This January 26 will hold new significance for Simon Shahin, who will celebrate his first Australia Day since arriving in Sydney as a refugee from Syria last year. An ambitious 22 year old, Mr Shahin has adjusted well to life in Australia. He has made new friends, run a marathon, completed work experience through Youth Collective’s Gateway to Your Future project, and was actively involved in the inaugural Techfugees Australia Hackathon in November.

Virender Batra has been cooking for over 40 years, and has chef qualifications in Indian and continental cooking. Virender came to Australia 30 years ago, and after working in various restaurants as a head chef, he decided to open his own restaurants with his brother.

Settlement Services International has welcomed the NSW Government’s decision to allow asylum seekers in NSW to apply for Opal Card travel concessions earlier than planned, with 15,000 asylum seekers living in NSW now able to apply for the travel benefit. The travel concession, which was first scheduled to become available to eligible asylum seekers from January 1, allows people seeking asylum to access the same $2.50 all day travel benefit as other NSW concession cardholders.

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.

Discounted food parcels called The Staples Bag have been sold by CoACt/SSI jobactive program participants to help improve access to basic food supplies for people on low incomes. Now the Christmas Staple Bag includes food to help create a special feast for the end of year celebrations.

Youth Collective will address some of the most complex issues facing multicultural youth in the year ahead, with education, language acquisition and youth homelessness to top the agenda in 2016.  Youth Collective is a collaborative initiative between SSI, MRCs and youth organisations.

Home cook Barbara Sweeney and chef Sharon Salloum joined forces on Wednesday, December 2, to prepare an Aussie barbecue at SSI’s Community Kitchen. Barbara is a writer with an interest in food. She contributes stories to Country Style and The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food and curates the food writers’ festival Food & Words. After being approached by SSI’s Community Engagement Team, Barbara accepted the offer straight away and took charge of its organisation.

It has been a busy and exciting year in which SSI and the people we work with have achieved a great deal. SSI’s staff, partners, the communities we work with, our volunteers and supporters should be very proud when we look back and see the positive changes that our work has made.

Refugees and people seeking asylum could soon benefit from a smartphone app that helps to create goals and achievement pathways, thanks to the joint efforts of developers, refugees, the start-up community, and SS!.

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.

Seven Ignite participants took part in a photo shoot that SSI organised as a ‘graduation gift’ in recognition of them starting new ventures. Unlike other business start-up models, Ignite entrepreneurs leave the initiative with more than just a certificate and hand shake.

An innovative project that includes a smartphone app that comes in multiple languages has been launched to support men who have recently arrived in Australia on humanitarian visas. The new app becomes available as Australia prepares to welcome an additional 12,000 refugees who have been affected by the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

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.

Australia has a proud tradition in volunteerism, as shown by a remarkable 36 per cent of the population aged 18 and over who regularly offer their time to support others, and those who volunteer for SSI are prime examples. The options for aspiring volunteers are endless, although sport, community and education have long maintained their status as the most popular recipients of the volunteering efforts of Australians.

Volunteering is a way of life for Charlotte Mullens, who says giving back to the community gives her the drive to succeed. A regular volunteer for SSI’s Community Engagement program, Charlotte has helped to mentor young refugees, support young mothers to learn English, and she is a regular supporter of SSI’s Community Kitchen events.

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 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 Housing Services celebrated the end of a busy year with an evening event to thank real estate agents, landlords and community housing providers. The special guests had all worked closely with SSI to help secure affordable accommodation for refugees and people seeking asylum.

Settlement Services International today held its first Annual General Meeting under the new structure of Company Limited by Guarantee. Another first for the organisation, the AGM was held at its recently opened office in Bankstown.

Settlement Services International has celebrated its 15th Anniversary in the company of members, founders, friends and partners, who enjoyed food, music, dancing, speeches and an anniversary video at SSI’s Bankstown auditorium on November 18.