Celebrating and Inspiring Women with Metro Assist event

Posted on Monday, 11 March 2024

Last week Metro Assist held an event at the Canterbury League Club Paragon Showroom to celebrate International Women’s Day 2024. This event was organised by Metro Assist in partnership with other Canterbury Bankstown Multicultural Interagency (CBMIA) members.

Women from diverse backgrounds including migrants, refugees, First Nation, CALD and Australian communities, women with disabilities, domestic violence victims and survivors were invited to this event with the aim to celebrate and empower vulnerable women, foster their social inclusion, and connect them with services to gain control over their lives and engage with the broader society.

“The theme of International Women’s Day 2024 is Inspire Inclusion. The event was to celebrate women from diverse backgrounds and walks of life in Canterbury-Bankstown, inspire them to be included, embrace their diversity and empower them to be more engaged and develop a sense of belonging and fulfillment,” said Jasmine Mguizra, Team Leader of the Settlement Engagement & Transition Support (SETS) Program of Metro Assist.

“We invited local service providers, government and non-government agencies, to help clients connect and learn about services available for them. We believe that being connected to the broader society fuels ambition, broadens prospects and increases the likelihood of a better life!”

Throughout the event, many inspiring women guest speakers shared their success stories and experiences including Canterbury-Bankstown City Deputy Mayor Rachelle Harika, a lifelong Yagoona resident and a Councillor for the Bass Hill Ward since 2017; Louise Sauvage OAM, an Australian paralympic wheelchair racer and leading life coach; and A.K, a domestic and family violence survivor who shared her moving story and how she was empowered to break up the circle of violence, report the abuse and start rebuilding a more fulfilling life for herself and her daughters.

There were also cultural performances to set the celebratory spirit such as Greek and Bollywood dancers, along with other activities including a wellbeing session focusing on breathing techniques and exercises, a Zumba session to spread the good vibes, and lucky draws for the audience.

“The overall feedback was very positive from all attendees! There were requests for more events like this, which is always great to hear. They wanted us to do a whole day event, target larger number of clients, and include more culturally diverse performances,” said Mguizra.

Metro Assist is a non-profit organisation that provides a range of community services including migrant settlement, family support, financial support, tenancy services and community development. They have been providing services to CALD families & communities for more than 30 years. For more info on Metro Assist, visit here metroassist.org.au