The Assyrian Australian Association - Assyrian Resource Centre is an organisation that provides support to new arrivals and the broader Assyrian community in Sydney.
SBS Assyrian spoke with Carmen Lazar OAM, Centre Manager of the Assyrian Resource Centre in Fairfield to discuss recent improvements to the support and assistance available to the community.
She highlights that the centre does not only work hard to support the community directly but continues to make applications to the government for grant schemes.
Recently, the centre has been successful in obtaining three new grants. The first will be used to support those applying for Australian Citizenship to prepare for the citizenship test.
The second grant will be used to provide tutoring for primary school students, and the third will be used to run computer skills classes at the centre.
Ms Lazar said the centre will engage workers directly from Services Australia (Centrelink) and the Department of Fair Trading to tend to the specific needs of individuals.
All services provided to community members will be free of charge.
Those who are interested in attending classes are encouraged to to express interest and register their details.
When asked whether there had been much demand for the citizenship test resources, Ms Lazar confirmed a large number of people had already expressed interest and she expects that each class will have more than thirty participants.
Getty Images Source: Getty Images/izusek
She added that each individual will be allocated to a class according to their linguistic skills.
Regarding tutoring for primary school students, Ms Lazar said the course will take place over one year, and tutors will be selected from among a pool of qualified teachers from the Assyrian community.
Ms Lazar invites qualified teachers who are interested in becoming involved in this initiative to send their resumes directly to the centre.
All workers engaged in these programs will be paid using the grant funds.
Computer skills classes are expected to take place twice a week at the centre in Fairfield, and the course will run for one year.
Each class will comprise of twelve to fifteen students only.
Ms Lazar also spoke about the process of developing grant proposals, saying that in order to succeed, the centre is required to continuously follow up with government departments, ministers, and government officials showcasing the centre’s work which will serve as evidence of their capabilities for future grant applications.
Source: Getty Images/Klaus Vedfelt
Our guest concluded the interview by encouraging all members of the community to reach out to her directly or to other staff of the Centre for any assistance required regarding employment and education.
