Sydney Community Forum

Sydney Community Forum Action on Social Justice, Sustainability & Social Inclusion

Real connections. Real opportunities. Real impact. 💪 the Stronger Together: Community Workforce and Volunteer Expo in St...
10/05/2026

Real connections. Real opportunities. Real impact. 💪 the Stronger Together: Community Workforce and Volunteer Expo in St George & Sutherland Shire was proof that when our community comes together, amazing things happen.

The expo, held on the 29th of April, was a wonderful collaboration between 3Bridges, Ageing Australia, Sydney Community Forum and our local councils, Georges River Council, Sutherland Shire Council, and Bayside Council.

It was amazing connecting with colleagues and community members and exploring opportunities to contribute to the community, whether through volunteering or the workforce.

24/04/2026

Building Social Cohesion One Story at a Time | Kai | Story 5 🌏

In our fifth story in this series, we invite you to watch the journey of Kai

Kai's father is from Japan, and his mother is from England. "When I first came to Australia, it felt like things were a lot more laid back here, compared to Japan"
He is a talented BMX rider, very active in the sport, and biking helps him reconnect with his roots in Japan.

Every story is different, and social cohesion begins with a basic human instinct- curiosity for the other person's story 💛

Our communities are shaped by countless journeys like Kai's. Social cohesion cannot be policed or mandated — it grows when we create spaces where stories are shared, where skills and knowledge are valued, and where people are supported to contribute meaningfully to the broader Australian society. 🤝

For 51 years, Sydney Community Forum has worked to be that kind of space — a community hub that opens its doors to foster belonging, enable community-led action, and hold honest conversations. That is how social cohesion is built: one story at a time. ✨
From our Everyone Comes from Somewhere Project


NB: Sydney Community Forum was called Inner South West Community Development Organisation when this film was made.

17/04/2026

Building Social Cohesion One Story at a Time | Deanna | Story 4 🌏

In our fourth story in this series, we invite you to watch the journey of Deanna, a First Nations Elder.

An elder in Wonnarua, Wiradjuri, and Dharawal Nations, she shares her story of community acceptance. In times when community engagement is framed in tokenistic terms, Deanna reminds us what true community acceptance really is.

It takes spaces where people feel welcome and take ownership- spaces where genuine acceptance can happen: that sounds like the definition of social cohesion. 🧩🕊️

Social cohesion cannot be policed or mandated — it grows when we create spaces where stories are shared, where skills and knowledge are valued, and where people are supported to contribute meaningfully to the broader Australian society. 🤝

For 51 years, Sydney Community Forum has worked to be that kind of space — a community hub that opens its doors to foster belonging, enable community-led action, and hold honest conversations. That is how social cohesion is built: one story at a time. ✨

Specifically in the last ten years, Sydney Community Forum has had the privilege of stepping back and creating resources for Aboriginal people to take action on issues that matter to them: affordable housing, cost of living, and other pressing issues of daily life that disproportionately affect Aboriginal people.

From our Everyone Comes from Somewhere Project


NB: Sydney Community Forum was called Inner South West Community Development Organisation when this film was made.

10/04/2026

Building Social Cohesion One Story at a Time | Siteisela | Story 3 🌏

In our third story in this series, we invite you to watch the journey of Siteisela

Born in Sutherland as the fourth child to her parents, who migrated from Tonga, she proudly embodies her Tongan heritage. "Our culture is based around respect.. it's all about respect". She spoke about how she navigates the difference between how her parents connect to Tongan culture and how she does as a young Australian Tongan. She has learned to respect both perspectives.
Isn't that the beginning of social cohesion- having spaces where you can have respectful conversations about each other's culture?
💛

Our communities are shaped by countless journeys like Siteisela's. Social cohesion cannot be policed or mandated — it grows when we create spaces where stories are shared, where skills and knowledge are valued, and where people are supported to contribute meaningfully to the broader Australian society. 🤝

For 51 years, Sydney Community Forum has worked to be that kind of space — a community hub that opens its doors to foster belonging, enable community-led action, and hold honest conversations. That is how social cohesion is built: one story at a time. ✨
From our Everyone Comes from Somewhere Project


NB: Sydney Community Forum was called Inner South West Community Development Organisation when this film was made.

People’s eagerness to learn energy-saving tips is becoming more and more visible through our ongoing Voices for Power en...
29/03/2026

People’s eagerness to learn energy-saving tips is becoming more and more visible through our ongoing Voices for Power energy literacy trainings. 💡

Here’s a snapshot from last week’s training in Arabic.

When communities are given the right information — in the languages they are most comfortable with — confidence grows, and so does the ability to make informed energy choices. ⚡🌱

27/03/2026

Building Social Cohesion One Story at a Time | Story 2 🌏

In this weekly series, we present SCF's five decades of work to build social cohesion.

This week, we invite you to watch the journey of Alakiir and Apajok, who became Australians in 1997.

Fleeing civil war in Sudan, they moved from Ethiopia to Kenya before finally settling in Sydney. Their story speaks to extraordinary courage, resilience, and hope in the face of displacement and uncertainty. 💛

Our communities are shaped by countless journeys like theirs. Social cohesion cannot be policed or mandated — it grows when we create spaces where stories are shared, where skills and knowledge are valued, and where people are supported to contribute meaningfully to the broader Australian society. 🤝

For 51 years, Sydney Community Forum has worked to be that kind of space — a community hub that opens its doors to foster belonging, enable community-led action, and hold honest conversations. That is how social cohesion is built: one story at a time. ✨
From our Everyone Comes from Somewhere Project

NB: Sydney Community Forum was called Inner South West Community Development Organisation when this film was made.

Resharing Dr Kim Loo’s post on the screening of the Voices for Power documentary — Do Migrants Care? — for the NSW Depar...
25/03/2026

Resharing Dr Kim Loo’s post on the screening of the Voices for Power documentary — Do Migrants Care? — for the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water.

(Link in the comments)

The documentary sparked important conversations about what genuine engagement really means.

It is the commitment of Voices for Power leaders like Dr Kim Loo that makes this work so powerful. Despite a demanding schedule as a doctor, she made the time to be there — a reflection of how deeply she cares about fostering genuine belonging for migrant communities.

It was also not an easy time for Ibtisam Hammoud, another panellist and one of the strongest voices of Voices for Power. She joined while fasting, and at a time when the ongoing war back home weighs heavily — a moment of both resilience and mourning.

A big thank you as well to Asha Ramzan, one of the founding leaders of Voices for Power, who travelled all the way from Newcastle to be there.

There is a powerful reflection in the documentary, recalling the first time some of the Voices for Power leaders met:

“We felt like we knew each other for a long time.”

And that is what genuine community-building feels like. 🤝✨

Reach out if you would like to organise a screening of the documentary for your team or community group. 🎬

If you smell gas in your home, turn off the gas meter. 🔥But do you know where the valve is? 🤔This was a question raised ...
23/03/2026

If you smell gas in your home, turn off the gas meter. 🔥
But do you know where the valve is? 🤔

This was a question raised by a community member during a Voices for Power training in Mandarin at Accessible Diversity Services Initiative in Auburn. 🏠

It highlights how practical knowledge — from energy safety ⚡ and saving on bills 💡 to negotiating better deals 🤝 and accessing support 📞 — is essential for building the confidence people need to navigate the energy system.

That’s how we make sure no one is left behind in the energy transition. 🌱

20/03/2026

Building Social Cohesion One Story at a Time | Sanaa & Raneem| Story 1 🌏
This is the first story in this series, in which we present SCF's five decades of work to build social cohesion. In this first story, we invite you to watch the journey of Sanaa & Raneem.
We launch this series on this special day, and all of us here at SCF wish everyone Eid Mubarak
Sanaa left Iraq in 2007, went to Indonesia and came to Australia in 2011. Sanaa reminds us look at the strengths that people, their qualifications, skills and stories from elsewhere bring in. "My mom was a psychologist with 20 years of experience as a school counsellor".
"I shared my story of coming to Australia with my class, and some people were feeling sorry and terrible for what we had to go through. Some others were shaking their heads as if saying 'you don't belong here' ".
Tells us why these stories need to be told again and again.
Our communities are shaped by countless journeys like theirs. Social cohesion cannot be policed or mandated — it grows when we create spaces where stories are shared, where skills and knowledge are valued, and where people are supported to contribute meaningfully to the broader Australian society. 🤝
For 51 years, Sydney Community Forum has worked to be that kind of space — a community hub that opens its doors to foster belonging, enable community-led action, and hold honest conversations. That is how social cohesion is built: one story at a time. ✨
From our Everyone Comes from Somewhere Project

NB: Sydney Community Forum was called Inner South West Community Development Organisation when this film was made.

Last week, we decided to hire a bus to drive to Canberra!!! Voices for Power leaders joined the Renew Australia for All ...
18/03/2026

Last week, we decided to hire a bus to drive to Canberra!!!

Voices for Power leaders joined the Renew Australia for All crew at Parliament House, meeting with several MPs to amplify the voices of communities too often left out of the energy transition.

We are calling for an Energy Savings Plan so that everyone can access clean, affordable energy. ⚡🌱

One of the highlights for us was having Nawal Khan, the inaugural Azra Ahmed Award winner, as part of our Voices for Power delegation. She spoke with such courage and clarity in advocating for this important issue — all power to you, Nawal! 💪✨

Building Social Cohesion One Story at a Time“Substantial long-term investment in localised, place-based approaches is cr...
13/03/2026

Building Social Cohesion One Story at a Time

“Substantial long-term investment in localised, place-based approaches is crucial. For these efforts to have real impact, we need to know more about what works to improve social cohesion, both locally and nationally.”

— Dr Keiran Hardy & Rebecca Wickes (see full article in the comments)

Social cohesion cannot be policed or mandated — it grows when we create spaces where stories are shared, where skills and knowledge are valued, and where people are supported to contribute meaningfully to the broader Australian society. 🤝

For 51 years, Sydney Community Forum has worked to be that kind of space — a community hub that opens its doors to foster belonging, support community-led action, and hold honest conversations.

That is how social cohesion is built: one story at a time. ✨

We are launching a weekly series reflecting on the work we have built over many decades to strengthen social cohesion.

📖 One story each week.
📅 The first story will be out next Friday.

Watch this space.

Address

4/11-13, Hartill Law Avenue, Bardwell Park
Sydney, NSW
2207

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

02 9599 2522

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