Like a Mini Peace Corps. Volunteer Abroad 1-12 Weeks.
Abdi Artan with Walid Hajj at the North Melbourne Community Centre. Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones
ABDIIRISAK Artan came from a world at war. Now, living in the commission flats in Flemington, the 20-year-old has not only made a life for himself, he is improving things for his fellow migrants and refugees.
Mr Artan is modest, reluctant to list his achievements, which this month were recognised with two community awards. And he has little recollection of Somalia, which was wracked with civil war when he was born, or the two years in a United Nations refugee camp in Kenya that followed.
''We faced two options: stay in Somalia, where there was a high chance of getting killed, or have a roof over your head in the UN camp in Kenya,'' Mr Artan says.
Advertisement: Story continues below His family, he says, witnessed rape, murder and starvation. Their first chance of escape was a visa to New Zealand in 1994, and they came to Australia eight years later.
His parents constantly remind him that they brought him to Australia to get a step ahead in life. This motivated him to work hard at school - but his own developing awareness of his community sparked a desire to make a difference.
''I heard about robberies to get money, brawls between suburbs, a gang culture that was around at the time, the use of weapons, particularly edged weapons, and rapes,'' he says. Some crimes were even committed by friends of his.
So, Mr Artan went to Moonee Valley City Council, where, alongside other members of the community, he pleaded for help to confront the problems and change the stereotype of African migrants in the area.
''If we didn't take that initiative, I think the situation would still be a stalemate between police, the council, and the community.''
In response, the Moonee Valley City Council developed a four-month program for 16 to 25-year-olds, to help refugees and migrants into employment by matching employers and jobs to people and providing mentoring and support.
Mr Artan participated in the program to show African youths it was possible to find a stable job. Since 2009, the council program has secured jobs for 33 young people.
For his work in the community, Mr Artan was this month named Moonee Valley City Council's Citizen of the Year, and also won the Contribution to Neighbourhood award.
In his spare time, he volunteers at recreational centres two days a week, helping to run sporting events and teaching basic computer skills to African migrants.
His efforts have led to donations from businesses towards further projects. A Flemington recreational centre is planned to open in January 2011 and will act as a learning centre and community sport facility. And the centre's name? ''Hakuna Matata'' - Swahili for ''no worries''.
Source: http://www.theage.com.au/
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