The settlement journey has continued for our 23 families in Armidale this July, with special emphasis on working directly with newcomer leaders and youth to establish their interests and support them in what they hope to achieve in Armidale. I’ve also had new opportunities to meet more of the amazing community groups around Armidale, who are excited to explore ways of helping our new families settle.

Sunday July 8 signalled the start of NAIDOC Week 2018, a time in which SSI celebrates the past, present and future contributions of our nation’s Indigenous people and their heritage. This year’s theme was ‘Because of her, we can’, which provided a fantastic opportunity to recognise the past and current contributions of Indigenous women to Australian society.

Hundreds of Inner West locals recently showed their support for refugees and a thriving arts community as part of Refugee Week 2018 celebrations.

June has been an incredible month for SSI, our volunteers and our settling families in Armidale, marking Refugee Week, Volunteer Week and many more great events and initiatives.

During Refugee Week we recognise the contribution of refugees around the world and address the current living situation of thousands of displaced human beings around the world.

Welcome2Sydney Ambassadors Alice and Kate recently had the privilege of guiding Sydney newcomers Renold and his family on a tour of Sydney’s cultural hotspots.

Violet Roumeliotis has been recognised as the 2017 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year.

SSI’s foster carer Alaweia Kual has been recognised as a finalist in the 2017 NSW Grandparent of the Year Awards for her valuable contributions to the community both as a kinship carer for her grandson and as a community leader supporting newly arrived refugees from her home country of Sudan.

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.

A vision-impaired runner will join the SSI team in City2Surf 2017 thanks to a connection his Ability Links linker made with the Achilles Running Club in Sydney.  

It has been a full few days at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement in Geneva. SSI is one of a number of international NGOs attending, to discuss pressing issues in response to the global refugee crisis.

As a member of SSI’s team in the City2Surf and captain of a soccer team comprising members of western Sydney’s Rohingya community, Mohammad Younis knows well the benefits of participating in sporting activities.

Ladan Haghighat volunteers for SSI in the Friendship Garden at Auburn Centre for Community. That’s fitting because her name, Ladan, is Persian for the nasturtium flower.

His name is Clodoaldo Moroni but you can call him Al. Al, originally from Brazil, loves volunteering.

When Zakia Housaini started working with SSI it changed her personality.  “It made me more confident. And I kind of know the world better,” she said.

SSI’s Romal Baluchzada is looking forward to another year supporting and advocating for refugees and people seeking asylum, after last year receiving one of the not-for-profit sector’s top accolades for his work in this area.

Over one hundred multicultural youth came together for the 20 Voices Youth Symposium on Education last month to learn how to navigate the local education system and take their career goals into their own hands.