Erica Pettener started her student placement with Advance Diversity Services (ADS) in August 2022. Working with ADS’s Settlement and Community Services team has shown her how the theory she’s been learning at university can be applied in practice. It has also sharpened her skills and broadened her worldview.
What drew you to do your student placement with ADS?
I wanted to do my student placement at ADS to learn about the refugee and migrant experience from the perspective of people undergoing a settlement journey in Australia. Prior to this placement I had limited knowledge of the services and agencies available to support these communities, and was previously reliant upon the media perspective.
What are you studying and where? And how has your personal history and/or your cultural background informed your work with ADS?
I am studying a Master of Social Work at Wollongong University. I am a second-generation Australian and I feel there has been a form of ‘give and receive’ in my placement experience. This placement has provided me with a greater insight into migrant settlement realities that my own family would have experienced. In turn, I feel my background has provided me with a level of cultural sensitivity that has enabled me to be mindful and respectful throughout my placement.
What ADS programs have you assisted with and how have you been encouraged to apply your studies and/or expand your skills in your role?
During my time at ADS, I have worked within the Settlement and Community Services team. I have been fortunate to have gained experience in community development – both in the form of assisting with community information sessions and the Migrant Information Day, and also with individual client casework. Working alongside ADS staff with clients has been particularly useful in seeing how theory is applied in practice.
What has been the most challenging work you have done with ADS during your time as a student?
The most challenging work was being privileged to hear the lived experiences of clients interacting with ADS. At times, it was difficult to hear the individual and systemic challenges that clients have experienced in their past but then equally hopeful in how ADS focuses on the strengths of clients to address future challenges.
What strengths have you brought to your placement?
The core strengths I have brought to my placement include active listening, patience and calm. This has helped me to be open to new experiences – creating more learning opportunities.
What has been your proudest moment, greatest achievement, deepest connection in your time at ADS?
I feel that my greatest achievement was assisting a client to improve their knowledge of the public transport system in Sydney and around their local area. It was wonderful knowing that I was able to assist in a small way to increase the confidence of a client regardless of our language barrier.
“Be You With Us” is ADS’ tagline, and it reflects the organisation’s commitment to welcoming and accepting everyone of all ages, gender, culture, sexuality, and religious beliefs. How have you been encouraged to “Be You With Us” during your time with ADS?
I have been encouraged to be myself in the way that I was involved in discussion; I felt that my opinion and perspective was valued by the organisation.
What more should the Australian Government be doing to welcome migrants and refugees and to ensure they find the support they need to adjust quickly and well to life in Australia?
The Australian Government can provide clearer information on government websites to support programs that are available. On a broader systemic level, the visa process and the information of rights under various visa types could be provided in a more simplified manner.
What is your ultimate goal and how has the work you’ve done with ADS equipped you for what you would like to do next?
I am uncertain of my ultimate goal, but this placement experience has made me more confident that my future career is in social work. ADS has provided me with improved interpersonal skills and broadened my own worldview, which I know will be beneficial to me in the future.
Please finish this sentence: I love ADS because … of the warm and collaborative spirit of all team members. The feeling of an attitude that it can be achieved we just need to find a way.
Erica Pettener felt there was a form of ‘give and receive’ in her student placement with ADS due to her background as a second-generation Australian.
Traditional dances from Java and Bali, a costume parade from Sumatra and Sulawesi, sketches from Bahasa community language schools, music from Angklung groups … these are just some of the exciting offerings that will feature at the Indonesian Arts and Culture Club (IACC) Performance Night on December 3 at Kogarah High School.
‘The IACC has been practising hard for this event and the children are very excited to be performing live again’ said Andi Dwipasatya, community worker and volunteer with Advance Diversity Services (ADS). ‘It seems amazing that the last time we held a night like this to showcase the talents of the IACC was in 2019, pre-COVID.
‘Dancing online during lockdown was extremely challenging for the kids who would rather be together – moving together, not sitting or dancing alone in front of a screen!’ said Ms Dwipasatya
‘As well as dancing in this year’s performance night, the IACC children will also be sharing the MC role, introducing the performers in English and also showing off their new ancestral language skills in Bahasa Indonesian.’
Members of the IACC perform the Hegong dance a traditional dance from Maumere Flores in Indonesia. Credit: Advance Diversity Services
The IACC is an intergenerational club with children from age 4 and adults up to age 70. It began as an initiative of the ADS Indonesian Reference Group in 2018, and is coordinated by Andi Dwipasatya and Theresia Tomahu.
The children meet every Sunday at Kogarah High School Hall to rehearse traditional dances and many of them also attend Pelangi, the community language school, to learn Bahasa. There will be a ceremony to present certificates to the Pelangi students before the performance night.
Other highlights on the night will include:
Performances by professional singers, including Ms Tomahu.
Songs from an Indonesian women’s vocal group.
Singing by three Bahasa community language schools – Pelangi (from Kogarah), Leumeah and Wollongong.
Line-dancing fun for everyone to top off the evening.
IACC children and their dance teachers Sita and Tuti. Credit: Advance Diversity Services
Advance Diversity Services is a proud supporter of the IACC and has joined forces with The Kogarah Storehouse (which is donating raffle prizes), the Pelangi community language school and the IAFA (Indonesian Australia Friendship Association) to support the night. Delicious pre-packaged Indonesian meals will also be available for sale at the start of the evening.
Ms Dwipasatya said, ‘We’re so proud that the language schools and the IACC can showcase their diverse talents and their holistic approach to learning language and culture – applying it through the arts to make it fun from a young age.
‘With the IACC’s performances, and with contributions from so many other wonderful individuals and groups, it is going to be a great occasion. Please join us. Everyone is welcome!’
Indonesian Arts and Culture Club Performance Night
Saturday December 3, 2022 from 6pm – 9.30pm
Kogarah High School, Gladstone Street Gate 3
Get your tickets from Andi Dwipasatya 0433 421 355, or contact Magdaline at 9597 5455 E: magdalines@advancediversity.org.au
Indonesian Arts and Culture Club Performance Night flyer with all the details of the December 3 event.
_______________
The IACC was formed in 2018 with Doing it Differently (DID) grant funding from Bayside Council in partnership with SESLHD. The next year it received another small DID grant from Georges River Council to engage Indonesians and interested others in the GRC LGA.
Advance Diversity Services (ADS) will host a suite of activities during Sydney WorldPride 2023 to promote LGBTIQA awareness and inclusion in the Georges River region.
Sydney WorldPride runs from February 17 to March 5, 2023, and is the largest global event to be held in NSW since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The festival offers more than 300 events, celebrates Australia’s diverse LGBTIQA community, and includes the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on February 25.
A grant from Georges River Council has enabled ADS to collaborate with LGBTIQA organisations across the area to offer three inclusion-building activities during the festival.
They are:
An LGBTIQA movie screening at Hurstville Events Cinema.
An ACON-run Inclusive Practice Training Workshop for local services on the needs of LGBTIQA people.
An LGBTIQA Speakers Panel.
‘There is no better time for us to be building community acceptance of diversity and LGBTIQA inclusion than during Sydney WorldPride,’ said Anthony Scerri, Manager, Settlement and Community Services at ADS.
‘We know the impact of exclusion is profound for people who are LGBTIQA and even more so for those from CALD backgrounds, leading to high rates of mental health issues and suicide.
‘The events we’ve planned during Sydney WorldPride aim to foster an inclusive community that embraces and celebrates LGBTIQA people and communities and promotes their participation and wellbeing.’
Mr Scerri said the WorldPride festival theme GATHER DREAM AMPLIFY had inspired ADS and its LGBTIQA Working Party to build on their work to:
Increase community acceptance and celebration of sexual diversity,
Strengthen the capability of local services for inclusive service delivery, and
Foster positive community engagement and dialogue on inclusivity and diversity.
‘Ultimately, we want to create a more connected, welcoming and inclusive community that reduces the isolation, loneliness and exclusion for LGBTIQA people,’ he said.
‘The events we’re offering in early 2023 should take us closer to achieving this.’
Mr Scerri said the LGBTIQA Speakers Panel – featuring presenters from culturally, gender diverse backgrounds – would generate dialogue, spark ideas for collaboration and advance understanding of the experiences of the LGBTIQA community.
The South Eastern Sydney Local Health District HIV Programs Unit had committed to $5,000 towards this project, he said.
ADS will host the panel in collaboration with ADS’s LGBTIQA Working Party which includes Kogarah Community Services, ACON, South East Sydney Local Area Health (SESLHD) HIV Programs Unit, Australia-New Zealand Tongzhi Rainbow Alliance.
‘It’s always important to be tackling non-inclusive attitudes towards LGBTIQA people but it feels even more vital after a crime like the mass shooting in an LGBTIQA night club in Colorado Springs on November 19,’ Mr Scerri said.
‘The panel, the film screening and the training will augment our existing community education efforts and open up more opportunities for dialogue to promote greater inclusion and ensure LGBTIQA people feel safe and secure in our region.’
Sydney World Pride – Human Progress Pride Flag at the Sydney Opera House. Credit: Daniel Boud
_____
Follow ADS on Facebook for updates and more details about ADS’s Sydney WorldPride events.
Migrant Information Day (MID) 2022 will be unique in highlighting the contributions of Ukrainian new arrivals who have settled in the local area over the past eight months.
‘The Bayside and Sutherland Shire LGAs make up the top settlement locations of the Ukrainian nationals that have arrived here since April,’ said Anthony Scerri, Manager, Settlement and Community Services at Advance Diversity Services (ADS).
‘This year’s MID will feature the distinctive crafts, artwork and food of ADS’s Ukrainian clients,’ he said.
More than 500 locals and 40 stallholders will celebrate MID at Rockdale Town Hall on Wednesday, October 26, from 10 am to 2 pm.
This free event – which returns ‘face-to-face’ after several years of virtual offerings – gives newly arrived migrants in the region the opportunity to gain information about health, government, education, employment, youth, community and CALD-specific services.
Mr Scerri said MID was an opportunity for new arrivals and migrants to connect with service providers and the community – regardless of what stage they were on in their settlement journey.
‘This year it is especially important as we welcome Ukrainian new arrivals who have settled in our community and are very much in the early stages of their settlement journey; learning English, registering with essential services and finding out about life in Australia.
‘Although the settlement journey can be difficult for many, there is a real sense of resiliency and also wanting to give back to the community among the Ukrainian new arrivals. For them, MID will be a great opportunity not only to find out about supports available to them but also to share their skills and contributions through artwork, food and jewellery stalls.’
A warm welcome and multilingual resources
MID has been an annual event in St George for more than 20 years and, in 2022, participants can enjoy:
A free and delicious BBQ cooked by the Lions Club of Lugarno.
Friendly chats with service providers and organisations in the local community, including TAFE NSW, Mission Australia, Royal Life Saving, the NSW Ombudsman, Sydney Water, Max Employment, Gymea Community Aid and Information Service, Headspace Hurstville and many others.
Cultural performances from local artists – with Chinese and Indigenous dancers expected to be highlights.
A range of guest speakers, including the Mayor of Bayside Council – Dr Christina Curry, the Hon. Linda Burney MP (via pre-recorded video), Steven Kamper MP, the Hon. Mark Coure MP, and Joseph La Posta, CEO of Multicultural NSW.
Multilingual information will be available from government and non-government organisations, and bilingual workers will be on hand to provide further language assistance in Nepali, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Bengali and Ukrainian.
‘Gathering the many services available in one place to easily share information with newly arrived migrants and refugees is a fantastic way to support those settling in our community,’ said Mr Scerri. ‘We’re excited to welcome new arrivals to this face-to-face event and we hope they make connections, have fun, and feel a sense of belonging in Australian society.’
_______________
Cultural performances from local artists will feature alongside information stalls, speakers and the distinctive crafts, artwork and food of Ukrainian new arrivals.
MID 2022 showcases the cultural diversity of the St George region and is financially supported by a grant from Multicultural NSW – Stronger Together Grants Program and a range of organisations including: ADS, St George Community Transport, Georges River Council and South Eastern Sydney Local Health District – Priority Populations Unit. Bayside Council is host council for the event and has offered significant in-kind support.
Organising committee members include: Divesh Naryan – Settlement Services International, Sherie Skaines – Bayside Council, Marguerite Elson – Georges River Council, and Ronnie Wang – Asian Women at Work, and other ADS staff.
Our Greek Seniors Social Group and staff at ADS were very excited to celebrate the 100th birthday of Mrs Georgia Sioris in August.
Mrs Sioris has been attending the Multicultural Seniors Social group for over 20 years at ADS’s Bexley Centre.
Mrs Sioris is keeping extremely well at 100: socialising, going on bus trips and participating in all ADS’s Social Support Group indoor and outdoor activities, which includes visiting the Greek Orthodox Church and attending different social events and clubs.
She even performed a traditional Greek dance at home at her birthday party!
Mrs Sioris was born in 1922 in the Peloponnese region of Greece and migrated to Australia. She lived through three wars and was escaping from poverty and war with her three young children when she sailed to Australia on a warship.
Mrs Sioris has three children, nine grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
She lives with her loving and caring extended family, children and grandchildren in the same house where she still does housework and cooks meals. She also works in her large vegetable patch in the backyard and uses her own produce for cooking. In summer she prepares big batches of a traditional Mediterranean wheat product called ‘Trahana’, which she uses in her winter cooking.
Mrs Sioris is very conscious of her health and has an extremely positive mindset, which she believes helps her to better recover from illnesses and injuries, including Covid and falls.
Her secret recipe for longevity and great health is:
1. Being surrounded by and living in close proximity with loving and caring extended family.
2. Keeping active, growing her own vegetables and making her own food from scratch, including baking her own bread. (Her advice is ‘Do not eat out in restaurants because you don’t know what is in the food!’)
3. Sitting out in the sun in her backyard for a minimum of one to two hours a day when the sun is out, which gives her plenty of vitamin D to keep her immune system and bones strong.
4. Staying positive: Mrs Sioris thinks stress is one of the biggest killers, and she advises not to get upset even over the most difficult life situations, and also to be grateful for family and health and all the good things in life.
5. Using lots of olive oil imported from Greece that is prepared from fresh olives without any chemicals and uses the first cold press.
6. Drinking one glass of red wine every evening.
ADS CEO Antoinette Chow congratulated the centenarian on reaching such a great milestone and thanked her for continuing to be such a vital part of ADS’s Greek Seniors Social Group.
‘Mrs Soiris is an inspiration,’ Ms Chow said. ‘And we are so glad to see her enjoying life at 100. We also really love having her in our seniors social group.’
ADS’s Greek Seniors Social Group with Mrs Georgia Sioris (centre front) at her 100th birthday celebrations
Attentiveness, care, appreciation and praise are central to a happy home, marriage and family and were modelled by the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) throughout his life. Sharing the load of household tasks and child-rearing responsibilities is also pivotal to harmonious relationships.
These are some of the central messages conveyed by Mufti Zeeyad Ahmed Ravat, Founder and Director at Daarul Arqam Australia, which left a lasting impression for the 100 attendees of the Sunnah of a Happy Family Workshop on Sunday June 10.
Held at the Red Rose Function Centre in Rockdale and organised by Advance Diversity Services (ADS), the event attracted Muslims of all ages.
Women at the Sunnah of a Happy Family Workshop organised by ADS on Sunday June 10.
The workshop encouraged respectful relationships and positive attitudes and behaviours among spouses and family members, highlighting the importance of early intervention in preventing family violence. It also provided the participants with an opportunity to address their concerns including the challenges of negative gender attitudes and cultural practices.
Participants concerned about conflict resolution, parenting, spousal communication, gender roles and expectations in a migration context received thoughtful responses from Mufti Zeeyad Ahmed Ravat who also peppered his speech with examples and humour.
‘I want to highlight the romance of the prophet; the prophet as a romantic person,’ said Mufti Zeeyad Ahmed Ravat
‘There is no-one more romantic to his family than the prophet, and he would not accept an invitation unless his wife was invited with him.
‘His wife Aisha also told people, “He would look for the place where I put my lips and drink from that spot.’
The prophet treated people respectfully and fairly, the Mufti said.
‘He had hundreds who would jump at his command but instead he said, “While you cook and you clean, I will go and gather the wood for the fire.’
The workshop focused on the positive Islamic value system based on the role model and practices or ‘sunnah’ of the Prophet Mohammad. In Islam, the sunnah – also spelled sunna (Arabic: سنة) – is an ultimate guide for leading an ethical, productive and happy life.
‘As Muslims, we believe the life of the Prophet Mohammad is an example for generation after generation to follow,’ said Tasneem Rasheed, the Bangladeshi worker with ADS. ‘He really provided the best role model for how to live in a pure, humble and happy way, with the worship of Allah central to our purpose.
‘The workshop was a good reminder that equality, sharing generously and helping others are pivotal to our faith and that living these values can help our families and communities to be peaceful and happy.
‘All participants told me they found the event fun and inspiring, adding“Thank you so much for putting on this event. Please organise more events. We loved it!”’
Magdaline Shenton Kaleido Team Leader, Emerging Communities, Settlement and Community Services for ADS, said, “Coming out of lockdown to have such a big, catered, family event with such great messaging was wonderful for everyone.
“There was appreciation all round for getting together again after so long with no face-to-face group events. ‘Some women expressed the need for the words to become deeds: “Great talk, now for action!”
