On April 30, eleven men and women from the Ezidi community were involved in a traditional food night at the Café Patisserie on Taylor Street in Armidale.   The evening was the result of a beautiful relationship, which flourished as a local Ezidi family regularly dropped off bread to their local café, just as they would do for their neighbours back in their home country.

Sydney’s refugee communities are brimming with solutions for the challenges they face. With a helping hand from SSI, community leaders are being resourced to create projects that close gaps and capitalise on their communities’ strengths. 

Hear from SSI foster carers as they speak about their experiences and learn about the support they receive from our staff.

Singing, dancing, gift giving and the voices of strong women was all a part of the Mother’s Day event held at the Inner West Council’s Community Refugee Welcome Centre last week, celebrating the dedication of newly arrived refugee mothers.

SSI’s Welcome2Sydney program enabled two refugee families to enjoy an iconic Australian experience last month: the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

The 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) recently took place at the UN Headquarters in New York. UN entities and NGOs from all regions of the world attended, including SSI youth advocate and delegate Rooan Al Kalmashi.

Volunteer with SSI Coffs Harbour, Paul Hemphill, uses his passion for people and Arabic language skills to make new arrivals feel welcome in their new home.

In 2017, a Community Hub was opened at Villawood East Public school, an area with a high migrant, low socio-economic population. At the time, many parents were hesitant to engage with their school community, and low English comprehension was identified as a barrier.

A strong delegation from Settlement Services International (SSI) was among 1,900 people who gathered at Sydney Town Hall on March 14 to urge for real change to housing and energy policies ahead of the NSW and Federal elections.

Adjusting to a different culture, getting to grips with a new language, learning the value of diversity and making new friends are all top priorities for young refugees, according to three sisters. 

NSW Labor’s pledge of $158 million for frontline domestic violence services is a step in the right direction but risks leaving refugee and migrant women in the cold, according to a community organisation that supports newcomers to Australia.

Investment in accommodation alone is not sufficient to help women who are new to Australia safely escape domestic and family violence, according to a community organisation that supports refugees and other newcomers to Australia.

The National Community Hubs Program 2018 Year in Review is now available.

Seven projects supporting refugee communities in south-west Sydney have received a boost from not-for-profit Settlement Services International’s (SSI) $50,000 Community Innovation Fund.

One of the precious, and often fleeting, aspects of youth is fearlessness. We’re brave and invincible; we don’t know what we don’t know. And for the lucky few, life has not yet inducted them into its darker, dimmer corners.

“I knew I could help out in the kitchen, I’m a wife and a mum, I like to talk, and I was a newcomer once too.” This is the self-described list of prerequisites SSI volunteer, Ashley Thomas, cites as her motivation for getting involved in Settlement Services International’s (SSI) Community Kitchen.

At SSI, we are getting ready to celebrate International Day of People with Disability (December 3), a United Nations sanctioned day that aims to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance, and recognises the achievements and contributions of people with disability.

Budding young green thumbs of mostly Afghani background have given gardening a go and created a small community garden at the Auburn Diversity Services Inc. (ADSi) offices with the help of SSI’s Friendship Garden ambassador, Muthana.

Italian communities in Griffith, Newcastle and Wollongong will have the opportunity to access disability information through theatre as the play “Io Mammeta e Tu: Me, Your Mother and You” travels across the three towns over October and November 2018.

Language is considered one of the main challenges newcomers face when they settle in a new country.