Event Description

This webinar explores community development with Jasmina Bajraktarevic, Community Services Coordinator at STARTTS (The NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors).

State terrorism and organised violence target the very essence of a community: relationships between individuals, families and other social groups. When relationships are affected, communities are likely to fragment and severe lack of trust pervades social interaction. The situation is exacerbated in communities that are already fraught with political, ethnic and religious complexities and divisions as many refugee communities in Australia are.

While taking into account the challenges faced by refugee communities, one needs to acknowledge significant strengths those communities bring to Australia including their culture, social capital, knowledge, skills, resilience, passion and commitment to building a new life for themselves, their families and community. Thus the principles of community work with refugee communities should include recognition of these strengths, understanding of the collective impact of state terrorism and organised violence, consideration of the systemic model, honouring community ownership of the development process, flexibility, cultural sensitivity, integrity of the process, organic and multifaceted approach to community work, willingness to negotiate systems and processes to ensure community ownership and leadership, commitment building and mentoring of community leaders and recognition of mutual learning process. STARTTS believes that community development work has a potential to be transformative on personal, interpersonal and community levels.

This webinar was presented by the AASW NSW Branch in March 2021.