Meet the Generation CommunitY Participants
Dor Akech Achiek
Dor Akech Achiek is the Youth Projects Coordinator at Settlement Services International (SSI), a community-based, not-for-profit humanitarian organisation providing a range of services in areas including humanitarian settlement, housing and asylum seeker assistance. He also leads the Youth Collective – a multicultural youth initiative that aims to bridge gaps in service delivery and improve engagement and participation in programs for multicultural young people living in NSW. With a Master’s Degree in International Law and International Relations Dor has worked with refugees, humanitarian entrants and people seeking asylum for the majority of his professional life.
Iris Shen
Iris Shen is a passionate arts manager with extensive experience in bridging contemporary and community art practices. She has led a number of community events and programs in the past including Geek after dark (2016), ScribbleInk Youth Literature Awards (2012-2016), International Games Day (2013-2016), Failspace Project (2011). After graduating from the University of NSW with a Master of Art Administration in 2010, Iris went on to work at the Powerhouse Museum.
Holly Corpe
Holly Corpe is the Operations Coordinator for the Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency. She has received a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Political Science and Psychology, and a Master of Arts majoring in International Relations from the University of New South Wales. Holly has worked in the field of international development since 2012, and within the settlement sector for the last two years. Within that time she has developed over 25 different community based social inclusion programs. Recently, she has begun utilising her skills for the purpose of engaging new arrivals in volunteering.
Jamaluddin Fayyez
As an International Affairs graduate, Jamaluddin has extensive experience in development project management. Over the past year Jamaluddin has been managing community development projects. Currently Jamaluddin works with ASCON managing and running two employment projects in partnership with Cumberland Council in Auburn and surrounding suburbs.
Jamaluddin is multilingual and fluently speaks French, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Dari/Hazaragi and English. He enjoys working with the community and government agencies and have keen interest in grant writing, developing programs and activities.
Samantha Perry
After accumulating several years’ experience in Business Finance, Samantha decided to make a change and now works as a Project Coordinator in the not-for-profit sector. She is passionate about equal opportunity and believes good leadership is about bringing out the best in other people. When she isn’t working, Samantha spends too much time on Netflix and not enough time at the gym. She loves animals, hiking, good books and laughing until she snorts a little.
Rachel Thompson
Rachel was recently appointed as the Interim Executive Officer of Bankstown Canterbury Community Transport. Rachel has a background in community development and politics. Her work experience has been diverse as she has worked for politicians in two different states as well as federally, worked with disadvantage communities and recently left a role at UrbanGrowth NSW. Whilst having strong community qualifications and experience she has also worked for two years as an operations manager for a recruitment organisation. Her major strengths are community development and human resource skills. Rachel lives in Western Sydney with her two miniature schnauzers who constantly misbehave.
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Shama Pande
Shama Pande moved to Australia from Nepal in 2009. Shama started working at the Multicultural Communities (formerly known as Fairfield Migrant Resource Centre), a division of CORE Community Services in 2011. Shama held various roles in the organisation and is currently leading the Front Line Settlement Team to deliver Settlement related projects to newly arrived communities residing in Western Sydney. Shama’s educational background includes Bachelor of Social Work from Kathmandu University, Masters in Mass Communication (Nepal) and Masters of Social Work from Sydney University. Shama is delighted to be part of Generation CommunitY.
Tarun Kaur
Tarun Kaur works as a project officer within the Volunteer Solutions Team at Leep over the past year. Tarun is passionate about innovation, empowerment and creating a positive and lasting change in the community that helps achieve social justice. Tarun likes to think big and inspires others to join in. She is eager to learn how to create change and inspire others. Tarun has studied psychology (honours) and communications (specialising in writing and cultural studies) and would love to learn more about the psychology behind effective leadership.
Charlton Wun
Charlton is a Project Officer at Western Sydney Community Forum working across the Industry Led Blueprint – Place-Based Integrated Services, the ZEST Awards and the Generation CommunitY Program. As a new graduate from Western Sydney University Studying a Bachelor of Social Work, Charlton is enthusiastic towards new challenges and is motivated by change and the possible challenges it brings. Charlton hopes to utilise this opportunity to develop his toolkit within the leadership space to be even more adaptable and as both a team player and leader.