As the end of 2018 fast approaches we tend to reflect on our achievements and practices throughout the year. Within our sector, success is not always easy to recognise because we are not always able to capture the impact our services have on the communities we serve. In the name of competition and pricing there has been a lot of discussion on the decline in the quality of service provision. The person at the centre of what should have been our focus has been replaced by a conversation on healthy profit and loss statements and profit margins. There are numerous conversations that ‘consumer choice’ amongst large providers with strong branding and opportunities to market their offerings has been replaced with a lack in quality to meet budgetary requirements.
 
We have already moved into our future 5 year vision to actively seek for opportunities to keep growing our aged care & disability support services. The conversation on quality is one we will keep close to our heart. I hold a strong belief that organisations like SydWest is unique because it maintains its strong local connections with the community and allows for the human touch; a touch so much needed in service delivery. We are not just a service provider that manages growth by providing flexible service models to meet the needs of our communities. We are a link to the community that keeps promoting self-determination. We are an employer of choice as our people is the microcosm of the community itself.  

The impact smaller organisations have on a local level cannot be deterred by fancy sales. We connect cultures and build community. This is something that cannot be replaced by a budget and holds outcomes that cannot be included in a P&L statement. They are called: care and quality in our services regardless of background, age and needs. In the name of profit let’s not forget that we are all walking the same path and we are all interwoven in this mosaic called life.
 
May you all have a joyful Christmas with your loved ones and keep caring for each other!

Ashalew arrived in Australia in 2015. He is a 16 year old from Ethiopia who attends St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College in Mt Druitt. Ashalew is a keen technology user, loves creating music and is a mad soccer fan.

Like all the young people in the Digital Storytelling project, Ashalew enjoyed learning new technology skills as part of telling his own story. His imagery included some of the things he aspires to be – a soccer player with a classic car (see above pics).

For Ashalaw, the project was an opportunity to meet lots of different people and share his culture with them. The project was also an opportunity to remember the positive aspects of the country he had left. Ashalaw enjoyed the opportunity to play with new technologies such as green screens and drones for creative photography.
 

The Digital Storytelling project will be continuing with Save the Children over the coming months. For more information, contact the Youth Development Team on
Tel: (02) 9621 6633.

SydWest Multicultural Services was successful in the NDIS Information, Linkage and Capacity Building (ILC) grant recently. The Community Connection Coordinators program aims to support people with a disability from a CALD background who have fallen through the cracks and require support to build their capacity, confidence and community networks.

Our three Community Connection Coordinators will be providing essential, individualised, intensive life plan development and leadership capacity building within CALD communities. They will operate across the Western Sydney and Nepean regions. For further information, contact the NDIS Team Leader at SydWest on Tel (02) 9621 6633.

Soheil Ettehadolhagh arrived in 2015 from Iran after fleeing religious persecution. With the help of SydWest Multicultural Services, Soheil has been building a new life for his family in Blacktown and continuing his work as a professional photographer....read more
 

SydWest Multicultural Services has been receiving donations from the public this year and we are pleased to advise that we have been able to present a large and current desktop computer to one of our new Syrian refugee families.

We are so thankful to SydWest for their efforts in giving us a computer which will definitely make a huge difference in the lives of our three young children and ourselves.

If you would like to make a donation to SydWest – cash or in-kind – visit our website today or contact us direct. We are very grateful for all donations received as they make a difference in so many people’s lives every day.