A gift box project run by leading certified social enterprise Community Corporate is seeing local refugees happily ‘pay it forward’ as they create candles and package spices for culturally-themed gift boxes.
For those making the Taste of Culture gift boxes, the project is an opportunity to practice English and help Australians understand a little more about their culture.
“Being part of this project gives me more confidence in my skills and English, talking and meeting new people. I want to find my first job and this was a great way to get experience,” said one participant.
Community Corporate works with refugees and migrants to get them into their first job in Australia. On the employer side, the organisation supports employers, government and NGOs to maximise diversity and inclusion hiring and access this hidden pool of talent to meet skill shortages.
The Australian Institute of Family Studies found that just six per cent of refugees find paid work within six months of arriving in Australia.
After two years, the figure rises to almost 25 per cent, and by the four-year mark it is 32 percent. However, many of those still have difficulty finding a job that matches their skills.
The entry level opportunities provided by the gift box project include building a team that represents the communities it serves.
Session coordinator Kat Ponomareva migrated from Russia without any family four years ago and appreciated being involved in organising “such a meaningful product”.
“[I enjoyed] meeting people like me with a similar migrant background who had to experience the same challenges being away from home, family and friends and only relying on ourselves,” Ponomareva said.
The Afghan themed gift boxes include an ‘Afghan Allure’ scented soy candle, specially blended spices for making tea, a stainless steel tea strainer and a recipe card.
In the Iraqi gift box, there is a rosewater-scented ‘Iraqi Intrigue’ candle, a painted dip bowl, a recipe card featuring a traditional family recipe for hummus, and sumac for garnish.
Hand pouring the candles – each batch has a limited run of 200 – and packaging up the spices provided the refugee women and men with a chance to forge new friendships and share stories.
Sessions are timed to fit around school hours, enabling parents to participate and still fulfil their family duties.
This is the second Christmas that the gift boxes have been available and it is planned to be an ongoing offering with different cultures added too.
This festive season, purchasers can double their impact when buying one of the Taste of Culture boxes as a gift, with 100 per cent of profits going to providing scholarships for refugees to access digital devices and training, coaching and individualised support to help kick start their careers in Australia.
For session coordinator Ponomareva, the project’s benefits are many.
“I loved making friends, sharing stories and having fun creating A Taste of Culture candles and boxes to raise money to help current and future refugees and migrants,” she said.
To ensure pre-Christmas delivery via post, orders must be made by 9am on Friday, 15 December. Alternatively, gift boxes can be collected from Community Corporate offices until 5pm on Friday, 22 December.
