The Community Innovation Fund’s resources are offered to groups, organisations or individuals with a connection to south-west Sydney (Fairfield, Liverpool and surrounds) and projects that will benefit local refugees who have arrived in the last three years.
It is not a typical grant program, since it offers support to develop ideas, write applications and implement projects, with one-on-one mentoring.
Opportunities available to south-west Sydney’s newly arrived refugee community have grown since the Fund introduced its first round in September 2017, when innovative ideas and successful projects included a range of exciting projects in arts, technology and sport.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said, “SSI has always taken the view that we should be listening to the community and responding to their concerns rather than reacting to issues and trying to find solutions after problems arise.
“The Fund gives people an opportunity to think of ideas that are relevant, embedded in their own communities, and tailored to their needs and their own priorities rather than someone else setting their priorities.
“Communities have a better understanding because they are living and breathing what is happening at the coalface.”
Information sessions for the second round of Community Innovation Fund Applications are as follows:
- Fairfield: Friday, July 6, 10am-12pm at Fairfield Community Hall, 25 Barbara Street Fairfield
- Liverpool: Friday, July 6, 5-7pm at Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre, 108 Moore Street Liverpool
Local service providers and other funded bodies are not eligible to apply.
Applications close on August 20, 2018.
To find out more, visit the SSI Community Innovation Fund
About SSI:
SSI is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer Lamoge Shvily (M) 0405 320 377 (E) LShvily@ssi.org.au
Open Inner West brings together new and emerging communities for a program of performing arts, installations and workshops.
Marking Refugee Week 2018, The Spirit of Welcome is a full-day public program of activities led by newly arrived artists. The day will feature an art exhibition, an artist talk, live performances, screenings, creative workshops and multicultural food.
The art exhibition will showcase works that have been created through a series of creative workshops facilitated by artists from refugee backgrounds for other newly arrived artists. Artist facilitators include Atefeh Hekmat and two other leading artists, Damon Amb and Majid Roberts.
The workshops are being held in the lead-up to Refugee Week at the Refugee Welcome Centre.
Settlement Services International (SSI) Arts and Culture Manager Carolina Triana foresees the exhibition to be an example of the successful collaboration between artists from refugee backgrounds who have been in Australia for a number of years and those artists who have recently arrived to Australian shores.
“The exhibition project is being artistically driven by artists from refugee backgrounds, from workshop facilitation all the way to the exhibition design and curation,” Ms Triana said.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said he was delighted that Council’s partner at the Callan Park Refugee Welcome Centre was hosting an Open Inner West event.
“Council is looking to expand the programs offered at the Welcome Centre. We want to identify and support activities the refugees and their families have expressed an interest in. The Welcome Centre is a great example of how Council is promoting social justice in our own backyard.
“The Spirit of Welcome event, with its art, performance, workshops and food, is exactly the kind of activity we want to foster at the Centre,” Mayor Byrne said.
The exhibition will open during event times and by appointment during Refugee Week from 20-30 June 2018.
The SSI New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week, supported by Inner West Council through Open Inner West 2018, is part of the broader SSI New Beginnings Festival 2018, an initiative of SSI. For more information, click here.
The festival will continue later in the year with a one-day music, dance, art and food extravaganza at Darling Harbour.
For more information, visit: https://www.newbeginningsfestival.com.au/
About the SSI New Beginnings Festival:
The SSI New Beginnings Festival 2018 is a celebration of the artistic vibrancy, cultural expressions and heritage of people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Since its inception in 2015, the New Beginnings Festival has offered a free celebration of the diverse and rich creative talents of migrant, refugees and people seeking asylum.
About SSI:
Settlement Services International is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer Rebeka Selmeczki;
M: 0468 998 300
The exclusive event will take place at the recently launched Four Brave Women cafe in Summer Hill as part of a group mentoring and morning tea.
Women of influence from organisations such as Allianz, Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, Google and the NSW Chamber of Commerce will be paired with refugee young women while making a scented candle through the SSI social enterprise Humble Creatives.
Ms Roumeliotis is driving a series of initiatives including the inaugural Ignite Multicultural Women’s Business Scholarship Programme, which she will launch at the event.
Four women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds will receive a 12-month scholarship package of business start-up support.
Ms Roumeliotis is a strong advocate for aspiring young women, particularly those of CALD backgrounds. At the heart of her philosophy is an inherent belief in people, prosperity and partnerships.
“This unique, exclusive and intimate setting will facilitate robust discussions between some of the state’s most successful women in business and aspiring young refugee women who have an interest in entrepreneurship, business or leadership,” Ms Roumeliotis said.
Ms Roumeliotis has led SSI to activate a vision for a society that values the diversity of its community and supports meaningful social and economic participation to assist individuals and families reach their full potential.
“The Lighting Humble Creatives event is an opportunity for influential women to share experiences, insights and advice to spark inspiration and change someone’s life,” she said.
Each Ignite Multicultural Women’s Business Scholarship is valued at $20,000 worth of professional and specialised support and will be selected through a merit-based expression of interest. The package includes working with an individual business facilitator and mentorship from a team of Ignite experts.
The scholarships will provide direct access to a resource team to provide advice on financial management, administration and compliance, effective marketing strategies, and business planning services.
For information about Ignite Small Business Start-ups, click here.
About SSI:
Settlement Services International is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer Rebeka Selmeczki:
E: rselmeczki@ssi.org.au
M: 0468 998 300
New England MP Barnaby Joyce flanked by SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis and Humanitarian Settlement Program Manager Yamamah Agha with other participants at the opening of SSI’s Armidale office.
The office was opened on Thursday, May 17, by New England MP and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, a key figure in establishing Armidale as a regional settlement centre.
Armidale is home to 15 Yazidi families who are at various stages of the settlement process in accordance with the government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP), which is administered in the region by SSI.
Mr Joyce noted the benefits of welcoming the Yazidi families in to Armidale.
“Armidale has so much to offer families resettling here from overseas, and I’ve been a vocal supporter of this initiative from the beginning,” he said. “A number of families have already made the move here to New England to make a new start and build a safe, stable future which provides them with the same opportunities that all Australian’s enjoy.”
Speaking on behalf of SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis, HSP Regional Coordinator Helen Larkin praised the Armidale community for the compassion and conviction that encouraged Mr Joyce and the Federal Government to open Armidale as a refugee resettlement area.
She said her colleagues had spoken highly of Armidale’s energised and well-organised civil society organisations.
“SSI knows that effective settlement happens where there is an integrated approach from the service providers and the broader community,” she said. “This is what will ensure that people have a sense of belonging and wellbeing very quickly.”
Since the initial announcement of Yazidi refugees being settled in Armidale, SSI has built and maintained a close relationship with Armidale Council and local community organisations such as Sanctuary Humanitarian Settlement and Reach Out for Refugees, which have rallied in support of the Yazidi refugees and offered their assistance.
SSI is currently in discussion with these and many other local service providers to establish how they can best support the new families.
In the budget announced on Tuesday, May 8, the Government is proposing to increase migrants’ waiting periods for Social Services income support payments from two years to four years, and create a four year waiting period for the Family Tax Benefit and some extra income support payments.
In its submission to a Senate Inquiry, SSI has recommended that the Senate reject the Government’s current proposed legislation to increase the wait period from two to three years (the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Encouraging Self Sufficiency for Newly Arrived Migrants) Bill 2018).
SSI also recommends that the Senate reject the proposed increase to four years for the waiting period for migrants.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said, “Australia’s Social Services system provides a safety net to support permanent residents and citizens during times when they cannot adequately support themselves and their families, due to reasons such as illness or other misfortune. It can happen to anyone.
“Recently arrived permanent residents rightly have an equal obligation to obey Australian laws and pay taxes. They also have an equal right to income support benefits when they have a legitimate need, and the other benefits of society that our taxes pay for.
“The proposed changes will have an impact not only on the migrant primary visa holders, but also their spouses and children, and single parents with children.”
Ms Roumeliotis said the proposed changes to the Family Tax Benefit needed particular mention.
“The Family Tax Benefit supports young parents, most of whom are working but on lower incomes, to provide adequate care and support for their children. It’s an investment in our children’s future,” she said.
“Withholding Family Tax Benefit from new migrant families will mean that they pay a higher rate of taxation on their income than other Australians.”
Ms Roumeliotis said the current two year waiting period was already creating significant and unnecessary hardship for some newly arrived migrants, as shown in the following scenario drawn from real cases involving migrant clients of SSI.
A skilled migrant with a wife and two young children arrived in Australia last year to take up a well-paid position. After one year of employment and settling happily in Sydney, the husband unexpectedly fell seriously ill. The spouse does not yet have reasonable English and so has not been able to find employment. They are not eligible for income support benefits under the two year wait period, and the spouse is also not eligible for English language training or employment services. They can and do receive medical services and the children attend a public school. With no income they have become destitute and homeless, relying on the good will of their church community and local charities for accommodation and money for food. They are applying to have an exemption to receive some income support due to unforeseen changed circumstances, but this is taking some time to process and to provide evidence of their current circumstances.
Ms Roumeliotis said, “The implication of the federal budget proposals is that the children of migrants are of less value and less deserving of care than other children. This is the very definition of discrimination.”
Settlement Services International (SSI) hosted the DiverseAbility NDIS Inclusion Conference at the Novotel Sydney Parramatta on April 19.
DiverseAbility was organised to raise awareness about the changing landscape of the disability sector in Australia, and the opportunities that the National Disability Scheme (NDIS) can offer to CALD communities in NSW.
At full Scheme in 2019/20, it is estimated that 20% of the NDIS packages nationally will be used by people from CALD backgrounds. The national participation rate is currently at 7.2% (9% in NSW).
Throughout the conference, delegates had active conversations about their experiences and the many opportunities to improve NDIS access and utilisation, with great feedback from the Scheme in terms of making those improvements happen.
The conference brought together NDIS-users, including people with disability from CALD backgrounds, their families and carers, CALD service providers and representatives, government agencies and disability experts, to identify and discuss ways to improve the engagement and participation of people with disability from CALD backgrounds into the NDIS. Delegates also showcased projects and initiatives that emphasised CALD access, a person-centred approach, and the improvements needed in the NDIS.
Keynote speakers at the Conference included the Hon Ray Williams MP, Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Disability Services; Scott McNaughton, General Manager, Participant Pathway Design at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA); and V. Samuela and Quang Nguyen, who shared their stories and their own journey through the NDIS.
After the plenary session, 28 concurrent sessions and three solutions hubs provided participants with opportunities to collaborate and discuss solutions to the issues presented.
Mr Williams said the NSW Government understands the importance of supporting people with disability from CALD backgrounds to make full use of the NDIS.
“DiverseAbility is a great initiative that complements the work being done by Government to ensure people with disability from CALD backgrounds build confidence and knowledge to access the NDIS,” he said.
“The NSW Government has provided a range of funding, participated in consultations with CALD communities and is working closely with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to ensure people from CALD backgrounds can smoothly transition to the NDIS.”
Mr McNaughton said, “Today we have 140,000 people benefitting from NDIS and we are expecting that number to be 460,000 when the Scheme is fully rolled out. We don’t want people missing out; we want people to access the services they need.
We need to continue getting the message out for people from all communities, especially those from CALD backgrounds: this is a big focus on our overall rollout strategy. The DiverseAbility NDIS Inclusion conference gives us invaluable feedback to keep enhancing the NDIS rollout and keep making it better for all participants.”
SSI Chair, Elisabeth Shaw said, “Cultural differences in regards to understanding and explaining disability affect the way that CALD communities access disability support. When talking about equal access to the NDIS, targeting the needs and views of different CALD communities will generate more awareness and increase their participation. A one-size-fits-all approach does not help raise awareness nor engage CALD communities with the NDIS.
SSI continuously contributes with its expertise on working with CALD communities through tailored support services and leads the way on how best to inform and support them to understand and access the NDIS.”
Ms Shaw said she hoped the DiverseAbility conference would contribute to a better quality of life and increased economic and social participation of people with disability from CALD backgrounds who accessed the NDIS.
DiverseAbility is an initiative of the SSI FutureAbility project
SSI’s FutureAbility project has designed and used a number of innovative approaches and activities to help CALD communities learn how to access the NDIS, including regional round table discussions, in-language theatre plays, radio campaigns, NDIS sessions for large settled and small and emerging groups, workshops on culturally responsive disability practice and the inaugural state conference.
The project has gone beyond the regular ways of communicating, engaging and delivering information to different CALD groups, and looked at alternative methods and channels that are a better fit for specific CALD communities.
The project’s activities have proven to be successful, with more than 2,000 people from more than 20 different cultural and language groups being informed about the NDIS and how to access the Scheme just in the last year.
Find out more information about FutureAbility.
About SSI
Settlement Services International (SSI) is a community organisation and social business that draws on its background, expertise and experience working with a wide range of people seeking support, including newcomers, refugees and asylum seekers and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. We work with vulnerable communities to build their capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.
SSI is an advocate for the people and communities it represents and serves. Through the work we do, we empower people to change and improve their lives, and through our advocacy and representation, we influence and shape ideas and policy.
Media enquiries
SSI Communications Officer, Natalia Carozzi: 0421 017 065 – ncarozzi@ssi.org.au
Ms Vignjevic, most recently the Director – Partnerships & Community Development at Eastern Community Legal Centre, is an executive manager with over 18 years’ experience and significant skills and knowledge of the multicultural sector, migration and resettlement.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology & Human Movement, a Graduate Diploma in International Law, Post Graduate Certificate in Trauma Counselling & Psychotherapy, is an Australian Registered Migration Agent and currently a Victorian Multicultural Commissioner.
SSI Chief Operations Officer Stephen O’Neill welcomed Ms Vignjevic’s appointment.
“Sonia has strong leadership, strategic and stakeholder engagement skills, and a proven track record in developing and maintaining effective partnerships,” he said.
“She has driven service innovation to address needs and service gaps and to enhance the wellbeing and integration of vulnerable people.
“She has extensive experience in advocating for supportive and inclusive national policies, in particular around diversity, migration, refugee, asylum seeker and resettlement, which makes her a perfect fit for SSI.”
SSI is opening offices in Victoria following its appointment as contract manager for the Advice and Application Assistance Scheme (IAAAS), which provides professional migration advice and visa application assistance to people in need of protection who have arrived lawfully in Australia and who meet specific eligibility criteria. Historically, Victoria has the highest intake of IAAAS clients.
SSI will work with an established network of refugee legal agencies to oversee the delivery of IAAAS services across Australia.
It is anticipated that Ms Vignjevic will be based in SSI’s Melbourne offices once a suitable location is found.
SSI CEO, Violet Roumeliotis, joined Allianz’s new Managing Director, Richard Feledy, at a scholarship ceremony and multicultural afternoon tea at Allianz Headquarters on Monday April 9 to acknowledge and celebrate the success of the scholarship recipients with their families.
The SSI Allianz Refugee Scholarships were created to minimise the financial barriers experienced by refugees as they participate in the NSW education system.
More than $88,000 — including $50,000 from Allianz — has been allocated to individuals across the education system: secondary school, vocational education and training, university, and skills and qualifications recognition.
One 2018 scholarship recipient, Hilal Tawakal from Auburn, says his dream of attending medical school is now moving forward.
“Since being named one of the recipients of the SSI Allianz Scholarship, my dream is becoming a reality at Western Sydney University Medical School. The SSI Allianz award gives me an opportunity to learn skills that will serve the medical community following graduation.
“Thank you for your generosity. Without scholarship patrons willing to support medical education, students such as myself would be unable to pursue advanced healthcare degrees.
“I am committed to my education and to the healthcare field, and am one step closer to becoming a doctor, thanks to your continued generosity and the SSI Allianz Scholarship.”
The award-winning partnership between Allianz and SSI has been delivering new career and education opportunities for refugees and migrants for two years.
Successful participants in a recent collaboration, the Allianz Ladder — teaching young refugees basic business skills and helping them find a job — will soon progress to Allianz’s
Sustainable Employment Program, which provides refugees with tailored development, career management plans and permanent employment.
“Finding employment is often the primary goal for refugees of working age, but many face barriers caused by major life disruption and not having completed formal education or gaining work experience,” said SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis.
“SSI is extremely pleased that our partnership with Allianz continues to help new members of our community along education and employment pathways so, like Hilal, they can realise their dreams and make their own special contribution to our diverse society.”
Allianz Australia Managing Director Richard Feledy said: “What a privilege it is to support the Allianz SSI Scholarships, which will give these amazing people access to new and ongoing education opportunities so they can fulfil their career goals. Through our refugee employment programs I have seen first-hand the talent and potential that they bring to the workforce.”
About the SSI Allianz Scholarships
The SSI Allianz scholarships directly support people from refugee backgrounds to achieve independence.
Refugees who come to Australia face many challenges during settlement, such as financial hardship, dealing with experiences of torture and trauma, and family separation; yet Australia is a nation built on immigration.
Australia has a long history of providing safe asylum to refugees, many of whom have gone on to make great civil, social and economic contributions to Australian society.
SSI and Allianz aim to continue that tradition by providing targeted scholarships to those who are the most in need and willing to overcome social and economic challenges.
Ms Roumeliotis acknowledged there were planning pressures in any big city but “we must remember that migrants come to Australia with high levels of social and economic capital and a strong willingness to contribute and, further, have shaped modern Australia since World War II.”
She said, “SSI agrees with the 2016 Productivity Commission Inquiry’s recommendations that the Australian government:
- develop and articulate a population policy, and calibrate the size of the annual migrant intake according to that population policy
- in determining the migration intake, give greater consideration to planning and investment in infrastructure.”
Ms Roumeliotis said, “Planning of population levels and infrastructure should involve all levels of government and other stakeholders, including industry and employer bodies, education and training providers, other service providers, academia, planners and representatives of relevant migrant and other community groups.”
SSI is an organisation set up and managed by a diversity of Australians and delivering many services to people, including refugees and migrants, experiencing a vulnerability in their lives.
For SSI, the benefits of immigration are clear, Ms Roumeliotis said. “The Productivity Commission has calculated that our migration intake will increase Australia’s GDP by 7% by 2060, compared to if we had zero net migration.
“Australia’s migration levels prevented our economy going into a technical recession after the World Financial Crisis.”
Ms Roumeliotis said, “The Australian population has consistently supported national policies on migration and a multicultural society, as they have seen and felt the benefits to themselves and our nation.”
“On arrival to Australia, we assess individual needs, skills and experience in order to assist refugees to identify and work towards their settlement goals. Invariably, these goals include securing stable housing, learning English, making new social connections, and engaging in employment or education,” she said.
“At SSI, we work hand-in-hand with refugees to ensure they are supported to achieve these goals. Depending on their individual circumstances, this might include supporting a family to source and secure a private rental, linking a young student with a bridging course that will enable them to resume their university studies, or assisting a professional to identify the pathway to resume practice in their field in Australia.”
Armidale was selected last year as a new refugee settlement area, with arrivals expected to begin in the coming months. Overseeing settlement will be Ms Agha and her team at SSI as part of the government-funded HSP service. Ms Agha was this year selected by UNHCR for the important role of Rapporteur at its annual NGO Consultations in Geneva.
According to Ms Agha, one common misconception about refugees was that they were content to remain on government assistance.
“This is totally at odds with my experience at the coalface. Last year, SSI supported 10,000 refugees to settle in Australia. The three things they had in common were resilience, gratitude and a burning drive to make the most of the opportunity to begin new lives in Australia,” she said.
“Refugees don’t just want to survive here — they want to thrive. When, for example, refugees are faced with significant barriers that inhibit their capacity to find employment, they don’t just give up the search. Instead, we see a significant number create their own employment by starting a business.”
As the provider of the government-funded HSP in Armidale, SSI will support newly arrived families for up to 18 months, offering support to reach their goals in areas including:
- Employment and education: Some 75% of refugees arrive with at least high school level education, while 35% have a tertiary qualification obtained either pre or post arrival — compared with 39% of the Australian population. With a little assistance during the early days of settlement, refugees go on to make significant economic contributions. This support includes identifying suitable pathways to resuming studies or employment, and connecting new arrivals with local employment services providers and work experience opportunities.
- Housing: New arrivals receive critical information on arrival about the local rental market and their rights and responsibilities as a tenant. Refugees without existing community links are also connected with specialist housing support to identify and secure long-term housing in the private rental market. SSI research last year showed almost all people supported by SSI secured private rental accommodation by the time they exited the service.
- English: Each new arrival is entitled to up to 510 hours of English language tuition as part of the government-funded Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). School age refugees receive equivalent support through Intensive English Centres. SSI ensures all new arrivals are linked with the appropriate language support. Both anecdotal feedback from refugees and research indicates that learning English is a top priority for the majority of new arrivals.
- Community linkages: SSI links new arrivals with ethno-specific and mainstream organisations that will support them to rebuild their social and support networks in Australia. In SSI’s research, more than two-thirds of respondents scored highly when it came to feeling part of the community. They reported finding it easier to make friends in Australia, understand Australia culture, and talk with their neighbours.
“Regional communities like Armidale have much to gain from resettling refugees, including social contributions such as reviving regional schools and countering population decline,” Ms Agha said.
“Refugee resettlement also has economic benefits. With the population growth comes an increased need for teachers, doctors and other services to support an expanding community. In the Victorian town of Nhill, for example, the net monetary gain of resettling 160 refugees over a five-year period exceeded $41 million.”
For a detailed refugee settlement timeline, click here.
About SSI:
Settlement Services International (SSI) is a community organisation and social business that draws on its background, expertise and experience working with a wide range of people seeking support, including newcomers, refugees and asylum seekers and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. We work with vulnerable communities to capacity build and enable them to overcome inequality. SSI is an advocate for the people and communities it represents and serves. Through the work we do we empower people to change their lives, and through our advocacy and representation, we influence and shape ideas and policy and we change people’s minds.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Coordinator Hannah Gartrell: 0488 680 287