Refugee Week is a chance to celebrate the positive contributions refugees make to Australian society. As part of the national celebration this month, Settlement Services International (SSI) is involved with a number of free events, including our very own festival.

A talented restaurateur seeking asylum in Australia has brought a taste of Iran to Sydney’s north west with the recent opening of his own business, Shahrood Restaurant.

The shared experience of motherhood transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries, as demonstrated by a special group of women who celebrated Mother’s Day with Settlement Services International (SSI) this month.

The generosity of everyday Australians is significantly improving the experiences of refugees and people seeking asylum living in the Australian community, according to a leader from the humanitarian settlement sector. Speaking at the start of National Volunteer Week, Settlement Services International (SSI) CEO Violet Roumeliotis said the actions of volunteers had a profound effect on the lives of people fleeing war and persecution.

Volunteers come from all walks of life but one thing they have in common is a generosity of spirit that drives them to give up their time to help vulnerable individuals.

A group of resourceful young women have taken their support for refugees and people seeking asylum to a new level, progressing from bake sales and school holiday volunteering to a large fundraising event.

Dozens of young people from refugee backgrounds tackled the major issues facing refugee youth at the inaugural Young Leaders Forum in April, with employment, education and health leading the agenda.

People volunteer for many reasons: altruism, corporate social responsibility, free time. For Naila Yousid, her experience resettling in Australia as a refugee prompted her to become a volunteer.

Participating in an inclusive community garden project has given a young man seeking asylum the skills to turn his interest in carpentry into a career.

Leading artists from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds will showcase their talents at NSW’s leading festival celebrating refugee arts and culture. Confirmed artists for the expanded 2016 New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival will impress audiences with performances and workshops that draw inspiration from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and more.

NSW’s premier festival celebrating the cultural heritage and artistic talents of people from refugee backgrounds will be bigger than ever in 2016. Following the stand out success of the inaugural New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival last year, the 2016 program has expanded to feature three separate events across Sydney both during and after Refugee Week.

Cultures combined during a recent dance workshop, where a group of female refugees learned how to express themselves through classical Indian dance.

We all need help from time to time to face challenging situations. For Catherine Halliday, a Shoalhaven resident who will be undergoing a cornea transplant next month, this moment arrived a few weeks ago.

Twenty-five-year old refugee Ranita Dasho has one goal for life in Australia: to give back. After less than a year in the country, she’s already turning that aspiration into action.

Artist Miriam Cabello’s long-held passion for collaborative community art and educational projects has seen her take on a unique mentoring opportunity for the New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival 2016.

A group of amateur cooks who are seeking asylum in Australia have acquired home cooking skills and experience thanks to a social enterprise established by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Twenty four refugees have secured employment in the past six months with the support of Settlement Services International’s Humanitarian Settlement Services program.

In a move that will extend support services to vulnerable families, Settlement Services International (SSI) and Metro Assist are pleased to be working together in partnership to deliver the ParentsNext initiative which begins today.

More than 100 NSW settlement service providers came together for a one-day forum in March to discuss major hurdles facing newly arrived refugees and ways to improve service delivery in the early stages of settlement.

There were big smiles on everyone’s faces when members of Blacktown North Public School Community Hub visited Luna Park in March. Community Hubs is a national program that supports migrant and refugee parents and children as they navigate the education system.