Art workshops organised by the SSI Arts & Culture program have helped families entertain and educate their children during the April school holidays. The first workshop was held at the Peacock Gallery in Auburn where children aged between six and 15 were encouraged to create a piece of art on the theme of 'friendship'. Children created 3D hand drawings and made poppy flowers to contribute to a community wreath.

Celebrating cultural connections SSI was proud to sponsor the Children’s Festival, held in Circular Quay on March 15. The theme for 2015 was “Playing Together and Living in Harmony”, and Fleet Park in Circular Quay was brought to life with a mix of colourful clothes, cultural performances and the big smiles of many children and families.

A month busy with events has reinforced for me the importance of these opportunities that bring diverse people together to share knowledge and experience. Recent events SSI has been involved in included Harmony Day, SSI’s Speakers’ Series discussion on youth and radical ideologies, the Third Sector Expo and the Cultural Diversity and Law Conference.

An SSI case manager joined a diverse panel at the “Volunteering for All - Trends and Tips” forum last month to discuss and explore the positive effects of volunteering. The forum was hosted by NSW peak body The Centre for Volunteering at Customs House, on March 25. SSI case manager Marcela Hart, who was nominated to sit on the panel by colleagues, said the event had a particular focus on building the capacity of the volunteer sector to recognise, respect, manage and support people from diverse backgrounds.

SSI asylum seeker client Behnan credits bodybuilding with giving him something practical to focus on while his claim for refugee status is assessed. Behnan, originally from Iran, has been bodybuilding for 15 years. “I started when I was about 13 years old,” he said via an interpreter. “My brothers were coaches, and because of my height and physical features, they decided bodybuilding was the sport for me.”

Young Joo Byun is multilingual in an unusual way – she speaks Korean and English and also communicates through Korean and Auslan sign language. After a serious illness when six months old, Ms Byun’s mother suspected she had trouble hearing. This suspicion grew when Ms Byun’s younger brother started exceeding her in childhood milestones, and her deafness was confirmed when she was five years old.

Sydney Alliance is currently running a Housing Affordability Campaign to highlight how the housing crisis affects Sydney residents. Settlement Services International (SSI) has joined the advocacy campaign to highlight how the crisis is compounded further for asylum seekers and refugees. Language barriers, the lack of rental history and skills to navigate the property market, social isolation, high unemployment and mental and physical health issues combine to make securing housing a problem for refugees and asylum seekers.

Recently arrived refugees and asylum seekers from around the world came together with community members for a Harmony Day celebration held by Settlement Services International (SSI).

Waking up to the voices of news broadcasts from three different radios, and sometimes also the television, is an almost daily ritual for Felix Bennett. Some mornings, Mr Bennett hears a sports story that he has submitted and he gets a rush of excitement. “It makes me happy for the day and makes me feel special,” Mr Bennett said about hearing his story on the radio.

Communities in Wollongong and Parramatta enjoyed free events to celebrate the "official" arrival of the Ability Links NSW (ALNSW) program and to meet their local ‘Linkers’. Both events incorporated great local musicians, inspiring speeches, and fun with selfies, chalk boards, hand print signs and henna.

Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation’s first of four “seasonal” exhibitions, the Summer Art Exhibition, features work by the Arts West collective of artists that includes former refugee Bassam Jabar. The hospital’s Foundation Art Program provides opportunities for young creative talent and supports the recovery of patients, some of whom spend many months in hospital.

After months of hard work since its inception in July 2014, the start of 2015 saw almost 20 launches of the Ability Links NSW program, culminating in the major Parramatta and Wollongong events. SSI is proud to be funded by the NSW Government to implement this program in partnership with UnitingCare and St Vincent de Paul throughout NSW; a program that will help change the lives of people with disability, their families and carers.

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.

The 2015 program of the SSI Community Music Program for refugees and asylum seekers living within the community began in the last week of February. The sessions, which are based on creative music therapy, are facilitated by a registered music therapist (RMT) from Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia.

Whether playing a game of soccer or sharing a sausage sandwich and a cup of tea, more than 1000 people across 10 different locations joined to show their support for cultural unity at Standing Together events run by Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) on Tuesday February 24. Throughout Sydney, and in Wollongong and Newcastle, MRCs hosted local community gatherings that were colourful and vibrant, and where people were happy to enjoy each other’s company.

Radical appeal: Young people and religious extremism Recent events have thrown a spotlight on religious extremism and its enactment through violent acts. Government, media and the public have shown concern at the vulnerability of young Muslims towards the influence of extremist ideology. This Speakers’ Series explores why young people in contemporary Australia might be attracted to an extreme religious ideology.

On Tuesday, February 24, 10 Migrant Resource Centres and Multicultural Services across NSW will host free events for the local community to come together in a show of solidarity. A united voice will be on display through activities such as forums, discussions, soccer games, sausage sizzles and performances by local musicians.

NSW Minister for Citizenship and Communities, Victor Dominello, donned an apron to cook up a free lunch for up a group of asylum seekers at the SSI Community Kitchen in Auburn. Mr Dominello, whose grandparents migrated to Australia from Italy, said he was honoured to meet with asylum seekers, SSI employees and volunteers, and to have the opportunity to share his love of cooking with them.

This Speakers’ Series will explore how and why young Muslims might be feeling disenfranchised within the Australian community and attracted to an extreme religious ideology. What has been done? What can be done? Join us for an evening of engaging discussion that will explore these current and complicated issues.

This year marks 40 years since the Racial Discrimination Act was passed and SSI will be supporting the Australian Human Rights Commission’s conference convened to reflect on the Act’s significance. At SSI we work with culturally and linguistically diverse communities, including people from refugee backgrounds and asylum seekers. We consider the Act an important piece of the social framework that provides rights to all Australians.