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Please introduce yourselves - maybe something like this?

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Please introduce yourselves - maybe something like this?

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Hi! I'm Sally and I am the CEO of Refugee Education Australia. I have been an AMEP teacher, a university lecturer/ academic, and now I lead a national charity - all in the name of equitable education and leveraging better educational opportunities and outcomes for refugees! I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do together and learning from you all! :)

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Hello everyone!

I’m Francine, the Engagement Coordinator at River Nile School, where I’ve been proudly working since October 2025.

Before joining River Nile, I spent several years at a mainstream school in Sunshine, taking on a range of roles across Visual Arts Education, Community Engagement, Youth Leadership and Agency, and Wellbeing and Inclusion — as an Educator, Leading Teacher, and Assistant Principal.

I’m deeply passionate about supporting diverse young people and communities, shaping and advocating for equitable systems that are driven by the people they serve. I love creating spaces where youth voice, identity, and community leadership are celebrated and central.

I’m genuinely excited about the launch of this network and the opportunity to collaborate with so many others who share a commitment to equity, inclusion, and opportunity for young people from refugee backgrounds.

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Good morning, everyone. I'm Julie from Independent Schools Victoria.

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Good morning, everyone. I'm Julie from Independent Schools Victoria.

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I am a Principal consultant in the School Improvement Team at ISV.

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Allison Greene, Program Lead, Education and Early Years at Foundation House. Based in Brunswick on Wurundjeri land. So happy to see familiar faces from some of the schools we have worked with for a long time!

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My name is Link. I'm the director of RefugeesCode. We help teach tech to people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. I look forward to meeting you all 😊

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Maroondah youth services

Youth Services team leader

To learn and connect

Collaboration, and substantial impact

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So happy to be here.

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Hi everyone,

My name is Jana Hovic from AMES Australia and I am a Hub Support Coordinator in the Community Hubs program.

I coordinate 10 community Hubs across 10 different Primary Schools in Dandenong and the City of Casey.

Education is most important in changing our communities‘s trajectory so being part of this network will hopefully provide some insights and wisdom in how to improve the education for our most vulnerable.

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Thao Pham, Schools Support Officer from the Education and Early Years team at Foundation House.

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Hi, Lindsey here from the Education and Early Years team at Foundation House. Looking forward to learning from everyone working with and supporting young people from refugee backgrounds.

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Good morning Ian Ferretter Community Engagement Officer with Gambler’s Help at IPC Health

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Hi there! My name is Richard Crawshaw snd i am the owner of Can't Face School, an organisation which supports families and schools navigate school refusal. We operate nationally amd are a team of ex school Principals and reengagement specialists. Im interested in connecting with organisations to hwlp change this epidemic that is school refusal. I live in Macedon, love chopping wood, and have moodle called Louie. 

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Hi there! My name is Richard Crawshaw snd i am the owner of Can't Face School, an organisation which supports families and schools navigate school refusal. We operate nationally amd are a team of ex school Principals and reengagement specialists. Im interested in connecting with organisations to hwlp change this epidemic that is school refusal. I live in Macedon, love chopping wood, and have moodle called Louie. 

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Hi all! I’m Rachael from DE, part of the Multicultural and Refugee Supports Unit - excited to be here! 

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Hi all! I’m Rachael from DE, part of the Multicultural and Refugee Supports Unit - excited to be here! 

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Morning I'm Brendan Rigby, Director of Tech Schools and Performing Arts at Department of Education Victoria. I oversee the 24 STEM centres in Victoria that provide free, hands on STEM enrichment programs to students. I've worked in refugee contexts in the past, was formerly an EAL teacher and am passionate about giving every student an opportunity to learn and aspire to their futures.

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Hi everyone, I’m Sally Morgan. I work at Monash uni at the moment in the Initial Teacher Education space. I’m also involved with the Hope Cooperative and with Refugee education Australia. I’m also a gardener, a musician and a Noni to my granddaughters. Really excited to be here today on Waddawarong land up in Ballarat.

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Hi! My name is Mary and I’m working as a community engagement officer at the River Nile School!

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I'm a school support officer from Foundation House and based in the North.

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Karen Dunwoodie

Director Deakin CREATE : Centre for Refugees Employment, Advocacy, Training and Education

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Hi, this is Anna and Kec from St Dominic’s Primary School working as MEAs. We look forward to learning about educational opportunities for refugee families

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I’m a big fan of Francine and the incredible work she does, so truly happy to be here for this launch. My name is Eddie and I’m an educational consultant living in NSW!

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Gabrielle Bourke from the Department of Education. We partner with Foundation House and CMY in delivery of refugee education support programs in Victorian schools. Wonderful to be part of this network for collective action and advocacy.

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I work at STARTTS - Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors. I al based on Wurudjuri Land aka Albury.

My role is Youth Worker/Community Development/School Liaison Officer

Here is a pic of my dogs this week for Hindu Dog Puja as part of Diwali Festival

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I’m Shannon and work as an Inclusion Professional with the KU through the Victorian Inclusion Agency. One of our focus cohorts we work with are children from a refugee background and supporting educators to support these children and families to be meaningfully included in the program

I’m really looking forward to the network

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Morning all! I'm Nat from VicSRC. I am the Programs Officer, and my work is primarily in supporting students and schools to strengthen student voice. Really excited to be here!

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I'm Simone and I work in the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. For the last 7 years I've worked as an Education Advisor for the Refugee Minor Program. I have just recently moved to a new role as a Health and Education Assessment Coordinator within Child Protection. Really looking forward to being a part of this network.

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Good morning. I am Anabella from the ASRC VET program. Glad to be here.

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Hi I’m Steve Muan from Zomi (Burmese ethnic) Community Melbourne 

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Hi I’m Steve Muan from Zomi (Burmese ethnic) Community Melbourne 

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Morning everyone, We are excited to be a part of this first meeting. As the Community Services Coordinator working in the Settlement Space across Melbourne west this is an area of passion as well as Wyndham CEC being an education and training provider this is an area, we are also keen to collaborate.

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Good morning, I'm Maria the school support officer at Foundation House and I'm based in the North, Dallas office. Pleasure to be joining this network.

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I am a Youth Settlement Worker from the Migrant Information Centre in Box Hill Land of the Wurrundjuri People of the wider Kulin Nation. I work with young people aged 12-25 from 7 LGA's in the inner and outer east regions of Melbourne :)

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Hi everyone, my name is Lydia. I’m from a Karen community background and currently serve as a committee member of the Australian Karen Organisation Victoria. I joined this webinar to learn more about the network

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Hi all! Great to be here - I'm Samina and I work at the Victorian Refugee Health Network as the Sector Development and Policy Advisor. Keen to work together to meet the needs of students and families!

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Hi everyone, I'm Eilin Taylor, Cultural Inclusivity Leader at MacKillop College Werribee.

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I am a Secondary School Nurse, Pamela Johnson, employed by Department of Education, working in schools as part of the Well Being department, supporting and resourcing the school community to address health and well being issues

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Hi! I'm Vera, Community Liaison and Industry Engagement Coordinator from the Melbourne AMEP.

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Hi everyone, I'm Maddy. Stoked to be here this morning. I'm a Policy and Project Officer at the Social Policy Group, working in the Settlement Team. The Social Policy Group is one of the peak bodies for settlement in Australia, and a large amount of our settlement work revolves around supporting the SETS Community of Practice.

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My name is Megan and I'm one of the Team Leaders in the Refugee Minor Program, overseeing our Education and Training Advisors as well as our Stronger Futures for Refugee Youth program (focusing on pathways, opportunities and support to transition into adulthood). I'm here to learn, connect and share resources.

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Good morning everyone! I'm Caitlyn Barclay - an Education and Training Advisor for the Refugee Minor Program. Prior to this I spent 8 years in the classroom across primary and secondary. Really excited to be a part this network and connect with you all!

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Hi Amzing people! This is Sidiqa the Program Coordinator of Community Engagement Program at the Refugee Council of Australia. We deliver educational programs both nationally and internationally through Refugee Stories for Change Program. Refugee Stories for Change

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Good morning everyone, I am Branka from Opendoor Ltd, and we provide education programs, including accredited, pre-accredited as well as SEE (Skills for Education and Employment) program. I have been working in the Learn Local space and Adult Community Education for the last 22 years and enjoy working with the diverse communities (youth, CALD, Indigenous). 

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Good morning everyone, I am Branka from Opendoor Ltd, and we provide education programs, including accredited, pre-accredited as well as SEE (Skills for Education and Employment) program. I have been working in the Learn Local space and Adult Community Education for the last 22 years and enjoy working with the diverse communities (youth, CALD, Indigenous). 

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Being a refugee myself with lived experience here, I am very passionate about supporting refugees on their journey in Australia.

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Morning everyone Lovely to see so many people on the call. I am Gabi Multicultural Youth Worker from CMY Settlement Program supporting newly arrived young people across metro Melb. We provide group workshops, 1:1 case work and mentoring,.

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Im Sahar- Education Officer at ASeTTS (Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors), sister agency to Foundation House in W.A.

Im hoping to develop a similar network in W.A, so thank you for having me and allowing me to see how you all work together to better support children and young people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds in Victoria. It’s truely wonderful! 😊

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Morning All! So great to connect with you all. I am Matt and I am a Team Leader in the Education and Early Years Program at Foundation House :)

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HI - Im Jodie McLeod - Family Partnership Team Leader at Caroline Chisholm Catholic College in Braybrook (a secondary school for stduents for year 7 to year 12). I work on building the partnerships between home and school with families and our students. I lead a team of three Multi Cultural Education Aides who provide cultural and lanaguage support to families in our Burmese, Vietnamese and Sudanese communties

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Hello everyone, I'm Hanna Ryan - Cultural Inclusion Leader at Penola Catholic College in Broadmeadows and Glenroy. Our cohort is largely drawn from Iraq and Syria, with many from an Assyrian, Syriac or Chaldean backgrounds

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So impressed with this fantastic initiative! Thank you and best wishes to everyone associated with REEN! I'm Rosemary, board member at River Nile School and a pro bono lawyer with Refugee Legal. It is so wonderful witnessing the dedication, success and creativity of everyone at RNS, Refugee Education Australia and Foundation House! Can't wait to see what next year holds :)

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Screenshot 2025-10-30 at 18-05-08 Welcome to the Vic Refugee Education and Empowerment Network (VICREEN)!

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Steph - Foundation House, Regional/Rural School Support

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Steph - Foundation House, Regional/Rural School Support

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Hi everyone! I'm Steph and I work at Foundation House as the Regional/Rural School Support Office. I'm based in Bendigo, but my remit is state-wide and I'm always happy to drive out to meet like-minded people.

Prior to working at FH, I was an Assistant Prin up in Robinvale, between Mildura and Swan Hill. I am passionate about students in regional/rural schools having support to access the same opportunities available to their metropolitan peers, and am particularly conscious of how living in the country can affect our most vulnerable students.

Please reach out if you want to connect: fangs@foundationhouse.org.au

School's in for Refugees - Foundation House

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I’ve been an EAL focused education practitioner for 45 years. I’ve worked across all sectors of education primary, secondary, community, TAFE and even at the River Nile school for a couple of years. What a great model RNS is. I hope to visit again via this network and see how it has clearly gone from strength to strength.

I’m on the VICTesol board and so will help spread the word on all that this network initiates and achieves.

Congrats on such a great idea, together we get better.

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Hi everyone! My name is Meg Pethybridge and I am the Support Coordinator for 3x Community Hubs in Greater Shepparton. We support hundreds of refugee, migrant and asylum seeker families to connect, share and learn, and often meet families soon after they arrive in Australia through Shepparton English Language Centre (SELC). I work with Hub Leaders and Principals in primary schools, but SELC is P-12 and we only have one government high school so we also assist families with secondary students.

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Hi everyone

I'm Belinda from the Victorian Child Information Sharing area within the Department of Education. I've come along to learn and connect to help support the work we do directly and in the support we provide to our key stakeholders. Great to be here

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Hi everyone

I'm Tonia. I work at Primary Care Connect in regional Victoria, supporting refugee-background communities through education, community engagement and employment pathways projects. much of my work focuses on collaboration, bringing together schools, services providers, employers and community members to better understand barriers and co-design practical solutions. I'm passionate about culturally safe practice, meaningful inclusion, and ensuring education pathways feel accessible and empowering.

I'm really looking forward to learning from everyone here and building stronger connections across the sector.

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Hi everyone,

My name is Alex. I'm the Education Programs Coordinator at the Port Phillip EcoCentre on Boon Wurrung Country in St Kilda.

The EcoCentre team works with multicultural communities including recently arrived migrants and refugees on a range of programs. In recent years we have run a Multicultural Bay Ambassador internship to provide pathways for diverse communities into the environment sector. We also run school programs working with diverse cohorts from across Melbourne and beyond.

Great to be here!

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Good morning everyone,

I am Caitlin Manyau and I work at Prahran High School as the Senior Youth Worker and Careers Coordinator. I work primarily with our students of a diverse background, working to provide advocacy and a voice throughout their high school experience.

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Fantastic to join you all, I am an Education and Training Advisor within the Refugee Minor Program. Supporting young people in their educational journeys.

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Hello, my name is Jess and I am the Community Outreach Team Leader at the RSPCA. My role is focused on assisting and empowering vulnerable groups in the community by providing education and support services, as we want to keep people and pets together and recognize how crucial the human-animal bond is, as animal welfare always includes human welfare.

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Jess and Dee Dee Noble Park CC SHP 23.01.2026

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I'm Allison Ridge, Partnerships and Engagement Lead at Western Public Health Unit, we serve the central and western suburbs of Melbourne. Understanding the experience of our communities and their public health priorities helps to inform our work.

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I am the Refugee Health Program Coordinator at IPC Health. We support newly arrived Refugees and people seeking Asylum to access healthcare services across Melbourne’s western region. I work closely with school nurses and education staff supporting refugee-background students and families, with a strong focus on improving collaboration between health and education services. Schools are often one of the first and most consistent supports for newly arrived families, making strong partnerships essential.

I’m passionate about improving health literacy so families feel more confident navigating healthcare, preventive health, and mental health supports. I also believe there is significant value in health and education services having a better understanding of each other’s roles, systems, and challenges. Stronger collaboration, clearer referral pathways, and shared knowledge can help us provide more coordinated, culturally responsive support to Refugee and Asylum Seeker children, young people, and families as they settle into the community.

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I’m Ali Reza from Wattle Pathways, a new education social enterprise dedicated to address education inequities in Australia. We offer paid and subsidised tutoring (Year 3-12) and complementary group civic education and career readiness programs (Year 7-12). We give at least 50% of our profit to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds including refugee students.

With a generous grant from a community organisation, we have started to support 30 refugee students in SE and West Melbourne through tutoring and civic education until the end of this year. We’re grateful for the Foundation House to introduce us to some of the Victorian secondary schools who have nominated their students for our subsidised tutoring program.

We’re currently hiring tutors (i.e., Maths, English and Science subjects) to teach refugee students. In particular, please ask any ESL teachers or pre-service teachers in SE/Dandenong to join us to teach refugee students (Year 10-12) (individually or in small group tutoring sessions). They can do the sessions in our office after school hours on weekdays or on Saturdays. The hourly rates are negotiable!

You can find more about us here: https://www.wattlepathways.com.au/

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Hi all, It's Julie Ly. I'm a mathematician & data analytics professional. I flee Vietnam by boat in the mid 80s and lived in a refugee camp for over two years as an unaccompanied minor with my younger sister after we lost our grand-mother at sea. Outside work, I dedicate time to honoring Australia's

migration history, by preserving, with integrity, the stories of Vietnamese refugees and their families so

future generations won't have to repeatedly explain their heritage and journey. I initiated a Women's Oral History project partnering with the Australian Maritime Museum to interview and archiving the Vietnamese women's stories. My talk about their stories is on 12th May at Marrickville NSW. Thanks for having me!

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Hi I'm Carole, the Community Liaison and Engagement manager with the Melbourne AMEP and Melbourne Polytechnic. I work alongside Vera Gorel. We are really interested in working with all of you to better support the many young people participating in our AMEP youth programs across our regions in Melbourne and in Bendigo. Collaborating especially to enhance the way we support young people to approach their future prepared, informed and with optimism!

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Hi, I am Justin and the EAL Leader at Hoppers Crossing Secondary College. I am also part of the EAL Wyndham Network supporting EAL and refugee students in Melbourne's Western Suburbs.

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Hi All, i'm Hiba Ayass, Multicultural Team Leader at Whittlesea Community Connections. Our work focuses on practical case support, navigating complex systems, connecting people to appropriate services, and building capacity, confidence, and long-term community participation. through one on one casework support and group work, and outreach, we work to help them settle in Australia, navigate system and access services so one day they can call Asutralia Home!

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Hiba Ayass Whittlesea Community Connections

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Hi! My name is Wei. I support New Arrival and Refugee students at Caroline Chisholm Catholic College (Years 7–12) as the EAL and Refugee Coordinator. My role focuses on literacy assessment, tailored learning support, and working alongside families and staff to help students feel confident and included in their learning journey.

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Hi everyone, my name is Mehri Vijdani and I am the Multicultural Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator at Polaron Connect. At Polaron Connect, we are a multicultural and multilingual communications agency, nationally recognised for delivering ethical, culturally appropriate and innovative ways to connect services with our vibrant multicultural communities.

I am a results-driven professional specialising in engaging multicultural communities through strategic in-language campaigns, interpreting, translations and community engagement projects. I am responsible for driving market presence, building strong relationships with stakeholders and promoting our unique services to governments, NGOs and community organisations.

As the first in my family to earn a university degree in Australia, I bring a deeply personal understanding of diverse cultural perspectives. Being fluent in both Farsi and English, I have worked extensively with migrants and refugees, advocating for the dismantling of stereotypes and fostering genuine inclusion.

Feel free to Connect with me: Mehri Vijdani | LinkedIn

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Hello everyone! I am Gaetano, the coordinator of the Youth Citizenship in the West Project at Victoria Legal Aid. My team works closely with schools to provide free legal advice and assistance with citizenship applications to students from refugee backgrounds and their family members.

I am impressed to see so many organisations and services connected through this network. If you would like to learn more about the citizenship project, you can contact me at: citizenship@vla.vic.gov.au .

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Hi everyone,  I'm Jade from The Social Studio!

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Hi everyone,  I'm Jade from The Social Studio!

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I am the Student Pathways Coordinator at The Social Studio (TSS) - a not-for-profit fashion school, manufacturer and retail store based in Collingwood Yards.

I support students from refugee and migrant backgrounds exploring creative learning experiences and pathways into fashion and textiles through our RMIT-accredited Certificate III in Apparel, Fashion & Textiles. The Social Studio offers supportive, community-centred learning for people interested in developing practical fashion and textile skills, building confidence and social connection, and exploring future study or employment pathways.

It has been lovely to be part of VICREEN and keen to connect with organisations looking to engage community in creative workshops, study or collaborative projects.

Feel free to connect with me on jade@thesocialstudio.org.