Like many Australians, Natalie Tsirimokos watched the global refugee crisis gain momentum in 2015 and felt compelled to act. “I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could help, so I began researching local not for profits,” she said.

As part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival 2015 My Story project, SSI has organised a series of workshops to support the voices of young people from refugee backgrounds.My Story aims to document the changing face of children in Greater Western Sydney, one of Sydney’s biggest and most diverse regions. Sydney Writers’ Festival is looking for stories about the everyday lives of children aged 5 to 18.

SSI began searching for a suitable office in the Bankstown area in September 2014, to accommodate staff and service needs of the SRSS program, the Multicultural Foster Care Service and Ability Links NSW, along with meeting, interview, training and function rooms. “(SSI General Manager) Peter Zographakis suggested that we check out a brand new site called Little Saigon Plaza, which was so good that we assumed it would be too expensive for SSI to lease in,” said Janine Stainer, SSI Facilities and Operations Manager.

Last month I was fortunate enough to be involved as a panellist in the Good Pitch documentary event in Sydney. I had the pleasure of pledging support to a powerful documentary about a Sudanese woman, Constance Okot, living with her six children in Wagga Wagga. This was one of the most remarkable events I have been to in my long career.