The New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival 2016 was a standout success, with more than three thousand people coming together to celebrate the talents and skills of artists who were refugees and asylum seekers.

Record-breaking numbers of forcibly displaced people worldwide have increased the importance of this week’s Refugee Week celebrations, according to Settlement Services International (SSI) CEO Violet Roumeliotis. The annual celebration of the courage and contribution of refugees would be a particularly poignant occasion this year in light of the staggering number of refugees and other forcibly displaced people around the world, she said.

Baroque violinist Anna McDonald is passionate about exploring the realms of new music – a passion that she developed after a decade of studying and performing in London.

At the New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival 2016, the fun won’t end with the music and dance performances. A host of original workshops will also expose attendees to new experiences ranging from relaxing yoga with sacred Aboriginal sounds to vibrant African dance and drumming.

Refugee Week is a chance to celebrate the positive contributions refugees make to Australian society. As part of the national celebration this month, Settlement Services International (SSI) is involved with a number of free events, including our very own festival.

The shared experience of motherhood transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries, as demonstrated by a special group of women who celebrated Mother’s Day with Settlement Services International (SSI) this month.

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.

Leading artists from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds will showcase their talents at NSW’s leading festival celebrating refugee arts and culture. Confirmed artists for the expanded 2016 New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival will impress audiences with performances and workshops that draw inspiration from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and more.

NSW’s premier festival celebrating the cultural heritage and artistic talents of people from refugee backgrounds will be bigger than ever in 2016. Following the stand out success of the inaugural New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival last year, the 2016 program has expanded to feature three separate events across Sydney both during and after Refugee Week.

Harmony Day is an important annual event on SSI’s calendar, but the 2016 event marked a milestone as hundreds of staff, volunteers, clients and supporters came together to celebrate this year’s theme – diversity is our strength.

Artist Miriam Cabello’s long-held passion for collaborative community art and educational projects has seen her take on a unique mentoring opportunity for the New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival 2016.

Harmony Day is a celebration of cultural diversity that focuses on inclusiveness, respect and belonging. At SSI, we marked the day with an afternoon of food, music and dancing that also integrated Nowruz – the New Year’s celebration for more than a dozen cultures globally.

Settlement Services International (SSI) is proud to sponsor the 2016 Premier’s Harmony Dinner, and support the celebration of cultural diversity in NSW. SSI is a community-based, not-for-profit humanitarian organisation providing a range of services in the areas of humanitarian settlement, accommodation, asylum seeker assistance, multicultural foster care, disability support and employment services in NSW.

A cooking enthusiast who is seeking asylum in Australia has capitalised on his volunteering experience with SSI to secure a restaurant job. For the past two years, Mostafa has cooked and provided support at Settlement Services International’s (SSI) fortnightly Community Kitchen at the Auburn Centre for Community.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, past and present, the Gadigal​ people of the Eora​ nation. Ten years ago, Clover Moore, the lord mayor of Sydney, talked at the National Maritime Museum, She said.

A special event at Settlement Services International’s Bankstown offices in November helped support the efforts of the citizens coalition Sydney Alliance to 'Change the Conversation' about asylum seekers.

Settlement Services International has celebrated its 15th Anniversary in the company of members, founders, friends and partners, who enjoyed food, music, dancing, speeches and an anniversary video at SSI’s Bankstown auditorium on November 18.

People bustling along ANZAC shopping mall in Campsie on a Thursday in October enjoyed an inspiring showcase offered by SSI’s Ability Links NSW (ALNSW) program, which supports people with disability, their families and carers. Ability Links coordinators, called Linkers, hosted the event as a way to speak with the Campsie community about what ALNSW can do for them.

Settlement Services International (SSI) has joined forces with the Women Empowering Refugee Women (WERW) volunteer group to organise a social event at Sydney’s Opera House for a number of SSI clients and their families.