Waste-wise initiative helps new arrivals learn the ins and outs of recycling

Waste-wise initiative helps new arrivals learn the ins and outs of recycling

A waste-wise initiative offered by Advance Diversity Services (ADS) in 2020 will help new arrivals in the Barton electorate match their good intentions and commitment with responsible recycling practices.

The Waste Wise Project, which received funding from the AusIndustry Business Grants Hub on behalf of the Department of the Environment and Energy in December, will extend ADS’s existing involvement with Clean Up Australia Day and have a strong a strong focus on reducing waste and litter in the local environment through practical activities.

‘ADS clients are new migrants and refugees who’ve often had no past recycling experience or knowledge of different recycling systems outside their country of origin,’ said Anthony Scerri, Manager of Settlement and Community Services for ADS.

‘They want to do the right thing but, for people who are learning English, knowing what to put in which bin and what’s recyclable can be a struggle. We want to help them with this.’

Mr Scerri said the Waste Wise Project will involve Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Arabic, Thai and Chinese local community members in a Clean Up Australia Day activity in Hogben Park in Kogarah, and provide information about recycling and waste collection in people’s language of origin. Support from ADS’s bilingual staff will also be crucial to fostering their understanding of responsible waste management.

Participants will be given a two-compartment bin (general waste and recyclable items) to help

them apply what they’ve learnt from the Clean Up Australia Day event. A follow-up phone survey will determine how effective the learning has been, and ADS will offer people further education if needed.

Bus trips to the Rockdale Resource Recovery Centre or similar centres will give participants further insight into recycling and the opportunity to ask questions or clarify their new understanding of responsible waste disposal.

‘We’re happy to be sharing practical knowledge with new arrivals about managing household waste, recycling, and “living with less”, said Mr Scerri. ‘Our ultimate goal is to reduce litter and waste in our local community.’

Caption: Members of the Nepalese community who took part in a in a Clean Up Australia Day activity in Hogben Park in Kogarah in 2018. Advance Diversity Services is planning a similar event in 2020 as part of its Waste Wise Project.

Grant kick-starts exploration of new settlement pathways for the Nepalese community in Auburn

Grant kick-starts exploration of new settlement pathways for the Nepalese community in Auburn

Advance Diversity Services (ADS) has joined forces with Auburn Diversity Services Inc. (ADSi) to explore innovative ways to provide migrant and refugee settlement services to the Nepalese communities in the Auburn (Cumberland Council) catchment area. ADS and ADSi whose core business has been the provision of settlement services, are keen to learn from this partnership.

A $50,000 grant announced in November activated the working partnership, which will test a new, collaborative, service-delivery model that builds on the local connections of each partner to maximise reach and impact.

ADS was awarded this funding as an initiative of the NSW Settlement Partnership – a consortium of community organisations, led by Settlement Services International, delivering settlement services in NSW.

Community Services Officer, Rishi Acharya from ADS – who has a strong history of working with the Nepalese community – has been appointed to drive the project, which aims to extend into the Auburn area core settlement support now offered to the newly arrived Nepalese community residing in the St George area.

‘Auburn now has the largest population of Nepali-speakers in Australia followed by Rockdale,’ said Mr Acharya. Hurstville is currently in third place. Both are in the St George area where I’ve spent the last 8 years building strong and supportive pathways for new Nepali-speaking arrivals.

‘I’m excited to be using my knowledge and collaborative skills to ensure Nepalese communities in the Auburn area will be well supported by the Australian Government’s Settlement Engagement and Transition Support Grants (SETS) program.’

SETS supports humanitarian entrants and other eligible permanent migrants in their first five years of life in Australia. The program focuses on social participation, economic wellbeing, independence, personal wellbeing and community connectedness.

Mr Acharya will collaborate with ADSi and the Nepalese Australian Association to tap into the needs of recently arrived Nepalese migrants and refugees, identify gaps in service provision, and offer practical face-to-face support to community members.

Mr Acharya said the Nepali speaking population in Australia had increased significantly with 62,002 members counted in the 2016 Census compared to 27,155 in the 2011 census. There had also been a huge upsurge in Nepali students in recent years.

‘We were awarded the grant from the NSW Settlement Partnership’s Settlement Innovation Fund because our project clearly promotes service experimentation and improvement across its network of partners,’ he said.

‘Our goal now is to be innovative with purpose!’

Advance Diversity Services is a leading non-profit services provider that assists migrants and refugees in the St George and Sutherland Shire to thrive in Australian society.

Caption: Cultural perspectives on gambling offered by Nepalese community members in a November focus group will inform an Advance Diversity Services project that aims to reduce gambling harm in the community.

New funding helps Advance Diversity Services improve settlement support for LGBTIQA+ people

New funding helps Advance Diversity Services improve settlement support for LGBTIQA+ people

Advance Diversity Services (ADS) has been awarded $20,0000 funding for a Gender and Sexual Diversity project, which aims to ensure newly arrived migrants and refugees who identify as LGBTIQA+ receive inclusive settlement support.

‘LGBTIQA+ individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities need non- discriminatory settlement support – and we all have a role to play in supporting inclusive service delivery,’ said Anthony Scerri, Manager of Settlement and Community Services for ADS.

‘This project will ensure staff from CALD suppliers are trained to recognise what’s needed and to offer this without prejudice to LGBTIQA+ people as they settle in Australian society.’

ADS was awarded funding for the project in November as an initiative of the NSW Settlement Partnership – a consortium of community organisations, led by Settlement Services International, delivering settlement services in NSW.

ADS will use the funds to build on a successful pilot LGBTIQA+ forum it ran in partnership with ACON, Settlement Services International and Georges River Council at Georges River Civic Centre, Hurstville on October 21, 2019.

More than 50 people attended the 2019 forum, which included a panel of five LGBTIQA+ CALD community members sharing lived experience and a comprehensive introduction to issues faced by LGBTIQA+ communities.

Project funding will enable ADS to run a second forum in 2020 and to offer further inclusive- practice training for LGBTIQA+ client service delivery – with the overall aim of providing education to and raising awareness among staff.

This training will also offer ADS and the settlement sector opportunities to: build knowledge about and increase the visibility of the CALD-specific LGBTIQA+ community and their needs; build referral pathways; foster relationships with LGBTIQA+ organisations; and develop inclusive practices.

‘It is critical for LGBTIQA+ people to find the right support they need, when they need it,’ said Mr Scerri, ‘as we know this can make the difference between them thriving and surviving.

‘This project will help the sector get it right, and extend ADS’ work in this important area.’ ADS has also:

Caption: ADS has placed a Welcome Here Project Sticker and Welcome Here Project Charter in prominent locations across its four office sites to assure people ‘at a glance’ that they are welcome regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

Funding propels driver education program for refugees and migrants

Funding propels driver education program for refugees and migrants

Advance Diversity Services (ADS) will use $30,000 funding awarded by Transport NSW to roll out a driver education program for recently arrived refugees and migrants in the St George area.

The Learn to Drive Program recognises that learning to drive in a new country can be an important pathway for new arrivals in terms of mobility and economic and social participation.

It also supports learners to overcome barriers they face learning to drive in Australia, including language skills to comprehend licensing authority information, costs of training, access to cars and supervising drivers to prepare for tests, and learning different road rules from their country of origin.

Developed by Gymea Community Aid & Information Service, the program helps learners to pass their driver knowledge test, improve their English skills and gain driving practice with volunteer mentors.

‘While driving lessons aren’t part of the humanitarian settlement support package provided to refugees once they arrive in Australia, for a new migrant or refugee, being able to drive can mean the difference between successfully settling into a new community or being isolated,’ said Anthony Scerri, Manager of Settlement and Community Services for ADS.

‘Having a licence gives people independence. It also opens up opportunities for employment.’

The Learn to Drive Program is linked to a mandatory four-day TAFE course and assessment. Participants that require further driving experience are provided with lessons by a professional driving school. These lessons (up to six lessons per person) will be subsidised by the grant funding.

After the professional driving lessons, participants will be linked with volunteer mentors who are experienced drivers. Learner drivers can see their mentor for unlimited sessions until they get their licence.

Participants that require further support with tests are linked with volunteers who can sit down with them and go through mock tests and help them to gain experience and develop confidence.

The Learn to Drive Program was awarded the funding in round five of the 2019 Community Road Safety Grants.

‘We’re excited about the grant and to partner in this program,’ said Mr Scerri, ‘which will enhance the social and economic wellbeing of our clients.’

Advance Diversity Services is a leading non-profit services provider that assists migrants and refugees in the St George and Sutherland Shire to thrive in Australian society.

Caption: Recent funding to Advance Diversity Services for a driver education program will help new migrants and refugees learn to drive, which can make a huge difference to how well they settle into Australian society.