Settlement Services International
Organization Details
SSI is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality
SSI includes three certified social enterprises and is currently exploring opportunities to further expand this footprint through investments, partnerships and/or joint ventures
Existing:
Ignite Small Business Startups: www.ignite.ssi.org.au
Work+Stay: workandstay.com.au
Diversity Training
Impact Story
Ignite® Small Business Start-ups
Starting a business is a great way to achieve economic empowerment for people who face barriers to gaining employment. SSI’s self‐funded Ignite® Small Business Start‐ups initiative supports refugees, people from CALD communities and people living with disability to establish or expand their small business. In FY2021, we offered this support to people from Indigenous communities and extended our reach with new regional programs in Armidale and Coffs Harbour with partner, Lendlease.
Across the year, Ignite® facilitators worked with
224 entrepreneurs to establish 35 small businesses, positively impacting lives and contributing to the Australian economy.
Diversity Training
SSI’s Diversity Training provides learning experiences that transform how people respond to diversity in ways that are thought-provoking, inspire curiosity, and build confidence to engage more effectively with cultural diversity.
The program, established in 2016 as a fee- for‐service initiative of SSI, delivers training to government, non‐government and corporate organisations. In FY2021, the program received funding from the Australian Department of Social Services for the CultureReady project. This project aims to build the ability of NDIS‐registered service providers to be more responsive to culturally and linguistically diverse participants and their families.
FY2021 was an extraordinary year for the program, as it had to quickly adapt to the pandemic shutdowns and convert all its training to online delivery. Key achievements include:
● 4,300 participants
● 298 workshops delivered
● 96% saw our training as relevant to their work
As a result of the SSI’s Diversity Training program’s shift to an online model, the fee‐for‐service program was able to expand its footprint and reach audiences across the world.
Diverse Social Enterprise
The TRANSFORM Support Hub is committed to accelerating diverse owned and led enterprises to build more equitable and resilient supply chains.