Case Studies

Supporting the Afghan Community

Posted on by theme
17
Jul

Overview

South East Community Links (SECL) provides value support to refugees and vulnerable migrants from Afghanistan. Here is an overview of our work over the past two years.

We support community members to build independent and meaningful livelihoods that make positive contributions to our local communities.Our capacity building work provides practical support, advocacy, service linkage and training to empower and uphold their rights as they resettle in Victoria. 

 

2600+ Afghan community members support to achieve enhanced social and economic mobility through:

  • Settlement & family violence prevention
  • Financial wellbeing
  • Youth, housing and employment
  • Community wellbeing

Outcomes

EDUCATION

690 Afghan community members engaged in educational and skills building programs.

HOLISTIC CASEWORK
500+ Afghan community members supported with culturally appropriate casework support.
EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

66 Afghan community members have secured employment and 44 have been connected to educational programs.

FINANCIAL COUNSELLING
100+ Afghan community members supported with financial counselling including debt, loan and contractual issues.
DRIVER EDUCATION

142+ Afghan community members supported with driver education sessions to obtain their L and P plates.

HOMEWORK PROGRAM

21 Afghan young people supported with homework on a regular basis.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMS

Over 400 young Afghan individuals participated in SECL school holiday activities.

EXTERNAL SERVICES

More than 750+ referrals to external services to support Afghan community members with specific needs in the past two years.

SECL supports Afghan young people, adults and families through targeted partnerships across multiple community settings:

  • 15+ schools
  • 30+ community centres and services located in Kingston, Monash, Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia
  • Over 100 partnerships working with us to achieve improve outcomes of social economic mobility

Further funding is needed to address
gaps in:

  • DIGITAL DIVIDE
    Support newly arrived communities to engage and navigate online services.
  • EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE
    Tailored support for people seeking employment including those with and without work experience.
  • FINANCIAL SYSTEMS
    Greater support to manage money and learn how to navigate complex financial systems to support financial independence.
  • GENDER EQUALITY
    Increased understanding of our laws and values that promote equal rights and opportunities for both men and women and girls and boys.
  • INTEGRATION OPPORTUNITIES
    Increased tailored programs that build confidence, support independence and increase familiarity with Australian systems and culture such as life skills, driver education, sport and the arts.

Trusted relationships with community

SECL has 50+ years’ experience supporting multicultural communities in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. We support around 25,000 local community members annually, with the majority from non-English speaking countries.

The Afghan Australian Community and Settlement Program is supported by the Social Policy Group

Download the Afghan Community Snapshot HERE

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