SydWest AGM 2019 launches new media
Announcement posted by SydWest Multicultural Services 12 Dec 2019
Following the SydWest Annual General Meeting, held 29th November 2019, the SydWest Annual Report for 2018-19 is now available. Copies can be downloaded from https://www.sydwestms.org.au/annual-reports/item/189-annual-report-2018-2019
During the AGM, SydWest’s guests also enjoyed the launch of our new photography exhibition, Capturing the Moment: Images of Making Australia Home by Elfa Moraitakis, CEO of SydWest Multicultural Services.
The exhibition is a collaboration between SydWest Multicultural Services, English Conversation volunteer Tutor Judith Bennett and our clients in the English Conversation classes. The images show the shared experiences of refugees and migrants in the resettlement process and the impact that English Conversation classes have in helping make a new home. This exhibition is a visual accompaniment to the SydWest Stories of Making Australia Home published in 2017.
SydWest also launched You are Not Alone, a short domestic violence support video featuring our newly trained DV Community Ambassadors. This project is part of the work undertaken by our Women & Families team, part of the Community Engagement division and working to make a difference in the lives of our communities who live with domestic and family violence.
Our values of Accountability, Collaboration & Excellence is what defines our service delivery standards and I am proud to be part of a team of colleagues that are dedicated in making an impact into people’s lives. Our AGM was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the work we do every day and share in the successes that our Board, Staff and clients all experienced during the last year.
In 2019, our Chair for the last three years and Board Member for six years, Robert Fitzgerald, stepped down from the Board of Directors of SydWest Multicultural Services and we thank him for his leadership and vision. He has been succeeded by Raquel Ricafort-Bleza as Chair of the SydWest Board of Directors. The new Board is as follows:
- Raquel Ricafort-Bleza: Chair
- Bridget Sarris: Vice Chair
- Chandrika Subramaniyan: Treasurer
- Secretary: Moninder Singh
- Director: Vish Viswanathan
- Director: Tamara Giles
- Director: Karin Mckay
- Director: Noel Hiffernan
Our AGM guest speaker was Joanna Quilty, CEO of NCOSS, who presented findings from the new NCOSS report Mapping Economic Disadvantage in NSW.
SydWest Multicultural Services is a leading organisation for all cultural diversity issues responding to community needs and opportunities. Established more than 34 years ago, SydWest provides a range of services to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) individuals and communities services to assist with settling and living productive and independent lives in the community.
We offer flexible and integrated service models across the life course of refugees and migrants, supporting the self-determination and empowerment of our diverse communities. SydWest is an innovative employer of choice, with passionate, qualified and experienced bilingual and bicultural staff who are sensitive to the languages and cultures of the communities we represent. With locations in Blacktown, Mt Druitt, Penrith and Rouse Hill, we cover all matters of cultural diversity in the region.