The past fortnight has brought heartening news for the refugee community, with the NSW Government’s announcement of a new round of funding to support refugee resettlement.

Settlement Services International welcomes the unprecedented funding of $146 million over four years by the NSW State Government in this week’s State Budget to help Syrian and Iraqi refugees start a new life in NSW.

The NSW Government is once again supporting the refugee community with a pledge to prioritise refugees in public sector recruitment. 

While many places in the world are experiencing turbulent times due to the unprecedented displacement of people, it is always useful to stop and ponder what makes Australia such a peaceful corner of the globe and a wonderful place to live.

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.

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

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.

An innovative partnership between Allianz Australia and Settlement Services International (SSI) will deliver new career opportunities and support for refugees and migrants who have settled in Australia. Today’s joint announcement by Allianz Australia Managing Director Niran Peiris and SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis coincide with the first week on the job for five recruits under the partnership employment program. The partnership aims to improve employment and educational opportunities for SSI clients as well as enhance workforce diversity at Allianz.

From the arts to technology, there are many different fields where refugees have made significant contributions to Australian society. But what are the factors that drive their success? And why is telling and listening to their stories so important? 

Simon Shahin is young, intelligent and has ambitious plans to contribute to the future prosperity of Australia. The 22-year-old is also a former refugee from Syria, who arrived in this country in September last year.

Finding work in Australia remains one of the greatest challenges for newly arrived refugees, but two sisters are helping to break down barriers by connecting refugees with job opportunities in Sydney’s competitive hospitality industry. Carol and Sharon Salloum run a popular Middle Eastern restaurant in Sydney, following in the footsteps of their parents who migrated to Australia more than 40 years ago.

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 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.

Sourcing the skills and experience to step into the Australian workforce can be a struggle for many people from CALD backgrounds but SSI’s Youth Collective initiative has been helping to break down barriers for young people with a series of new projects.

Thousands of people around the country celebrated cultural diversity and Australia’s commitment to humanitarian values at Walk Together on October 31. SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said she was proud that SSI could support the annual event, which was a strong show of support from the public.

Some of you may have heard about Maria Sorki, an SSI Ignite Small Business Start-ups client, who fled persecution in Iran and came to Australia as a refugee. Maria made a documentary film about the ancient religious minority, the Zoroastrians in Iran and it was the reaction to this film which meant she had to leave.

An evaluation report of SSI’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups initiative has found that, with the right support, Australia’s refugees have significant entrepreneurial potential and the ability to contribute to the economy.

A report released today found that, with the right support, Australia’s refugees have significant entrepreneurial potential and the ability to contribute to the economy. The report, which looked at the outcomes of the Ignite Small Business Start-ups initiative operated by humanitarian settlement organisation Settlement Services International (SSI), was prepared by Professor Jock Collins of UTS Business School and was launched by the Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber, the Hon. Patricia Forsythe.

The Friendship Garden in Auburn has blossomed recently thanks to the hard work and enthusiasm of former refugees and people seeking asylum, who are supported by Settlement Services International (SSI). Participants have volunteered to nurture the garden with others in the community.