The end of year is often a time of reflection, where we ponder the highs and lows of the prior 12 months. Too often though, we focus on the negatives: the diets we didn’t see through, the bad habits we didn’t kick, the mindful colouring books gathering dust in our desk drawers. We beat ourselves up for failing to achieve what we’d set out to or for the things that didn’t go the way we’d hoped.
I encourage you to break that pattern this year and, instead, take a moment to celebrate what you have achieved, both in your professional life but also as a human being. You might have eaten fewer lunches at your desk, or spent more time with your kids. Maybe you reached out to a lonely neighbour, or put away your diyas before Diwali rolled around again. Whatever it is, take the time to celebrate those accomplishments, big and small, and draw a line under the things that didn’t go as planned.
Like any organisation, 2016 brought both achievements and setbacks for SSI but, as I relax over summer, I know what I’ll be thinking about.
I’ll be thinking about the 8,615 refugees, humanitarian entrants and people seeking asylum SSI supported during its most recent financial reporting period. I’ll be thinking about the 3,709 people who secured a home through SSI housing and the 33 small businesses that started with the support of Ignite Small Business Start-Ups.
I’ll be thinking about the 1,785 people who we supported to find a job – people like Amina Khatoon, who recently told SSI: “I feel fantastic, and my manager and work colleagues are really lovely and we are a great team.”
I’ll be thinking about Shagufta Hamayun, whose experience as a participant in SSI Ability Links NSW has inspired her to pursue a career in community services herself: she recently explained that “SSI Ability Links NSW has been an inspiration to me and now I feel ready to give back and help other people, the same way Seema helped me.”
I’ll also be thinking about Yarrie Bangura – a former Sierra Leonean refugee who is now a budding Ignite entrepreneur. As she put it, “refugee people are strong but if they are not quite strong enough, with just some support they can achieve anything”.
As I catch up with friends and family to celebrate the holidays, I’m also going to be focusing on having real, open conversations. I was struck by a recent comment from University of Sydney lecturer Olaf Werder, who wrote in The Conversation last week that “today when people talk, online and offline, any real dialogue seems to have given way to parallel monologues, paired with an inability to actively listen”.
This cuts to the heart of a problem that often comes to the fore at this time of year; we catch up with family members and friends – some of whom we only see once a year – but rather than listening to one another, we spend our time together thinking about our own contribution and competing to be heard.
Making this holiday season about open dialogue, really listening and communicating with each other, will enrich our relationships and enhance our understanding and appreciation of our friends and relatives.
As Mr Werder puts it: “On an individual level, we need to balance impersonal with personal communication, seek out and engage with opposing opinions on purpose, and try understanding the background for someone’s position by actively listening. This goes beyond the freedom of speech idea. It forms an attempt to find common ground when talking to each other, which is not coincidentally also a definition of the term ‘community’.”
Before I sign off for the year, I’d like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season. Enjoy the warm weather, take the time to reflect, relax and, for those of you whose loved ones are near, spend meaningful times with the people who are dear to you.
SSI Ability Links NSW participants Jonathan Yung and Shatha Matrood.
Mr Yung was supported by his SSI Linker Li Hua Chu to continue expanding his musical career. Ms Chu secured a spot for him at the Koala Choir, organised by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia through their program Bella Plus Connect, which organises monthly activities for adults with physical, intellectual, and sensory access requirements.
Ms Chu has supported Mr Yung in finding many opportunities to perform in public throughout 2016 and share his passion for music with the community.
International Day of People with Disability is a United Nations sanctioned day that is celebrated around the world.
It’s a day to consider how people with disability are excluded from society, and to promote the removal of all types of barriers; including those relating to the physical environment, information and communications technology, or attitudinal barriers.
SSI takes these barriers seriously and through the work of Ability Links and other services within SSI, it strives to ensure that it engages with the whole of community to remove all types of barriers that people face in accessing community.
“Working together to improve our lives, environment and connections to each other will lead to a more inclusive and equitable world for all,” said acting Operations Manager Mick Fallon.
“We all have goals and aspirations and there is capacity to meet these with the support of friends, family, colleagues or community based services.”
Shatha Matrood was supported by her SSI Linker Zulfia Erk to build connections in her local community, where she had previously faced discrimination and exclusion.
They worked together to ensure Ms Matrood’s needs were met and to secure opportunities volunteer, work with and support other new migrants.
Ms Matrood shared her story with guests about her journey as a refugee with a disability, which took her from her native Iraq to Syria, and finally to Australia.
“Australia gave us back our dignity and humanity and I was so happy when I first arrived,” Ms Matrood said.
Now a Life Coach supported by Ignite Small Business Start-ups, Ms Matrood has slowly gained the confidence to become an advocate for the rights of people with disability, speaking out against situations she has faced due to being vision-impaired.
SSI has started the conversations that lead to change. Some people are really taking on board the cultural and attitudinal changes, but other sectors will take a little more time and understanding before a change can be seen.
SSI will continue to work with the community to ensure that opportunities are made available for people to reach their goals, whether that be through community connections, education and awareness or employment and entrepreneurial pathways.
SSI Youth Projects Coordinator Dor Achiek, pictured with Arash Bordbar and Sarah Yahya.
Hosted by the Youth Collective, the symposium provided a forum for young people to meet new friends, share skills and experiences and access support to reach their goals.
Covering a range of workshops, activities and panel discussions, the symposium also featured a keynote address from NSW Australian of the Year Deng Adut, who shared his thoughts on education and his path to success as a renowned lawyer.
“Education opens the door to opportunities,” Mr Adut said. “It’s the only way you can make change and be the person you want to be. Self-education holds the key to enlightenment and has the power to improve humanity — that’s what we should celebrate.”
Mr Adut also encouraged young people to work hard and embrace diversity in Australia.
“If you want to make change, be the person you want to be, but don’t discriminate and give back to humanity,” Mr Adut said. “Expand your mind, and work on yourself.”
SSI Youth Projects Coordinator Dor Achiek said the event provided a unique opportunity for young people from multicultural backgrounds to build critical skills and networks to support their future career path.
“Young people from multicultural backgrounds face many barriers to education,” Mr Achiek said. “English is often not their first language; Australian education systems are unfamiliar to them; and it can be overwhelming to adjust to cultural differences while they’re still defining their identity in Australia.”
“The 20 Voices Youth Symposium on Education sets the foundations for youth to identify goals, learn from others, and map a path for their future with the support of others. It enables them to consider what they want to achieve in life, and work towards their goals by accessing the appropriate services and support.
“Refugee and migrant youth deliver so much vitality and energy to our communities. They are inspirational entrepreneurs and budding community leaders, and it’s critical they receive the support they need to secure their path to success.”
Held at the Fairfield Youth and Community Centre, the 20 Voices Youth Symposium on Education featured a live music performance, inspirational speeches from former refugees, and workshops covering a range of topics such as career planning and how to access academic and social support in the education system.
Participants also learned about SSI’s Youth@Work mentoring program for refugee and migrant youth, and had the opportunity to meet new friends in a welcoming environment.
Ability Links NSW participant Shagufta Hamayun and SSI Linker Seema Syed
Although she liked her new home country, Ms Hamayun couldn’t help feeling constantly sad and homesick. She missed her past life and loved ones she had left behind.
A month after her arrival, Ms Hamayun found out she was pregnant with her third child. However, far from being the beginning of a happy and exciting period, the following months turned out to be the darkest chapter of her life – a situation she says was reversed thanks to the support of her Linker, Seema, from the SSI Ability Links NSW (ALNSW) program.
ALNSW is a free program delivered by SSI that supports people with disability aged 9 to 64. Linkers work closely with their participants to plan for their future by building on their strengths and skills to lead the life they want as valued members of their community.
“I found being away from my family and my country very hard, and I started suffering from depression and anxiety,” Ms Hamayun said.
“I felt so lonely and isolated that the idea of starting a new life here overwhelmed me. I even I tried to convince my husband to go back to Pakistan, but he said that everything would get better after the birth of the baby, so we stayed.”
After giving birth Ms Hamayun’s depression worsened and she started suffering from phobias. She was referred to a psychiatrist, but she knew that besides medical help she was in need of the human support her friends and family used to provide back home.
Ms Hamayun said she remembered her first encounter with SSI Ability Linker Seema Syed was like the first step towards her new life as the ‘happy woman and happy mother’ she is now.
“We met at a community centre information session and I remember how among all the ladies there she stood out as the most helpful and interested in me,” Ms Hamayun said.
After Ms Hamayun explained her situation to Ms Syed – also originally from Pakistan – they decided that to overcome the feelings of loneliness and isolation she needed opportunities to meet new people. Ms Syed introduced her to different social groups and took her along to meetings linked to her interests.
At the same time, they maintained the routine of having meetings with just the two of them where they discussed Ms Hamayun’s future goals and some of the positive aspects of living in Australia.
“Seema always tried her hardest to keep me busy and offer me ways to get out of the house to become involved in the community,” Ms Hamayun said.
“As I engaged in more activities and met more new people, I started to feel better with myself and with my life in Australia.”
Through her collaborative work with Ms Syed, Ms Hamayun successfully completed a Child Behaviour Management course, she participated in a 10-week paid internship as a child minder and enrolled in a support group especially aimed to help new arrivals in Australia.
Now an active member of the community and exuding energy, Ms Hamayun has a very clear idea of what her next goal is.
“After all the support I received from SSI Ability Links NSW, I’ve decided I also want to help people improve their lives and that’s why I’m currently studying Pathways to Community Services at TAFE,” she said.
Besides studying, Ms Hamayun is also running a social group for women who might be in a similar situation as she once was.
With the support of SSI Ability Links, she created a Facebook group called ‘Pakistani Women Social group in Sydney’, which has over 600 members and a Whatsapp group with over 150 members. Both online groups aim to provide a platform for women with different skills to showcase their talents, organise events and exchange support and resources.
The members of the groups are encouraged to share their knowledge and experiences to help one another, including emotional and psychological help.
“I know how important it is not to feel alone,” Ms Hamayun said.
“SSI Ability links NSW has been an inspiration to me and now I feel ready to give back and help other people, the same way Seema helped me.”
Yarie Bangura at Marrickville Markets.
Ms Bangura and Aunty’s Ginger Tonic have been supported by SSI’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups, and SSI was chosen as one of five organisations to present their initiatives to the packed room at Google offices in Pyrmont.
Ignite Program Coordinator Dina Petrakis started the presentation with an overview of Ignite and how it helps facilitate small businesses, but Ms Bangura stole the show with her personal story. This is her story below:
Yarie Bangura’s story
“I am originally from Freetown, the capital city of the beautiful country of Sierra Leone.
I grew up in a strong, colourful environment with a good sense of community. I had a great life. But one day everything changed: from being a happy girl to experiencing the terror of war.
For a while I stayed in a refugee camp in Guinea. I couldn’t go to school. I had lost my childhood and learned to be an adult, having to sell things in a market to survive.
Then, in November 2004, I was fortunate to be able to come to Australia. I was 11.
For two years in Australia my life was great. I watched a lot of TV shows and one of my favourites was Oprah Winfrey. She was my hope as a black woman. I saw her as an African woman that had achieved so much. I could see myself in her. I thought if she can do it I can do it.
I wanted to understand things. Like why did we have war? Why did I have to leave my home? Why was my beautiful community suddenly torn apart?
I knew education would help me find some answers.
I wanted to learn to read and write and follow my dream of giving something back to Australia.
I felt fortunate and privileged to be in this wonderful country but I was haunted by my past.
For some time I couldn’t sleep on my own. I was shaking. But I couldn’t tell anyone.
But I loved education and I loved words. And through poetry I found a way to express myself. I shared my poetry and started talking about myself.
And then last year I was able to put my dream into action.
Back in Guinea I had seen women sitting together and making a ginger drink to sell in the market. From that memory came the beginning of my business.
I wanted to give something different, something that would contribute to the economic growth of Australia and also the health of Australia. Ginger is very big in my country. So I started a ginger tonic business.
My mother was worried for me but I used to say to her, ‘I know it’s going to be hard. I just want to break that stigma that I am a refugee; that I am a black woman, therefore I cannot achieve in a foreign country.’
I believe this country is a land of opportunity for all. . . if you work hard. It might be difficult for some people but if you find the right people to work with it will be an easy journey.
During a Refugee Week event this year I met Australian businessman Tony Shepherd who helped me find Ignite.
And now I can relax. Because people with the same background, who have been through the same situation, they understand. I can relate to them. Everybody has been so supportive and I can see my vision coming to reality. I am sure within myself that my instinct was right.
And thank god that I didn’t give up.
Now I am hoping that it will be a venue to give job opportunities for other migrants and refugees who are finding it hard. Because when you come to Australia it is a wonderful country, very peaceful and I will be forever grateful to Australia because it has given me a second chance in life.
But it can also be very intimidating and overwhelming.
Refugees come with dreams and plans to move on by supporting their family here and back home but sometimes they lack education and can’t speak English so there are barriers and they can be traumatised. Often they are starting from zero.
That is why I want to provide jobs for people who are finding it difficult. Making this drink can be something where refugees can work together and contribute to our wonderful society.
Programs like Ignite allow people like me stand tall and take responsibility for our lives.
Ignite helped set me up with a street food market in Marrickville. I was able to interact with customers who wanted to know more about me and the product.
Ignite helped me find a mentor who was just what I needed. He had a background in the food and beverage industry and has helped another woman start a flourishing business.
Sometimes when things get confusing I can visit the Ignite office and I’m always welcome. I sit with them and they lift my spirits. Sometimes stigma and self-doubt are strong. But when I go to Ignite they are my sounding board and I know I can do it.
They are very determined and passionate to see people succeed.
Refugees are not always people who have lived in poverty. Once they led a better life. Some might have had businesses. But they lost everything when war came. It can happen to anyone. It could happen to anyone in Australia. You can be on top and then next minute you will be low.
Returning that passion to people is amazing.
It is very important to have guidance from people who have experience to learn how the system works. We can trust and relate to Ignite.
Refugee people are strong but if they are not quite strong enough, with just some support they can achieve anything.
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SSI Board: Lou Bacchiella, Elfa Moraitakis, Antoinette Chow, Yung Ngo, Clement Meru, Chair Elizabeth Shaw and Lucy Taksa.
Leading the new Board is Elisabeth Shaw, who was appointed Chair, while new directors include SydWest Multicultural Services CEO Elfa Moraitakis and Core Community Services Manager Multicultural Communities Clement Meru from SSI’s member organisations. Senior Westpac executive Yung Ngo was also welcomed as an independent Board director.
They join current members Metro Assist CEO Lou Bacchiella, Professor and Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Business and Economics at Macquarie University, Lucy Taksa and Advance Community Services CEO Antoinette Chow.
Also, stepping down this year is Louise Petschler from the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and former director of SydWest Multicultural Services, Om Dhungel.
Mr Dabboussy, who has been a member of the SSI Board for six years and SSI Chair for five years, said it was a personal highlight to have led the Board during a period of meteoric growth and development.
SSI achieved several major milestones under Mr Dabboussy’s chairmanship including a change to the company structure, increased partnership with members, continued international humanitarian work, and Sydney’s selection as the host for the 2018 International Metropolis Conference.
“Under the stewardship of the evolving and developing board, I am sure SSI’s success will continue and I wish the organisation every success in the future,” Mr Dabboussy said in his final report.
Acting RCOA CEO Tim O’Connor, SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis, Allianz Group Manager HR Tim Dawson, former SSI Board directors Om Dhungel and Kamalle Dabboussy, new Chair Elizabeth Shaw, and directors Lucy Taksa, Antoinette Shaw and Lou Bacchiella.
Speaking at the AGM, acting RCOA CEO Tim O’Connor made a special mention of the ‘vital’ role of humanitarian settlement organisations such as SSI in improving the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in Australia.
“I congratulate SSI on their wonderful achievements in successfully resettling so many people into Sydney and NSW. Giving people the opportunity to rebuild their lives is an enormous privilege and also an enormous responsibility,” he said.
Allianz Group Manager HR Tim Dawson also highlighted the benefits of workplace diversity as he discussed the SSI and Allianz partnership, which has seen seven recruits from refugee backgrounds begin full time work with the insurer in 2016.
“The SSI and Allianz partnership isn’t about charity; it’s about business. Workplace diversity is good for business, and it mirrors the community we live and work in,” he said. “We’re hiring great talent and we take great pride in what we’re achieving.”
In a third address, the State Member for Canterbury Sophie Cotsis MP described Australia as a “settlement nation” and stressed the need to support migrants and refugees to secure the nation’s future.
“Diversity is part of the global trade; we’re trading knowledge. We have so many rich cultures and should be proud that we speak over 200 languages. We are a model nation for diversity,” she said.
Fiona Herron, Cecilia Rigas, Amina Khatoon at Foodie Fee.
From Bangladesh, Ms Khatoon came to Australia with her two children to join her husband. She lacked confidence because she believed her English skills weren’t good enough to find a job. After 12 months with SSI jobactive, participating in an SSI social enterprise and completing a variety of courses, Ms Khatoon is thrilled to have found her first job.
“I feel fantastic, and my manager and work colleagues are really lovely and we are a great team,” said Ms Khatoon.
SSI Employment and Enterprise Manager Terry Wilson said that SSI’s innovative social enterprises and recruitment service had helped almost 2000 people find work in the past financial year, including people of migrant and refugee background and people seeking asylum.
“We are very proud of the work being done by SSI Employment and our social enterprises that help jobseekers get work experience in fields as diverse as marketing, cooking, packaging, warehousing and retail,” Mr Wilson said.
“The time they spend with us not only gives them experience in a realistic work environment, it also helps improve the life skills they need to keep a job, such as punctuality, self-confidence and reliability.”
Ms Rigas owned her own business in Greece and was very anxious about whether she would find work in a new country when she arrived just 10 months ago.
“I have always worked; work is very important to me but, because I am older, I thought it would be difficult for me to find work,” she said.
“But after just two months with SSI I got this job with Foodie Fee and I am so happy.”
Ms Khatoon and Ms Rigas are both employed with Foodie Fee, an organic healthy snack business owned by Fiona Herron.
Ms Herron approached SSI because she particularly wanted to employ someone of migrant or refugee background.
Ms Herron said she wanted to help people who had recently arrived and needed employment opportunities to give them a head start.
“Part of my philosophy is for people to use their hands in their work and I’m hoping to build a business that will create work opportunities in an environment where there are fewer jobs due to machines and robots,” she said.
“As a small business you run around doing a lot of job descriptions, so when I was ready to employ someone, it was really easy to find staff through SSI.”
Ms Herron also appreciated the food handling course that SSI organised for Ms Khatoon and Ms Rigas to complete before they commenced employment.
“It saved me time and money by the ladies having this certification already before starting work with us,” she said.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis
On Monday, November 7, we received the great news that SSI/CoAct’s JobActive service was again awarded a five-star rating by the Department of Employment. Star ratings are used to assess a provider’s efficiency and effectiveness in placing job seekers into sustainable work and this is the second quarter in a row we have achieved this status.
SSI’s social enterprises and recruitment service has helped almost 2,000 people find work in the past financial year and we are proud of the work being done by SSI Employment.
Another reason to feel proud to be part of SSI is the important milestone we reached last week with the National Multicultural Women’s Conference, which was organised by SSI in partnership with the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA).
Many SSI staff members have been working hard to produce this conference for several months. The conference focused on the challenges and opportunities facing multicultural women in Australia. The two-day event brought together almost 400 leaders, practitioners and community members who discussed a wide range of issues affecting women from multicultural backgrounds, such as health, identity, education, employment and culture, while also celebrating their outstanding contributions to our society.
The conference presented a robust line up of stimulating speakers from different areas, including Senator the Hon. Zed Seselja, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Women, Renata Kaldor AO, Navy Officer Captain Mona Shindy, Aboriginal author and activist Jackie Huggins, Aboriginal athlete and former federal Senator Nova Peris and Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins. All of them participated in lively and entertaining sessions led by facilitators Jenny Brockie and Jeannette Francis.
I can say I’m extremely pleased with how this first edition of the conference went, proving itself to be a well overdue discussion towards reframing the narrative around CALD women and highlighting the need for an association that can effectively represent this target, which we currently lack in Australia.
But this wasn’t the only conference I attended in the past month. At the end of October, I had the opportunity to travel to Japan to participate in the 2016 International Metropolis Conference. For the first time in its 20 year history, Metropolis was held in an Asian country, which is very good news. For too long, the global discussion about migration has come exclusively from the West, so it is about time we include other perspectives and practices.
Big challenges, such as the current refugee crisis, require big alliances, so having our Asian counterparts on board is another step closer to achieving a truly global approach to migration, settlement and integration.
This year I was invited to speak on a panel of experts around the theme of ‘An International Comparative Investigation of Settlement, Employment and Education Initiatives and Outcomes’. This shows that SSI is viewed as a leader in integration and highlights how relevant it is for our organisation to participate in forums, be part of the international decision-making processes and remain an advocate for change.
Delegates from leading countries in refugee resettlement such as Germany and Canada were also on the panel and showed great interest in SSI’s work, especially the HSS program, the Ignite initiative and Employment’s social enterprises.
The panel was also a good opportunity to share best practices with settlement organisations from Nova Scotia and other Canadian provinces, a country that has announced it will be opening its doors to 300,000 refugees in 2017.
But I can’t finish this overview without sharing with you more good news. As NSW Minister for Multiculturalism John Ajaka announced on the last day of the conference, Sydney has been chosen to host the International Metropolis Conference in 2018, with SSI, the Australian Multicultural Foundation and the NSW Government as organising partners of the event.
This is going to be an invaluable opportunity to both project Sydney’s successful multiculturalism model at international level and SSI as a leading humanitarian organisation working in migration and humanitarian settlement in NSW.
SSI staff, volunteers, and youth from migrant and refugee backgrounds came together for the My Kitchen Rocks event.
Now in its second year, Multicultural Youth (MY) Kitchen Rocks was an opportunity for young people from diverse backgrounds to make new friends and take part in activities including sports, candle making and music workshops.
Young people from across Sydney celebrated the last few days of school holidays with live music, workshops, face painting, and a truckload of pizza.
The event, which was organised by SSI, Youth Collective and Auburn Diversity Services Inc (ADSi), attracted close to 80 participants, including a large contingent of newly arrived young people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.
SSI Youth Projects Coordinator Dor Akech Achiek said: “MY Kitchen Rocks creates a relaxed, fun environment for newly arrived young people to meet their peers and make new community connections over food, music and sports. It’s a great chance for participants to unwind and just enjoy being young.”
Mr Achiek said SSI was committed to supporting young refugees and people seeking asylum to build their confidence, resilience and self-empowerment.
“The young people we work with have unique skills, ideas and experiences that can greatly benefit our country,” he said. “They do, however, need extra support to overcome additional challenges such as language barriers, identity and culture.
“Events such as MY Kitchen Rocks are a good way to help multicultural young people engage with their local community and make friends with other youth who have experienced similar situations to themselves.”
The Youth Collective will host the 20 Voices Youth Symposium on Education on November 28, which aims to help young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds navigate the education system and work towards their career goals.
All young people aged between 14-24 are welcome to attend. Click here to register your interest.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis with a number of delegates who attended the inaugural National Multicultural Women’s Conference.
This was one of the key messages delivered at the inaugural National Multicultural Women’s Conference – Influencing Change: Vision and Impact (NMWC), held in partnership with SSI and the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) at the Parkroyal Parramatta on November 3-4, 2016.
Bringing together almost 400 politicians, practitioners, academics and community members, the conference covered a range of issues affecting CALD women such as health, identity, education, employment and culture, with the aim of discussing holistic strategies to support multicultural women and make their voices heard at the national level.
Featuring high profile speakers including Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs Zed Seselja, and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Women Tanya Plibersek, the two-day conference provided a platform for delegates to share their expertise, develop new ideas and perspectives, and prompt a shift in the national dialogue.
Renata Kaldor; Hina Durrani, FECCA Women’s Chair; Zed Seselja, Assistant Minister Social Services and Multicultural Affairs; SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis; Director of FECCA, Dr Emma Campbell, and Joseph Caputo, FECCA Chair.
Delegates also heard from Renata Kaldor AO who delivered a touching keynote address reflecting on her own experiences as a refugee, and her efforts to advocate for change in Australia.
“Certainly immigration has enriched us in ways well beyond the bottom line,” she said. “The evidence shows that refugees are some of Australia’s most productive and successful people.”
The inaugural NMWC featured a range of panel and plenary sessions including highly esteemed speakers such as Captain Mona Shindy from the Royal Australian Navy, Greens NSW MP Dr Mehreen Faruqi, and NSW Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian.
Panellists also discussed the challenges and opportunities facing Indigenous communities in Australia in a moving and thought-provoking plenary session.
Uieta Kaufusi, 1800 RESPECT; Tasneem Chopra; Zione Walker-Nthenda, Incubate Foundation; Antoinette Braybrook, FVPLS Victoria; Nova Peris OAM; Dr Jackie Huggins, National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples.
Speakers including National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples Dr Jackie Huggins, and former Senator and first Indigenous woman elected to Federal parliament Nova Peris made a special mention of the similarities facing Indigenous and multicultural communities in Australia, and the need to stay united in advocating for change.
“Indigenous women aren’t part of the problem; we’re part of the solution,” Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention & Legal Service Victoria Antoinette Braybrook added.
Also on the agenda was a lively debate on whether there is a glass ceiling for multicultural women in Australia, facilitated by The Feed presenter Jeanette Francis, and a Q&A panel session moderated by Jenny Brockie from SBS’s Insight program.
Over 390 delegates from across Australia attended the two-day conference.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said the conference was a great success which highlighted the need for more collaboration to minimise barriers facing multicultural women and empower them to prosper in Australia.
“Multicultural women are such an important part of the fabric of our communities,” Ms Roumeliotis said. “They are inspiring leaders, teachers, mentors, mothers and more, and yet they face incredible barriers in Australian society in the areas of education, employment, culture, health and more.
“The pressures facing multicultural women are overwhelming, and the additional challenges need to be recognised so they can be addressed. Multicultural women are incredibly resilient and resourceful, but they need to be supported across sectors to achieve their potential in Australia.”
Noting that the conference was ‘well overdue’, Ms Roumeliotis said delegates walked away with new ideas, networks, and solutions for the future.
“The National Multicultural Women’s Conference provided a critical opportunity for experts in the field to come together to reframe the narrative around CALD women and work towards change across sectors,” Ms Roumeliotis said.
A full house at the National Multicultural Women’s Conference.
The National Multicultural Women’s Conference was supported by major sponsors including AMES Australia, Multicultural NSW and the City of Sydney.