He also teaches children how to play the ude – a traditional Middle Eastern instrument – free of charge, and when he can find the time, he plays soccer with his two-year-old son.
“We miss our country – our friends, our life and our family – but we are safe here. Our eyes are open in Australia when they were closed in Syria,” he said.
Mr Georges is among thousands of refugees who have arrived in NSW after the Federal Government announced in September last year that it would welcome an additional 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq.
Settlement Services International (SSI), the largest not-for-profit humanitarian settlement organisation in Australia, has settled over 1,000 refugees and humanitarian entrants in recent months, with the number expected to increase steadily in the months ahead.
Like many new arrivals, Mr Georges is still adjusting to life in Australia, but he says the support his family received in the initial months was a vital part of his settlement journey.
“Australia reminds me of Syria, but so many things are different,” he said. “Many people have helped my family and the community has been very supportive.”
SSI’s Humanitarian Settlement Support (HSS) program for newly arrived refugees and humanitarian entrants picked Mr Georges and his family up from the airport upon their arrival from Syria and took them to short-term accommodation where they lived for four weeks. The HSS program provides ongoing support while the family settles in their new home.
His family took part in a community orientation program covering topics such as how to apply for rental properties and search for schools and health care services, and they were connected with a case manager who provided essential support in the initial six months.
With the support of SSI, Mr Georges recently secured a full-time position with a reputable insurance company in Sydney’s CBD – an opportunity that has allowed him to focus on his long-term career goals.
“We are safe and happy here – we feel like we’re part of society which is something we lost in Syria,” he said.
SSI’s Manager Humanitarian Settlement Services Yamamah Agha applauded Mr Georges’s resilience and tenacity, and highlighted the importance of supporting newly arrived refugees, particularly in the early stages of settlement.
“Refugees bring a wealth of skills and talents to Australia, but it’s important they are supported to develop the knowledge and community connections they need to live independently in society,” she said.
“Settlement is not a linear process; it takes time and requires a commitment from the community. But successful resettlement delivers profound social and economic benefits to the broader community, which makes us stronger as a nation.”
Mr Georges is continuing his studies and enjoying family life after his wife gave birth to their second child, Marvin, in late May.
During the recent State Budget, the Government allocated an additional $146 million to health, education, social security and welfare services that aim to support refugee resettlement over the next four years.
This will include $92 million in education funding for school-aged refugees, $32.4 million for specialised health services, $8.4 million for programs including community hubs and school liaisons, and $4 million to support legal aid services.
The funding also includes provisions for a refugee employment triage program, which will give refugees tailored support in their search for work – a move that is in line with the Government’s ongoing push to open up the jobs market for new arrivals.
The Government has also committed to setting aside at least 100 public sector jobs for refugees over the next year, in addition to which it has called on the corporate sector to contribute to improving labour market outcomes for refugees.
This is an important recognition of the critical role that employment plays during the settlement process. Finding a job is essential to individuals achieving their social and economic potential, but this is particularly true of the refugee community, where employment can help to heal the losses that accompany forced migration and often is seen as one of the markers of ‘success’ in a new country.
Refugees can find it hard to break into the labour market, however, due to difficulty with skills and qualification recognition, limited local work experience and low English language proficiency. This makes it doubly important for governments to take affirmative action to smooth the way for refugees to enter the Australian workforce.
SSI is assisting the NSW Government with that aim through a number of partnerships with corporate Australia, including a new relationship with a national supermarket chain.
The partnership, led by the Migration Council of Australia as part of the Friendly Nation Initiative, will create sustainable job opportunities for refugees. SSI – along with our wonderful Queensland partner organisation, Access Community Services – is assisting with appropriate case management support to iron out any teething issues related to the settlement process.
A similar partnership with Allianz is already delivering great outcomes. Earlier this year, the global insurance company employed five refugees who SSI supports, and it expects to launch a second round of recruitment in August that will see it hire an additional five people.
These relationships are a win-win situation. Businesses work with us to improve refugees’ employment prospects, while we support employers to recruit and retain valuable employees who will benefit their businesses in many areas, including by improving workforce diversity.
We’re able to answer employers’ questions about everything from cultural sensitivities to workplace adjustments, while our case management support ensures any issues that occur during the settlement process do not affect an employee’s capacity to deliver in the workplace.
The refugee community is also coming up with solutions to its own employment challenges. One great example of this is Nirary Dacho – a former SSI client who has gone on to co-found Refugee Intern.
The innovative platform, which is supported by SSI’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups initiative, helps newly arrived refugees gain local work experience by pairing up qualified refugees with internship opportunities in areas including IT and engineering.
Refugee Intern was one of many original concepts to come out of the Techfugees Hackathon SSI was involved with last year, which connected developers and entrepreneurs with refugees and people seeking asylum to create solutions for issues including language acquisition, community integration, housing support and employment.
While organisations like SSI are working in partnership with the NSW Government and corporate sector to improve refugees’ employment outcomes, it’s inspiring to see that refugees themselves are there right alongside, working to identify and break down employment barriers.
Nirary Dacho and Anna Robson co-founded Refugee Intern.
Refugee Intern is the brainchild of Nirary Dacho, a Syrian IT analyst who arrived as a refugee in mid-2015, and Anna Robson, who learned first-hand about the hardships facing refugees and asylum seekers while working at the Nauru Detention Centre from 2014-15.
Designed to connect refugees with work opportunities that align with their skills and experience, Refugee Intern aims to provide new arrivals with local work experience which is often one of the greatest challenges for newly arrived refugees.
The project has been supported from its inception by Ignite Small Business Start-ups, a Settlement Services International (SSI) initiative that facilitates business creation for people from refugee backgrounds who are keen to establish a small business.
“Working in Nauru, I found out how lots of talented people who arrive in Australia as refugees don’t get to use their skills just because they can’t find a job due to their lack of local experience and contacts,” said Ms Robson.
“I wanted to do something to help, but didn’t know how.”
Ms Robson was among dozens of technology experts and entrepreneurs who attended the inaugural TechFugees Australia Hackathon in November 2015 to develop innovative solutions to support refugees in the early stages of settlement.
A number of newly arrived refugees also took part to share their experiences and guide the development of technology solutions, including Mr Dacho who has a master’s degree in web science, a bachelor’s degree in IT, and over eight years’ experience in the IT sector.
“When I heard Anna talking about the need to find a way to make the most out of the skills brought to Australia, I knew I wanted to work with her to find a solution because it was exactly how I felt,” Mr Dacho said.
Together, they created Refugee Intern with the support of the Ignite team, who helped with the initial business plan, budgets and marketing plan.
“Refugee Intern is a platform that connects businesses and job seekers from refugee backgrounds who have specialist skills. The company enters the requirements of the candidate they are looking for, and the program matches them with job seekers who meet those criteria,” Ms. Robson explained.
“We are certain there are many job seekers from refugee backgrounds that, just like Nirary, have the skills and the experience, but are not given an opportunity because they lack experience in the Australian workforce, references who can support their applications, and contacts to find out about job opportunities. “
Within less than 12 months, Refugee Intern has attracted over 50 candidates and 10 businesses in the areas of IT, Accounting and Marketing. A number of candidates have already begun working in a bid to enhance their resume and improve their prospects of finding permanent work in Australia.
Refugee Intern is currently expanding interstate, and Ms. Robson hopes to attract at least 500 candidates by 2017.
Held as part of Refugee Week, New Beginnings 2016 featured a one-day event at Darling Harbour on June 18, followed by an art exhibition and documentary screening as part of Open Marrickville.
Planning for New Beginnings 2017 is currently underway, but in the meantime, here are five highlights from this year’s event.
1. Mouth watering food
Festival attendees experienced a round-the-world food safari without having to leave Sydney during the New Beginnings launch event in Darling Harbour on June 18.
From Vietnamese and Sri Lankan street food to traditional cuisine from Africa and Iraq, the arts and culture festival was a gastronome’s delight.
2. Cross-cultural performance
The Darling Harbour festival showcased a strong line up of musical and dance performances, with the audience size often multiplying as passers-by stopped to admire the talent on show.
The themes of hope, unity and new beginnings were on display when the Sydney World Music Chamber Orchestra took to the stage with a performance that drew inspiration from close to a dozen different cultures.
3. A moving documentary premiere
There was hardly a dry eye in the house when the credits rolled for Maher Jamous’s powerful documentary, Faraway… So Close to Homeland, which profiled 10 Syrian refugees as they adjusted to life outside their home country.
The articulate documentary subjects cast a new light on the exodus that has occurred in Syria since civil war broke out in 2011, bringing home the reality that many Syrians face as what was considered a temporary conflict looks increasingly long term.
4. Community united in art
The closing event for the New Beginnings art exhibition saw Sydneysiders come together with artists from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds during an afternoon of art, food and live music.
The artworks on display were the perfect backdrop to the event, with darker themes of loss and uncertainty contrasting with the artists’ hope for freedom, safety and a new beginning in Australia.
5. Strong entrepreneurial spirit
One of the most heartening highlights was the strong display of entrepreneurial spirit from the refugee and asylum seeker community.
This spirit was embodied in stallholders who showcased leather goods, photographs and more at the arts and culture festival, along with the talented entrepreneurs who catered the documentary premiere and closing event. The wealth and diversity of participants’ businesses affirmed research showing the strong entrepreneurial potential in the refugee community.
Thank you to everyone who made the New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival 2016 such a success. Stay tuned for details of New Beginnings 2017!
A voracious learner, Ms Alrubaie has completed several qualifications since arriving in Australia, volunteers regularly, and recently secured paid employment in before and after school care.
But even skilled refugees like Ms Alrubaie face barriers when attempting to enter the Australian workplace, including a lack of recognition of qualifications and little knowledge of the local labour market.
Ms Alrubaie received help in the form of a job readiness program established by Settlement Services International’s (SSI) Women at Risk program, generously funded by Jack and Sally Curtis, which was created to educate vulnerable refugee women about local employment practices, and their rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Among other things, the program covers resume writing, job interviewing and presentation skills, English language support, cultural preparation, acceptable workplace conduct, and employers’ expectations about behaviours such as punctuality.
“For me, it’s all new – how to deal with taxation, what expenses you should take out, what you shouldn’t, what your rights are, what’s something you can complain about. I got a lot of information about this,” she said.
Like many people from her birth country of Iraq, ongoing unrest forced Ms Alrubaie and her two children to seek asylum in Australia in 2012. The family’s refugee status was confirmed on Valentine’s Day 2013.
For Ms Alrubaie, the process of beginning life again in a new country has inspired her to pursue a new career and she hopes eventually to secure a job in the social work profession.
“I always tell other women, don’t give up,” Ms Alrubaie said. “In the first year, all refugees experience the same feelings: in the first month, we are very happy because we are safe and we are here in Australia. After that, we notice everything is complex, everything is difficult, so we get upset and depressed.”
“It’s not easy for someone to start again in a new country. But at least we are safe and we have the chance to do everything we want here. We need to maintain our hope and work with it.”
While her career path is new, Ms Alrubaie’s passion for social responsibility dates back to Iraq, where her own experience as a single mother inspired her to purchase a large home and sub-divide it into rent-free units.
“I started this with two families – two women who lost their husbands in the war. One of them had two children and the other had four. They had nowhere else to go,” she said.
The women were still without income, however, so Ms Alrubaie turned the front of the house into a shopping strip where each family were able to sell their wares.
“I’m happy this house continues today as these families now have their own home, so no-one is asking for rent, and they have work. I love them. This is the most successful part of my life,” she said. “We’re like one big family.”
This venture is more than just philanthropic: Ms Alrubaie attributes it to her own survival during life threatening situations in Iraq and during her perilous journey to Australia.
“I know that when you help someone, God will help you,” she said. “My dream is also to do something special here.”
Ms Alrubaie hopes to one day become an Australian citizen and be united with her husband, who is still living in Iraq.
“My children are living without a father, which is hard sometimes, but I hope that he will join us here when I am a citizen,” she said.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said it was pleasing to see such a significant financial commitment by the NSW Government for a highly vulnerable group of people.
“With so many newly arrived families with children, I’m particularly pleased to see that the main focus of the allocation will be on education and health,” Ms Roumeliotis said.
“The NSW Government should be congratulated for keeping to its word on Syrian arrivals and committing significant sums to ensure newly arrived refugees are supported at the state as well as the federal level.
“Of course, settlement service providers like Settlement Services International continue to deliver key specialised services, such as bilingual case management, cultural understanding and community orientation, to refugees on arrival in Australia.
“Settlement Services International and our member migrant resource centres know from decades of experience that refugees and migrants will settle and become independent more quickly if specialist settlement services are provided to help them get on their feet as soon as possible. Services such as specialist health care, case management, and access to education and pathways to work,” Ms Roumeliotis added.
“We have to also remember that for every dollar spent on refugees and migrants, these new arrivals and subsequent generations will repay us and the NSW and Australian economy many times over.”
Other critical areas that received funding include specialist torture and trauma services, employment and community integration programs.
A new refugee employment triage program will help refugees find work through tailored and individualised employment support.
Like many Syrians, the ongoing war forced Mr Batal and his family to flee to neighbouring Lebanon in 2011, where he first gained experience as a business owner.
“I had a pizza shop in Lebanon with the same name. I had plenty of customers and many of those customers were Australian people, who visited Lebanon and would come to my shop. They told me, ‘if you open in Australia with the same pizza, we’ll come to you’,” he said.
Now the proud owner of Miami Pizza in Bankstown, Mr Batal said it hasn’t all been smooth sailing since he resettled in Australia with his wife and two children in June 2014.
“Before opening this store, I worked for two months in a Turkish kebab store for a low wage. I wanted to find out how people think here and what they like. I didn’t want to open a shop with no idea, because it’s a different country,” he said.
Mr Batal wasn’t familiar with Australian pizza menu staples like ‘Meatlovers’ and ‘Supreme’ pizzas but gradually, through customer feedback, a menu revamp and his own field research, he found success with his new business.
“Everything in the beginning is very hard,” he said. “In Syria, in Lebanon, in Australia — everything is hard. But when you start, you find that you can do it. Everybody has to do it themselves though; you can’t wait for someone else to do it for you. A small start is better than nothing.”
Settlement Services International (SSI) supported Mr Batal and his family during their initial settlement in Australia, helping them to access essential services, providing accommodation assistance, and supporting the family to develop their independence.
“When I wanted to make a business, I called SSI,” Mr atal said. “They sent me to a four-day course in Parramatta on how to start a business. Then they connected me with a business advisor, who helped me to learn how I can start a business.
“About a week ago, someone from SSI called me just seeing what I need and how I’m feeling. It’s important to have someone who cares how you feel. It makes me more comfortable knowing I have people behind me.”
While things are going well for Mr Batal, he’s still living with daily reminders of what life is like for his friends and family who remain in Syria.
“I feel sad and when you have sad feelings, it makes it hard to work. Sometimes I’m working but my mind is on my family and Syria,” he said.
Just recently, however, Mr Batal received the good news that his mother, father and brother will be joining him in Australia, and he hopes they will help him achieve his goal of turning Miami Pizza into a franchise.
“It’s hard, but not impossible. It will need hard work and time to make it happen,” he said.
High profile media investigations last year identified the migrant workforce as a group that is particularly susceptible to workplace exploitation in Australia, often believing they will lose their jobs if they demand their entitlements.
“Feedback we receive suggests people seeking asylum face similar workplace issues, including offers of ‘off the books’ cash-in-hand work; unpaid work trials; receiving goods or services instead of monetary remuneration; and being penalised for issues such as till shortages or diners skipping out on their bill,” SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said.
In a bid to overcome those issues, the SSI employment workshop aims to equip clients with the knowledge and confidence to secure above-board employment.
Last month, seven participants received detailed information about their employment rights; the relevant industrial instruments; and what to do when an employer acts unscrupulously.
The workshop also helped participants to understand the difference between an independent contractor and an employee, which addresses a common issue facing people seeking asylum, Ms Roumeliotis said.
“The feedback we’re receiving is that many employers require these jobseekers to have an ABN before offering them a job,” she said.
The pilot also included a confidence building component to help participants mentally prepare for the jobseeking process.
“Confidence building is sometimes overlooked while preparing to enter the workforce, but self-belief is just as critical as knowing your employment rights. All the practical knowledge in the world is useless if you are not confident enough to apply for work and navigate the interview process,” Ms Roumeliotis added.
The Government announced this week that it would create at least 100 public sector jobs for refugees over the next year, in a bid to accommodate the additional national intake of 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees the Federal Government announced last year.
The roles will be open to any refugees who have recently settled in NSW, and the Government has also called on the corporate sector to contribute to improving labour market outcomes for refugees.
Settlement Services International (SSI) CEO Violet Roumeliotis said the NSW Government’s decision to prioritise jobs for refugees sent a strong message about the contribution these individuals could make to Australia.
“The refugee community has untapped potential that will only strengthen the existing skills and knowledge in the NSW public sector,” she said.
“The only attribute shared by people who come to Australia as refugees is that they have been forced to flee their homeland. Teachers, engineers, doctors, students ¬¬– war and persecution do not discriminate on the basis of a person’s occupation or education.
“Many refugees are skilled, educated and hard-working people, and our country has benefited greatly from their economic, social and cultural contribution. The Government should be applauded for its positive thinking.”
Ms Roumeliotis said the move to open up jobs for refugees would also increase the speed with which these new arrivals settled into the Australian community.
“Employment is a critical first step that supports refugees to achieve their full potential and achieve economic and social independence,” she said.
A recent research paper from SSI points to shows, however, that existing barriers in the Australian labour market that can funnel refugees into low-skilled, low-paid jobs, regardless of their skills.
“A stronger focus on identifying and realising the employment potential of refugees and temporary protection visa holders is needed so that Australia can avoid athe missed opportunity,” it says.
“The evidence clearly indicates that over time, labour market outcomes for refugees improve and, by the second generation, employment outcomes among people from refugee backgrounds are higher than for those who are Australian-born.”
Formally trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Ms McDonald developed an appetite for Middle Eastern music and the mesmerising sound of the oud – a traditional stringed instrument – and she couldn’t resist the desire to embark on a new project incorporating world music.
After meeting Kurdish refugee Mustafa Karami five years ago, the project slowly started taking shape in the form of the Mythra Ensemble, a band which combines eastern modes and rhythms with western influences..
“We met and we got together to play some duos, which worked really well,” Ms McDonald said. “We started talking about the type of group that we envisaged and we both wanted to do something that brought East and West together.”
Mr Karimi, who had been awarded Iran’s best daf player consecutively from 2005 to 2007, arrived in Australia in 2009 determined to continue with his music.
“I was an avid singer since the age of 12 and I soon started playing the daf, a Persian type of drum, and the oud” Mr Karimi said. “All my life has been about music.”
By then, the Mythra Ensemble was already on track, but it would still take a couple of years to gather the final line-up.
Today, the Mythra Ensemble is completed by Metin and Adem Yilmaz – two Kurdish brothers from Turkey who play the kaval and the darbouka respectively – Armenian pianist Zela Margossian and Australian Elsen Price, who plays the double bass.
“We combine traditional Middle Eastern instruments like the daf, kaval, kemancheh, darboukah and the bendir, with Western classical instruments such as piano and violin,” Ms McDonald said.
“We play music from traditional roots of Iran, Armenia, Turkay and Kurdish origin, arranged in original ways, as well as new works composed by our members.”
The Mythra Ensemble explores concepts such as inclusivity, unity and joyful conversation through the language of music, Ms McDonald added.
“We want to symbolise the power of music to unite people regardless of their background, language or religion,” said pianist Zela Margossian.
In fact, the name of their band comes from a search for a common bond, which resulted in the mythological god Mithras, present in the collective imagination of countries where some of the members are from. They decided to adopt it to symbolise the friendship between cultures that they represent.
“At The Mythra Ensemble we are the living proof that it doesn’t matter where you come from, we are all humans and we use music to find this common ground that you need to connect when you arrive in a new place, as it is the case of people with refugee background.”
“This is why we want to participate at New Beginnings festival, to show how music can bring people together.”
The New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival is a free, family friendly event that will be held at a number of locations throughout Sydney as part of Refugee Week. Starting with a one-day festival at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour on June 18, New Beginnings will also feature an art exhibition at Chrissie Cotter Gallery in Marrickville from June 17–26.
For more information about New Beginnings, visit the festival website.
New Beginnings 2016 is produced by SSI and supported by Marrickville Council, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, Multicultural NSW and Allianz