Nationally lauded and award-winning community leader Gail Ker OAM, CEO of Access Community Services Limited, is to retire effective December 31, 2021.

A multi-disciplinary arts tour will travel across regional and metropolitan Queensland and New South Wales during Refugee Week to raise awareness of refugee experiences.

Important milestones such as SSI’s 20th anniversary motivate me to pause from the present and reflect. Looking back over the past 20 years, I cannot help but be amazed at how SSI has both evolved as an organisation and solidified our core mission and values since our founding in early 2000.

In 2018, SSI merged with Access Community Services, one of Queensland’s leading organisations in settlement and transition, employment and training, social enterprise and youth service. This merger marked the beginning of a new chapter for the two organisations, enabling both to enhance operations and combine services across two states.

SSI’s history is inextricably linked to its membership base.

Pema Dolkar is an up-and-coming SBS reporter who last year covered an initiative in Sydney’s Northern Beaches where Tibetan refugees are learning how to navigate Australia’s picturesque waterways.

Rhythmic vibrations, captivating performances and audience singalongs epitomised the first ever Homelands Tour as artists from refugee backgrounds came together in a musical collaboration to celebrate Refugee Week 2019. 

It is with heavy hearts we hear of the unprecedented violence that was bestowed on our New Zealand neighbours last night. Settlement Services International (SSI) together with Access Community Services, Queensland, expresses our sympathy and support to the victims and families of the shootings at the Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch and the Linwood mosque nearby. Our thoughts are with all people of New Zealand at this time.

The holiday season at SSI always brings to the fore the warmth and compassion that exists within our community. In contrast to the commercialism often intertwined with the gift-giving season are the actions of folk like the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group and Ashfield Public School P&C ― just two of the many groups who, in recent weeks, have delivered gifts for the individuals and families SSI supports.

SSI staff made a positive difference in the lives of nearly 27,000 people who came through the doors of the organisation’s four primary offices during the most recent financial reporting period, SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis told SSI’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Sydney last week.

Leading Queensland multicultural organisation Access Community Services Limited (Access) has today merged with Settlement Services International (SSI).

Not-for-profits from around Australia have banded behind a new national women’s alliance that will champion the unique issues affecting refugee and migrant women. Launched in Adelaide today by the Federal Minister for Women, Senator Michaelia Cash, the Harmony Alliance: Migrant and Refugee Women for Change is a policy and strategy body that will consult with migrant and refugee women nationally to bring about positive change on the issues that affect them.

Samira Maksoud is a Syrian refugee who has been in Australia less than six months. But that hasn’t stopped her from finding a part-time job and enrolling to study in two tertiary qualifications.

SSI staff from Ignite Small Business Start-ups and Ability Links NSW participated in a week of training by Dr Ernesto Sirolli to build their knowledge and skills of using an enterprise facilitation model to assist people to establish a small business.

Representatives from business, government and the community sector gathered to discuss the crisis in Syria and Australia’s employment strategy for Syrian refugees at a recent Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC) event.

The past fortnight has brought heartening news for the refugee community, with the NSW Government’s announcement of a new round of funding to support refugee resettlement.