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.

Youth Services team leader

To learn and connect

Collaboration, and substantial impact

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.

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

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

I’m really looking forward to the network

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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! 😊

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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.

^{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.}

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/

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!

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

 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 .                

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.