A new program that aims to teach young refugees basic business skills and help them find a job was announced in Sydney today. The ‘Allianz Ladder’ program will familiarise refugee youth with business environments and help them develop the core skills and confidence they need to find their first job in Australia.

An SSI Housing presentation at Cultural Shift 2017 showcased projects offering affordable housing alternatives for vulnerable communities in NSW, including the Emergency Housing Accommodation (EHA) program and a modular home project.

Working with local service providers, Sydney MCS is addressing the lack of adequate information regarding services available to the people it supports within the community.

More innovative and tailored initiatives for refugee and migrant families are essential to overcoming settlement challenges and fostering a long-term sense of belonging, delegates heard at a conference last week.

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.

Community support will play a critical role in the successful settlement of an estimated 200 refugees in NSW regional hub Armidale, according to leading humanitarian settlement not-for-profit Settlement Services International (SSI). Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter, announced on Friday that SSI had been contracted to provide on-the-ground settlement services to an estimated 200 refugees who will settle in Armidale in 2018 as part of the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP). SSI was recently successful in obtaining the contract for two of the 11 HSP contract regions: Sydney and NSW regional, which includes Newcastle, Coffs Harbour and the newly defined Armidale refugee settlement area.

According to Ashod Paloulian, life is like a tennis match: you have to fight for every point and, if you lose one, you just have to try again. Both this analogy and this attitude toward life describe well this 33-year-old Syrian father of two who, only nine months after landing in Australia as a refugee, is already working as a tennis coach with the support of Ignite Small Business Start-ups.

Jasmine was born with Spina Bifida and as a consequence her parents had always been very protective towards her. However, soon after she turned 12, Jasmine's parents felt their support wasn’t enough and that the situation had become too overwhelming to continue on their own.

Samira Maksoud has a talent for languages. Despite having been in Australia for only four months, Ms Maksoud has already found a job thanks to her language skills, which span Arabic, English, Turkish and Armenian.

Over 350 women from across Sydney and communities worldwide attended the second annual Women of Diversity Dinner in Bankstown on July 29 — over 50 of them having been in our community less than six months. 

Diversity and inclusion were at the heart of SSI’s recent collaboration with a colourful celebration of the culture of Iraq.

Settlement Services International (SSI) will provide settlement services to refugees and humanitarian entrants under the new Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP), continuing its long-term work in this area. In Canberra today, the Australian Government announced SSI was successful in two of the 11 newly defined contract regions across Australia: Sydney and NSW Regional, which covers northern NSW.

Meet Jawad, a volunteer at SSI’s fortnightly Community Kitchen in Auburn since 2012.

A group of newly arrived gardeners have channelled their shared love of gardening into formal qualifications.

Colyton Public School last month launched its first community garden — a fantastic way to not only grow fresh produce, but also for the families, students and staff to become a true community.

An inspiring group of volunteer teachers are offering free English language tuition to people from CALD backgrounds who are supported by SSI.

Magda Szubanski is to be guest speaker at SSI’s inaugural Mosaic Gala, to be held at Merivale Ivy Ballroom on September 15.

We live in a world where nearly 20 people are forcibly displaced every minute as a result of conflict or persecution. A record number of people having to flee their homes and everything they know in search of safety cannot be the responsibility of a few countries, let alone the world’s poorest; it’s a global emergency that warrants global action. 

Metro Assist recently organised an orientating, educational and recreational tour of Sydney and a lunchtime harbour cruise for 40 newly arrived refugee women from Syria and Iraq.

Lentils are a staple ingredient in diets all over the world — something SSI’s diverse SRSS team picked up on during a discussion about the best way to cook this high protein legume. The only way to settle the debate was to take the dishes to Community Kitchen for a lentil cook-off.