Canada is recognised globally for the welcome it offers to refugees, evident in everything from the Prime Minister personally greeting airport arrivals to its settlement of 30,000 Syrian refugees in a four month period. It was with great delight then that SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis recently accepted a Canadian government invitation to talk about SSI’s work in this area.

Coming to Australia in search of safety means leaving behind friends, family and everything you know. For people like social worker Sarah, it also means starting again after years of studying at university and building up professional experience in her field.

Three years ago, the inaugural Cultural Shift symposium explored and shared the needs of recently arrived migrant and refugee families, and the most effective models and approaches for supporting these families through their settlement journey.

Hundreds of people showed their support for refugees and an inclusive arts community last month by taking part in NSW’s leading celebration of refugee arts and culture.

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.  

Volunteering with SSI means coming into contact with people who are still learning English, but Maegan Williams has quickly learned that you don’t need to speak the same language in order to communicate.

When Eleni Christou visited the Greek island of Kos in 2015, she had little idea that she would be heading into the epicentre of an unprecedented global refugee crisis.

SSI kicked off the New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week with the opening of an art exhibition featuring the work of up-and-coming refugee artists alongside more established names such as Alex Seton, Garry Trinh, Aroha Groves and Lindy Lee.

When 28-year-old Afghan refugee Karim, who has an intellectual disability, contacted Ability Links NSW (ALNSW), he didn’t know what to expect. All he knew was that he needed support to "get better".

The New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week brings together new and established communities for a program of visual arts, film, installations and workshops. The festival will include the Singular/Plural art exhibition, featuring established contemporary artists Lindy Lee, Aroha Groves, Alex Seton and Garry Trinh exhibiting alongside newly arrived artists from refugee backgrounds, including Sameer Dakhil — an expert engraver from Iraq.

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.

Journalists, comedians and writers will explore the blurry lines between freedom of expression and cultural appropriation at an event that will tip the traditional debate format on its head. Cultural appropriation controversies continue to dominate headlines, targeting everything from festival wear to the hairstyles of the Kardashians, but critics argue these continual outcries are stifling the creative expression. Should artists be restricted by cultural boundaries when creating their work?

SSI was recently delighted to have the opportunity to invite clients of all religions and backgrounds to participate in the five-week Shared Table Project, a grassroots peace-building initiative that aims to counteract prejudice and stereotypes and foster interfaith dialogue and friendship.

Rassul Zahrouni had a successful and happy life in Iran. He owned two jewellery shops and enjoyed peace and prosperity with his family and friends.

SSI representatives were among Sydney Alliance members who recently met with Minister for Planning Anthony Roberts to address the need for serious action to tackle the housing affordability crisis facing Sydney.

Moments of healing and friendship amidst uncertainty about the future are at the heart of a community art work that will debut during SSI's New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week 2017.  

Shazy Sahrulazizi, Ariff Bahar and Chen Hu are all final year students of the Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Wollongong. As do many of their peers, they juggle classes, study, group assignments and extra-curricular activities, trying to fit everything into their busy schedules.

Mina Furqan couldn’t understand what had happened to her. Back in her home country of Pakistan, she was very active, with a job she loved as a community worker and always involved in lots of projects.