel, said she appreciated learning about writing resumes, social media and how to use her knowledge to benefit an organisation.
Journalist and comedian Julie McCrossin gave a keynote speech at the graduation, where she spoke of leadership as being able to make a difference.
“Don’t help your children to be leaders, you be leaders,” she said, adding, “Education won’t get you leadership or influence; you’ve got to take it!”
One way to lead opinions and make a difference was through social media, she said. First you have to be clear about what your goal is, target the audience you want, and build relationships by finding out what your audience cares about.
The graduates intend to meet on a monthly basis to work on joint projects, undertake further training seminars and deepen the bonds of friendship they have developed.
The consultations are by invitation only, and involve high-level discussions and decision making between the UNHCR and delegations from countries around the world. They take place during a week that also includes the UNHCR Annual Consultations with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), making for a big week of discussions about the global refugee crisis.
UNHCR Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement: 12–14 June
After a first day that gave participants a snapshot of the state of humanitarian responses to the refugee crisis around the world, day two was a chance to drill down into the some of the issues faced by organisations like SSI on the ground.
The day began with a performance by South Sudanese slam poet Emtithal “Emi” Mahmoud, who received a standing ovation. Emi’s poetry painted challenging scenes of life in South Sudan, telling those in attendance: “Loss is deeply personal, if you speak with hate people respond in kind. If a person speaks to you with humanity, you respond likewise.”
With that poignant start to the day, SSI’s representatives and the other NGO participants split off into groups to take on problems in some specific areas.
In a session on starting or expanding refugee resettlement programs, some key questions stood out: what role does integration play in expanding refugee resettlement, and, how do we measure the success of resettlement programs?
A standout during a panel discussion for a session on how the private sector engages in refugee resettlement was Andrew Vilcsak from accommodation sharing company Airbnb. Mr Vilcsak spoke about a platform the company launched last week for 16,000 properties being offered for free or heavily discounted prices to refugees in the USA.
Another session on community sponsorship programs for refugee resettlement offered some particularly interesting insights into a model currently being developed in Canada. The Global Refugee Sponsorship initiative aims to support other countries considering private sponsorship models, demonstrating the value of sponsorship in building welcoming communities.
Late on the second day attendees discussed the importance of effective communication to increasing public confidence in refugee resettlement. The UNHCR showcased some great, positive media campaigns that have proven to be effective.
The Australian delegates, including SSI, ended the day with a reception with the Australian Ambassador, and a meeting with the UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Volker Turk.
There has been a lot to take in over the first two days of the consultations. With one day still to go there are sure to be even more opportunities for SSI to learn about how refugee resettlement is happening around the world, and to showcase to the world the work we’re doing here in Australia.
UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs: 14–16 June
After a busy few days at the UNHCR Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement, the SSI delegation in Geneva jumped straight into the second part of the visit: the UNHCR Annual Consultations with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).
While the Tripartite Consultations involve high-level discussions and decision making between the UNHCR and delegations from countries around the world, the NGO Consultations are a chance for all NGOs that work with refugees to discuss issues in a global forum.
This year’s NGO Consultations focused on the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, which encourages the UNHCR to work with a broader coalition of partners—the private sector, academia, media, and refugee diasporas themselves—for better outcomes for refugees.
In the opening sessions, before the consultations began to focus in on specific issues, Senior UNHCR officials spoke about the impact the framework is already having on the ways the UNHCR is engaging with refugee NGOs.
Some sessions, for example, looked at improving identification and protection for individuals in vulnerable situations, such as women at risk, unaccompanied and separated children, survivors of trafficking, refugees with disability, and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Other sessions turned to ways that the private sector and civil society (i.e. organisations and bodies that don’t represent government or business) have been able to help address challenges like rescue at sea, alternatives to detention, trafficking, and racism and discrimination.
A highlight of the consultations was the theme of refugee voices in the response to the global refugee crisis. Leaders from Australia, such as Najeeba Wazefadost from the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and Aarash Bordbar from the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network, were inspiring voices in the discussion.
It has been refreshing to see the UNHCR increasingly recognising the importance of refugees themselves being involved in part of the solution.
As part of that theme, one stand-out session looked at the global refugee work of women and girls. Australians were again well represented in the discussion, with Tenneh Kpaka from the Australian National Committee on Refugee Women giving an eloquent presentation on the need to prioritise the voices of refugee women and girls.
Muhammad Younis enjoyed CIty2Surf so much last year he can’t wait to run again in 2017.
It’s not just for personal health and wellbeing; it also gives a community something to be proud of and provides opportunities for building friendships and connections with other community groups.
It’s an opportunity denied the minority Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar, where the United Nations says they are arguably the most persecuted peoples in the world.
According to the UN, the Rohingya people are denied basic rights, including citizenship, despite the fact they have lived in the Buddhist majority country for generations. They have been made stateless by government decree, systemic discrimination has erupted into violence against them and now hundreds of thousands of Rohingya are living as refugees across Southeast Asia.
In addition to being treated like illegal immigrants, the Rohingya in Myanmar do not even have the opportunity to run or play sports like football.
“In Myanmar we lack everything,” said Mr Younis.
“No freedom of movement, no access to health. They treat us like foreigners. But my great, great, great grandfathers — my ancestors — were of the land!
“In Rakhine state we were not allowed to play football, not even to be on the ground. So we used the rice fields as soccer courts.”
Mr Younis can barely believe how different things are in Australia, “playing here with my brothers, playing freely — even with lights!”
Not only is he allowed to run on a football pitch, he can also run in huge community events like City2Surf.
After completing the run in 2016 he can’t wait to start preparing for City2Surf 2017.
“Running in the City2Surf, seeing so many people, made me happy. Being part of the crowd of runners made me so happy. It made me feel amazing. It made me run fast. I tried hard. My target was first place,” he said.
Aged 32, Mr Younis considers himself an old man. His wish is to be a good role model in his Rohingya community.
“I want my small community to have a big name,” he said.
“As a captain, I always advise my team to try hard and play for Australia. Imagine if one Rohingya boy could play for Australia! That would be a big success for me.”
Someone definitely following his example is star football player Najib Najib, who this year will be running the City2Surf for the first time.
He was inspired by Mr Younis. “Last year I saw Mohammad after the event and he looked so happy. I thought, ‘I want that happiness too!’”
Follow this link to join the duo on Team SSI, “strong and united”, in City2Surf 2017.