From the CEO: Former refugees show Australia’s true character
Simon Shahin is young, intelligent and has ambitious plans to contribute to the future prosperity of Australia. The 22-year-old is also a former refugee from Syria, who arrived in this country in September last year.
Gift cards put a smile on the faces of people seeking asylum
Dozens of people who are seeking asylum have started 2016 on the front foot thanks to the generosity and support of every day Australians. Community members contributed more than $3,500 in gift cards in the lead up to Christmas as part of the Give Hope campaign.
Deng Thiak Adut’s Australia Day speech
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, past and present, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. Ten years ago, Clover Moore, the lord mayor of Sydney, talked at the National Maritime Museum, She said.
Surfing program benefits most vulnerable
A group of individuals seeking asylum in Australia have overcome social barriers and developed new community connections following the success of the inaugural Surfing Without Borders program run by Settlement Services International. The program introduced a number of individuals who are seeking asylum to the iconic Australian sport of surfing with regular lessons provided by Let’s Go Surfing, owned and operated by community surfing advocate Brenda Miley.
SSI dinner raises funds to help ‘change the conversation’
A special event at Settlement Services International’s Bankstown offices in November helped support the efforts of the citizens coalition Sydney Alliance to 'Change the Conversation' about asylum seekers.
SSI and Legal Aid NSW keep newly arrived families safe
Through a partnership with Legal Aid NSW, SSI is helping to introduce the subject of family safety and law to newly arrived refugees and migrants through a series of specially designed information sessions across western Sydney. All newly arrived people supported by SSI already take part in orientation sessions that include information on housing, budgeting, transport, caring for children and family and domestic violence; However SSI case managers identified the need to deliver family related information in a more focused way.
Refugees and asylum seekers learn new skills and produce visual media
A group of former refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia reached a creative milestone recently when they exhibited images produced during eight weeks of photography workshops with SSI and CuriousWorks.SSI has partnered with CuriousWorks, a media arts company celebrating diversity in multicultural Australia, to facilitate a series of photography and video workshops aimed at developing the creative potential of asylum seekers and refugees in western Sydney.
SSI Linkers plant seeds of belief for people with disability
SSI celebrated International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) today, December 3, with an event at its Bankstown office, featuring Ability Links NSW ambassador Nick Gleeson. IDPwD promotes an understanding of people with disability and encourages support for their dignity, rights and wellbeing.
SSI signs MOU for smooth transition of Community Hubs program
The CEOs of SSI, Connect Child and Family Services and Refuge of Hope on August 31 signed a Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the Community Hubs in NSW. From January 1 next year SSI will be the NSW Support Agency under the National Community Hubs Program.
VIDEO: highlights from SSI’s New Beginnings Festival
To celebrate World Refugee Day on Saturday, June 20, 2015, SSI was host to the inaugural New Beginnings: Refugee Arts and Culture Festival, which showcased the talents of refugees and asylum seekers in the community.
SSI joins National Community Hubs Program in support agency role
From January 1, 2016, SSI will be the designated National Community Hubs Program (NCHP) Support Agency in NSW, enabling the organisation to extend its existing humanitarian settlement work supporting migrant and refugee families.
From the GM – the future is bright at SSI
SSI has come a long way as an organisation since, April 2011 when we had just one staff member. Just how rapidly the organisation had grown and developed was very clear on July 1, when we officially began work in three new contract areas.
New settlement services program now operational in NSW
Today marks the first day of the new Settlement Services Program (SSP) for newly arrived migrants, humanitarian entrants and refugees, delivered by the 22-member consortium NSW Settlement Partnership (NSP).
SSI welcomes Premier Baird’s announcement of travel concessions for asylum seekers
Settlement Services International (SSI) congratulates NSW Premier Mike Baird following his announcement today that the state government will provide travel concessions to asylum seekers from January 1, 2016.
Courage a boon for refugees starting businesses
A Refugee Week event organised by two Sydney immigration lawyers has raised about $9,000 for SSI’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups initiative. The fund-raising event organised by Adriana Mercado and Marina Brizar, of Playfair Visa and Migration Services, featured a photo exhibition of former refugees who now live in Australia, as well as speeches, drinks and canapés.
Wrestling champion hangs on to hope and new friends
Mohamadreza Ashori, 30, dreamt of competing at the Olympic Games, and still holds on to those hopes despite setbacks throughout his life. In May he won the 74 kilogram division at the Australia Cup of Wrestling. He would have qualified for the Commonwealth Games earlier in the year after success in other events, but he is not an Australian citizen. Mohamadreza is seeking refugee protection in Australia and has lived in the community for about 12 months while his application is assessed. That means he is not eligible to compete in the Games. He has been supported by Settlement Services International’s (SSI) Community Support Program during that time.