Stock photo 2223608311 grandma and child 2

New consortium to boost settlement support in Greater Western Sydney

Posted on 24/09/2024 | by Vikki Hine

Media Alert
24 September 2024

Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs the Hon. Julian Hill MP will officially launch the new Western Sydney Region Settlement Consortium – a group of 4 community organisations delivering settlement services for refugees and migrants.

The consortium will build on best practice and expand specialised services to support new arrivals to Australia acquire critical services such as English language skills, jobs and access to education and training. 65% of all new refugee and humanitarian entrants to NSW settle in Western Sydney.

Led by SydWest Multicultural Services, the consortium includes Accessible Diversity Services Limited, Community Migrant Resource Centre, and Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre.

Speakers:

Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs the Hon. Julian Hill MP will launch the consortium

SydWest CEO Elfa Moraitakis on what the consortium means for Greater Western Sydney

John Holland Group Workforce Development Manager Sharon Stevenson on how the consortium can work with business to address skills shortages.

Date: Friday, 27 September, 2024

Time: 11am

Location: The Colebee, Narragingy Reserve, Knox Rd, Doonside.

Parking is available at the rear of the venue.

Entertainment on arrival will be provided by Larissa Kovalchuk who will play the bandura, the national instrument of Ukraine. Larissa is a contestant on The Voice, 2024.

Here is a link to a short social media video about the initiative. A longer video will be showcased at the event which describes the new consortium and benefits to community.

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SydWest welcomes new board member

Posted on 02/09/2024 | by Vikki Hine

Media Release
2 September 2024

SydWest Multicultural Services has welcomed Brent Pitts to its Board of Directors.

Brent is the current Chief Financial Officer and Executive General Manager Corporate Services at the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.

He has extensive expertise in financial management, having held roles throughout his career including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and A/Chief Executive Officer.

A chartered accountant, Brent has more than 25 years’ experience across a range of business and human services sectors, and organisational cultures. For the past 10 years, he has excelled in leading change and building sustainable delivery models while achieving robust financial results.

He is particularly skilled in supporting organisations maintain and grow their services in the face of industry changes.

SydWest CEO Elfa Moraitakis has welcomed Brent Pitts to the SydWest Board.

‘We’re thrilled to welcome a new Board member with such impressive and extensive financial experience and business acumen,’ she said.

Chair of the SydWest Board Angela Tsoukatos said Brent’s skills will be particularly appreciated during this time of great change to the community sector.

‘His ability to successfully navigate complex change will be a great benefit to our organisation, especially at a time when the NDIS and aged care industries are being reformed by the Federal Government.’

‘Members of our Board look forward to working with Brent to support the important work of SydWest Multicultural Services.’

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Media enquiries: Vikki Hine, Media and Events. E: vikki.hine@sydwestms.org.au or T: 0428 109 215.

Click here to download full media release

RMIT students and project Jul24 scaled 1

Groundbreaking consortium puts community at the heart of engineering solutions

Posted on 29/07/2024 | by Vikki Hine

SydWest leads new settlement partnership

Posted on 19/07/2024 | by Vikki Hine

MEDIA RELEASE
18 July 2024

A new settlement partnership has been announced for Western Sydney which will provide services to support newly arrived refugees and humanitarian entrants through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) program.

65% of all new refugee and humanitarian entrants arriving into NSW settle in Western Sydney. Western Sydney receives 25% of the total national refugee and vulnerable humanitarian intake (excluding Fairfield).

Led by SydWest Multicultural Services, the Western Sydney Region Settlement Consortium (WSRSC) is a newly established group of four (4) Migrant Resource Centres and multicultural community organisations who have significant expertise supporting new arrivals become self-reliant and a part of the broader Australia community.

Western Sydney is a hub for diversity and economic growth and as a region where newcomers settle, it will be supported by a consortium of long trusted and expert organisations.

Consortium partners are:

The SETS program is funded by the Federal Government through the Department of Home Affairs.

SydWest CEO Elfa Moraitakis said ”I am pleased to be leading this consortium and I am also pleased that our funding success reflects the government’s trust in us as an organisation”.

“Our approach as a consortium will be based around the unique needs of the individual or family and will strive to connect newcomers with services and assistance in their local area,” she said.

“And that is what our consortium partners do best – we all have extensive experience and we’re well connected to services that will help new arrivals feel part of the local community, assist with employment opportunities, learn English or join a local mother’s group.

“For our new arrivals, an important message is that we can continue to assist you and that is great news. And with this continued funding we can also reach out to new communities in Western Sydney who will settle in Australia through the Pacific Engagement Visa program.

Ms Moraitakis thanked SSI for establishing the first NSW Settlement Partnership and consortium in 2015.

She said the model was innovative because it drew together organisations with a long and proud history in migrant service delivery, providing an opportunity to share and build on best practice.

“We will continue this practice of leveraging years of settlement expertise to provide the best possible services to those who now call Australia home,” Ms Moraitakis said.

Click here to download full media release

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Media enquiries: Vikki Hine, Media and Events. E: vikki.hine@sydwestms.org.au or T: 0428 109 215 or Cindy Sciberras on 0412 897 286.

Zest Award Winner 2024

Posted on 30/05/2024 | by Vikki Hine

30 May 2024

SydWest Multicultural Services is pleased to advise that we have won the Outstanding Community Arts and Culture category in this year’s Zest Awards, hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum.

The award was for the Intergenerational Art Program which pairs seniors with young people to create art and help address loneliness. It was designed by our partner Good Neighbours Australia, with workshops being run by SydWest and attended by our local senior clients.

Thanks and congratulations to all nominees and winners. The real winners are the Western Sydney community!

The Intergenerational Art Program was a collaboration with Good Neighbours Australia and part of our Seniors Social Support Groups Program to help reduce social isolation.

ZEST Awards 2024 76 1 1 — Zest Award Winner 2024 7

Engineering students empower Western Sydney communities to solve local challenges

Posted on 28/05/2024 | by Vikki Hine

MEDIA RELEASE
29 May 2024

A new partnership between SydWest Multicultural Services and RMIT University will see humanitarian engineering students working with our culturally diverse community to solve local issues, using local resources.

The SydWest-RMIT Engagement Challenge will focus specifically on ways young people and seniors can work together to address issues across health, energy, infrastructure and the environment.

RMIT’s Dr Spyros Schismenos – an academic specialising in empowering communities to solve humanitarian and development issues – says his students are keen to learn more about the benefits of co-designing solutions with community, as opposed to designing solutions for community.

“Real impact is created through genuine partnership and by empowering the communities we work with,” Dr Schismenos said.

Projects could include how to address climate change and heat stress and designing housing appropriate for larger families or seniors from culturally diverse backgrounds.

SydWest Aged Care Services Manager Mereline Murimwa-Rarami said members of the Blacktown community are experts in their own lives and are best placed to provide valuable insights and possible solutions to challenges that they face.

‘At the same time members of the community can gain a sense of worthiness and take ownership of solutions,’ she said.

SydWest Multicultural Youth Case Manager Bronwyn O’Brien said our community members can bring a different perspective to the conversation and often have ideas others had not already thought of.

‘Western Sydney is an extremely diverse and vibrant area and with diversity comes different forms of creativity, and that can enhance our problem solving,’ she said.

Dr Schismenos is passionate about teaching and researching the most effective interventions for these communities and has a number of students enrolled in his course from Western Sydney.

“We have students from Western Sydney enrolled in this course, so for some of them it is a personal motivation to get involved,” Dr Schismenos said.

The humanitarian engineering program, through Dr Schismenos, also works with UNESCO on projects as diverse as women in science in developing countries, and environmental initiatives.

SydWest is proud to be partnering with RMIT and looks forward to seeing what can be achieved.

What is humanitarian engineering?

As Dr Schismenos explains, humanitarian engineering sits across all engineering disciplines with a focus on social impact and improving quality of live in society.

Humanitarian engineers specifically work with vulnerable and marginalised communities and combine specialist social and technical thinking with core engineering practice.

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Media enquiries: Vikki Hine, Media and Events. E: vikki.hine@sydwestms.org.au or T: 0428 109 215 or Cindy Sciberras on 0412 897 286.

Download full media release here

Budget measures welcome but more can be done

Posted on 15/05/2024 | by Vikki Hine

MEDIA RELEASE

15 May 2024

SydWest welcomes several measures announced in last night’s Federal Budget that provide assistance across settlement, aged care, the NDIS and cost of living.

Acting CEO Clement Meru said SydWest supports the extension of the Youth Transition Support Scheme which helps young refugees and migrants transition smoothly from education to work.

‘We are also pleased with the extension, through the Settlement and Transition Support (SETS) Program, of support for refugee and migrant women experiencing violence in the home, particularly considering Blacktown’s high rates of domestic violence,’ said Mr Meru.

‘It is critical that women and children from new and emerging communities who flee violent relationships can continue accessing culturally responsive support.

‘In relation to aged care, we welcome the Federal Government’s $531.4 million investment in 24,100 additional home care packages, however we agree with calls from the Aged and Community Care Providers Association that more funds are needed to support our ageing population.

‘We mustn’t forget that seniors from culturally diverse backgrounds may have more complex needs as cultural and language factors come into play.’

SydWest said the announcement of $468.7 over five years to support people with disability and to get the NDIS back on track was also good news.

‘Much has been said about more needing to be done for cost-of-living relief, and that is true – our community is really doing it tough,’ Mr Meru said.

‘However, the $300 rebate on electricity bills and additional rent assistance will provide some relief for the families and individuals we support.’

SydWest is a leading organisation for cultural diversity issues responding to community needs and opportunities throughout Greater Western Sydney and more recently parts of the Inner West and City of Sydney. Participate Australia runs SydWest’s disability services.

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Media enquiries: Vikki Hine, Media and Events. E: vikki.hine@sydwestms.org.au or T: 0428 109 215 or Cindy Sciberras on 0412 897 286.

Employment Accelerator event matches jobseekers to Home Care jobs

Posted on 01/02/2024 | by Vikki Hine

Jobseekers interested in a career supporting seniors to live independently at home turned out to connect with Home Care employers in person at the first Employment Accelerator event for 2024.

Hosted by SydWest Multicultural Services at its Blacktown office on Wednesday 31 January, the event saw local employers, training organisations and employment bodies including SSI, Leaders Care, Care Connect, Salvation Army Employment Plus, Macquarie Community College and TAFE Blacktown present their opportunities to almost 40 jobseekers.

Attendees registered their interest in available jobs and learned about training and qualifications.

“Employers reported promising matches with candidates and were positive about meeting jobseekers in person,” said SydWest Settlement and Community Programs Manager Clement Meru.

“We were happy with the turnout and the way people interacted with the employers and training organisations to help them get a step closer to a job as a Home Care worker,” Mr Meru said.

Riddhi, from Blacktown, a client of SydWest, was among the attendees. She said she was finishing her certificate III course soon and wanted to get a head start on getting a job. She said it was valuable to see employers in the one place and see where the opportunities are.

A representative from Leaders Care said they were always looking for Home Care workers, so it was a great opportunity to connect with jobseekers and “with other organisations who might have referrals”.

If you’re interested in a career in Home Care, there are more events in the coming weeks in Mt Druitt, St Marys, Parramatta and Blacktown. Find out more at the SydWest Multicultural Services website

Care Connect stand — Ashleigh Hudson, Care Connect speaks to interested jobseekers

Employment Accelerator in action — Jobseekers meeting employers and training providers

Employment Accelerator listening to employers — Jobseekers paid close attention to the employer presentations

1 February 2024

Employment Accelerator for Home Care

Posted on 17/01/2024 | by Vikki Hine

Jump start a career in care

We are bringing Home Care employers together with potential employees.
They can meet face-to-face, bypassing the application process.
This is an in-person event and an easy and efficient way for employers to meet candidates.

For more information and how to register, CLICK HERE

Contact Tonny Birungi at tonny.birungi@sydwestms.org.au or T: 02 9621 6633

Bhutanese Migration History – book launch

Posted on 23/11/2023 | by Vikki Hine

Launched at SydWest Multicultural Services-Participate Australia AGM on 2 November 2023, Bhutanese Migration History – a life in three countries is an important contribution to the history of migration to Australia.

Check out a recent video from Om Dhungel, a local Bhutanese community leader and key contributor to this recording of history.

This book was published by SydWest Multicultural Services and written by Virgina Macleod, with the assistance of the Australian Historical Society and the NSW Government through the Create NSW Cultural Grants Program and in collaboration with the Bhutanese community.

Having collaborated with the Bhutanese community for nearly 15 years, I have developed a deep appreciation for their kindness and the strong bonds they share, ensuring the success of their settlement in Blacktown. I feel humbled to be able to contribute to this significant piece of Western Sydney’s history, said Elfa Moraitakis, CEO of SydWest Multicultural Services.

For more information, please contact marketingcommunications@sydwestms.org.au

23 November 2023