June 20, 2024 • 14 mins
This special bonus episode is to help create awareness around Refugee Week. I hope that like myself, after learning about how hard life is for a refugee is to rebuild their lives, that we can be a big part of the solution.
Canna Campbell is an Authorised Representative and Financial Adviser of Links Licensee Services Pty Ltd AFSL No. 700012 ABN 97 678 975 589.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning everyone, and welcome back to Sugar Mama's Fireplay,
the podcast that ignites your financial journey with inspiring stories
and innovative strategies. I am your host, financial planner, Hannah Campbell. Now,
as you know, Sugarmum's Fireplay is really about giving you
the confidence, the education, the tools, the inspiration and the
(00:22):
strategies to start building financial freedom for yourself. But today
I want to turn the tables, and turn the tables
towards ourselves and our community and talk about something that
I myself and I'm embarrassed and a shamed to admit
this wasn't even aware of, and that is the forgotten
unseen people within our community, migrants, youth, women, long term
(00:47):
unemployed people, and most importantly refugees.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
And what I hope today with.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Our special guest Andrina Graham from the Dragonfly Network, is
that we can actually turn this idea of financial wellbeing
for ourselves, but actually spread this amongst our community so
that we are actually not just helping ourselves, but helping
each other maximize all of these incredible opportunities around us
to create financial freedom for each other with the benefit
(01:14):
flowing on far and why Andrena thank you so much
(01:37):
for coming in today. Can you tell me a little
bit about the Dragonfly Network and who is part of
this forgotten an unseen community.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Absolutely, thank you so much for having me Canna. This
is great and a fantastic platform to be able to
talk about this today. The Dragonfly Network was born out
of I think originally working for Harris Farm four years
ago and I don't know if you remember, but unemployment
(02:07):
rate was so low at that time, it was three
point eight percent. It was just after lockdown, and I
was the head of recruitment trying to find staff and
it was near impossible. So sort of thought outside the
box and went out to various NGOs and not for
profits and job active places to find people, yeah, people
(02:34):
that were overlooked or unseen, and created a flow on
of bringing people on site to Harris Farm to interview
with the managers and help them find work, which took
out a huge amount of stress for a lot of
people who have been looking for work for a really
(02:56):
long time and who have been rejected due to to
AI tools disqualifying them. So hundreds of refugees and asylum
seekers who were applied online via the various platforms automatically
being disqualified. So removing all that stress out of their
lives to interview them on the day hire them straight
(03:18):
away was.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Just wonderful.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I've actually got goosebumps and tears in my eyes to
think someone who has fought to get out of their
country and find safety gets here and then a computer
says no.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And when you're denying someone a job at ability to work,
you take away their rights, you take away their opportunity,
you take away their purpose and their identity and human rights.
You know, it's just insane. So you've basically taken unlike
the computer, and gone human to human to say, tell
(03:54):
me your story, what can you do where your skill sets?
How can we get you into a full time employment?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Absolutely, and that is such a massive goal. And you know,
financial freedom and having a purpose is just so important
for them. You know, I heard a fantastic quote the
other day saying a refugee is no longer a refugee
once they've found employment. And it is huge because they
(04:22):
assimilate into society. They can pay their own rent, they
can leave them not for profit housing, they can buy
a present for their child, they.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Can afford education. Education, and education is one of the
catalyst of breaking poverty.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Oh exactly. There are so many things that you can
go down a rabbit hole with if you don't have
your own financial freedom, and a lot of it is
around mental health, domestic violence, drugs and alcohol, all the
things that are so huge at the moment, and such
a talking point is exactly the same for these refugees.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I read the other day that only six percent of
refugees at your to secure employment within six months and
only twenty three percent secure full time employment within two years.
That's heartbreaking, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
And it just shows that there are so many people
out there, refugees asylum seekers who would be fantastic for
entry level positions where you've got companies and employees screaming
out for reliable staff and staff that can work full time.
You know, there are so many gaps that can be filled,
which in turn, as we know, they will then become
(05:31):
part of the social economy.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
So what can we do, Like, obviously, creating awareness is
the first thing, but how can we be a part
of this change so that these numbers change? Because I
know that the work that you're doing is having incredible
results and getting people into you know, into safe environments
where they're not just working with their on a great
career path and they're feeling fulfilled and they're going from
(05:54):
strength to strength and adding value to those businesses and
getting some great corporates on board. What can we do
and how can we help make this happen faster?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
You know what? All it takes is a conversation, one
conversation to have with me. Reach out to me on
the Dragonfly Network Andrena Graham on LinkedIn. Have a conversation
with me. You know, you might be head of your
corporate right now, CEO NHR. An employee who just wants
(06:24):
to do good and feels like their company's corporate ESG
can do better, and you know what, just wanting to
be a good human. Reach out to me. Let's have
a conversation. You know, I am very happy to partner
with anyone who just wants to have a conversation and
you know help. The feedback I've been getting from the
people I've placed is quite amazing. I've had Andrena, I
(06:48):
promise I won't let you down. My kids don't even
say that to me, and I not alive. I know,
so I'm getting these you know this has been the
best week of Australia, of my life working. I mean,
it is just amazing the feel good you feel when
you employ someone that really wants to work and will
(07:08):
be a hard worker and changing their trajectory of what
it could be, you know, from poverty to pathways to employment.
It just is I can't even tell you. It does
give you tingles and it might sound a bit cliche,
but it is true. Yeah, it is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
It's just that opportunity, the only is just one opportunity
and the results of what you've been able to do,
like you know, with this awareness and actually talking to
corporates and getting them on board and actually looking at
their internal policies about going human to human and obviously
seeing this community that is literally forgot about an unseen
is you know, I think you said eighty nine percent
(07:48):
of people are employed within twelve months and ninety three
percent or within six months, and you're being able to
double their income by more than fifty one percent, which
is incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Yeah, no, it's great. And you know, there are so
many great not for profits doing an NGO is doing
what they can do, but a lot of people are volunteers,
a lot of their case loads are full, and so
it really takes you know, someone like me as well.
That's you know, that is all I'm focusing on. I'm
not focusing on settlement or I'm not focusing on the
(08:19):
case management and the mental health. But I'm focusing on
the employment part. And I think that is where we
can really make some serious change in this space.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
So we need to be talking about making each other
aware and the importance of giving people a crack a
bit an opportunity and talking to our employers and saying,
all right, what policies do we have in house, how
can we improve them? You know, getting people in front
of you to actually talk about how you can add
help them with their internal policies as well, so that
(08:52):
more and more people have given this opportunity as a refugee,
as a migrant, as a long term unemployed person, as
a a young unemployed person.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
As a woman.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
You know who has young kids who can only do
your ten to two shifts. I mean it is women
generally suffer the most. So you know, looking at how
you can change your schedules around, how you can change
you know, what has been done in the past to
really make a difference. And you will see that it
(09:23):
will benefit the organization as well, making that simple change.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
I think when you've got someone who wants to work,
they will work so goddamn high just to prove their worth,
and they're so incredibly grateful that they're the people you
want in your team, in your community, in your stratosphere,
you know, working together and you know, with common passions,
you know, great work ethics, that dedication, that commitment, and
(09:48):
that sense of gratitude as well, like which we take
for granted so easily.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Yeah, and it really does add to the diversity in
your organization. It adds so much color.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Yeah, you know, people have.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
So much value to add and their different stories and
listening to them just makes you realize how lucky we
are and they want to have that same luck.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
What made you to start this? I mean, I know
you said you were at Harris Farm and you realize
you needed stuff, Like you haven't just dipped your toe
and you've completely jumped in head first and like taken
this project on like with you know, like open arms,
Like how has this changed your life?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Very good question. I probably haven't had enough time, you.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Know, I've been very busy with this.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Yeah, it for me, it was a no brainer. It's
just doing the right thing. I know that this is
doing the right thing, and you know, I wanted to
be the advocate, and I think it can't just be me,
but this is what keeps me going, which is knowing
(11:01):
that they need us. And you know, I want to
make sure that not only my kids get educated or
lucky enough to have a career, but everyone who comes
to Australia and is on the working visa gets the
opportunities that any ordinarily ordinary Australian should get.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Absolutely, can you, just as we wrap up today's episode,
can you share with me some of the goals behind
the Dragonfly Network and what you really want to hear
from people and what you want to see from people,
and how we can help you beyond those conversations and
the awareness.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Right. Yeah, I suppose the goal of my business is
to you know, place one asylum, seek a refugee, you know,
placing one person at a time, which that one person
leads to ten people, leads to twenty people, having organizations
come on board and partnering with me who actually want
(11:59):
to do the same thing in their organizations. It could
be corporate, it could be entry level position, but just
making sure that we all have the right policy, which
is to ensure that we're giving these cohort an opportunity
to get a job and a pathway to employment and careers.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
You know, life can be so cruel and it can
be so unfair. This is our opportunity to help make
the world fairer, help make sure that these opportunities exist
and that they continue on blossoming, and that everybody has
an opportunity and equality in our world. But we also
do this together, helping each other, supporting each other with
(12:44):
those with awareness, but also with compassion and kindness all
the way through exactly Andrena, thank you so much for
coming in today and to all the listeners right now.
Please reach out to Dreams through the Dragonfly Network through LinkedIn.
I will make sure I put all of her contact
details in the podcast notes. This is our opportunity to
(13:05):
speak to our work colleagues about this. This is our
opportunity to speak to your internal HR team, Ask them
what are they doing about this? Are they aware? How
can we improve it? And of course put them in
direct contact with Andrena, because this is where we can
make some really powerful shifts and breakthroughs in breaking poverty
and changing the direction of people's lives forever, and being
(13:26):
part of a very important follow on effect where everyone
benefits from this. So thank you so much for thank
you for having me.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Really, that's the episode.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Did everything
Good morning everyone, and welcome back to Sugar Mama's Fireplay,
the podcast that ignites your financial journey with inspiring stories
and innovative strategies. I am your host, financial planner, Hannah Campbell. Now,
as you know, Sugarmum's Fireplay is really about giving you
the confidence, the education, the tools, the inspiration and the
(00:22):
strategies to start building financial freedom for yourself. But today
I want to turn the tables, and turn the tables
towards ourselves and our community and talk about something that
I myself and I'm embarrassed and a shamed to admit
this wasn't even aware of, and that is the forgotten
unseen people within our community, migrants, youth, women, long term
(00:47):
unemployed people, and most importantly refugees.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
And what I hope today with.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Our special guest Andrina Graham from the Dragonfly Network, is
that we can actually turn this idea of financial wellbeing
for ourselves, but actually spread this amongst our community so
that we are actually not just helping ourselves, but helping
each other maximize all of these incredible opportunities around us
to create financial freedom for each other with the benefit
(01:14):
flowing on far and why Andrena thank you so much
(01:37):
for coming in today. Can you tell me a little
bit about the Dragonfly Network and who is part of
this forgotten an unseen community.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Absolutely, thank you so much for having me Canna. This
is great and a fantastic platform to be able to
talk about this today. The Dragonfly Network was born out
of I think originally working for Harris Farm four years
ago and I don't know if you remember, but unemployment
(02:07):
rate was so low at that time, it was three
point eight percent. It was just after lockdown, and I
was the head of recruitment trying to find staff and
it was near impossible. So sort of thought outside the
box and went out to various NGOs and not for
profits and job active places to find people, yeah, people
(02:34):
that were overlooked or unseen, and created a flow on
of bringing people on site to Harris Farm to interview
with the managers and help them find work, which took
out a huge amount of stress for a lot of
people who have been looking for work for a really
(02:56):
long time and who have been rejected due to to
AI tools disqualifying them. So hundreds of refugees and asylum
seekers who were applied online via the various platforms automatically
being disqualified. So removing all that stress out of their
lives to interview them on the day hire them straight
(03:18):
away was.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Just wonderful.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I've actually got goosebumps and tears in my eyes to
think someone who has fought to get out of their
country and find safety gets here and then a computer
says no.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And when you're denying someone a job at ability to work,
you take away their rights, you take away their opportunity,
you take away their purpose and their identity and human rights.
You know, it's just insane. So you've basically taken unlike
the computer, and gone human to human to say, tell
(03:54):
me your story, what can you do where your skill sets?
How can we get you into a full time employment?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Absolutely, and that is such a massive goal. And you know,
financial freedom and having a purpose is just so important
for them. You know, I heard a fantastic quote the
other day saying a refugee is no longer a refugee
once they've found employment. And it is huge because they
(04:22):
assimilate into society. They can pay their own rent, they
can leave them not for profit housing, they can buy
a present for their child, they.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Can afford education. Education, and education is one of the
catalyst of breaking poverty.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Oh exactly. There are so many things that you can
go down a rabbit hole with if you don't have
your own financial freedom, and a lot of it is
around mental health, domestic violence, drugs and alcohol, all the
things that are so huge at the moment, and such
a talking point is exactly the same for these refugees.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I read the other day that only six percent of
refugees at your to secure employment within six months and
only twenty three percent secure full time employment within two years.
That's heartbreaking, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
And it just shows that there are so many people
out there, refugees asylum seekers who would be fantastic for
entry level positions where you've got companies and employees screaming
out for reliable staff and staff that can work full time.
You know, there are so many gaps that can be filled,
which in turn, as we know, they will then become
(05:31):
part of the social economy.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
So what can we do, Like, obviously, creating awareness is
the first thing, but how can we be a part
of this change so that these numbers change? Because I
know that the work that you're doing is having incredible
results and getting people into you know, into safe environments
where they're not just working with their on a great
career path and they're feeling fulfilled and they're going from
(05:54):
strength to strength and adding value to those businesses and
getting some great corporates on board. What can we do
and how can we help make this happen faster?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
You know what? All it takes is a conversation, one
conversation to have with me. Reach out to me on
the Dragonfly Network Andrena Graham on LinkedIn. Have a conversation
with me. You know, you might be head of your
corporate right now, CEO NHR. An employee who just wants
(06:24):
to do good and feels like their company's corporate ESG
can do better, and you know what, just wanting to
be a good human. Reach out to me. Let's have
a conversation. You know, I am very happy to partner
with anyone who just wants to have a conversation and
you know help. The feedback I've been getting from the
people I've placed is quite amazing. I've had Andrena, I
(06:48):
promise I won't let you down. My kids don't even
say that to me, and I not alive. I know,
so I'm getting these you know this has been the
best week of Australia, of my life working. I mean,
it is just amazing the feel good you feel when
you employ someone that really wants to work and will
(07:08):
be a hard worker and changing their trajectory of what
it could be, you know, from poverty to pathways to employment.
It just is I can't even tell you. It does
give you tingles and it might sound a bit cliche,
but it is true. Yeah, it is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
It's just that opportunity, the only is just one opportunity
and the results of what you've been able to do,
like you know, with this awareness and actually talking to
corporates and getting them on board and actually looking at
their internal policies about going human to human and obviously
seeing this community that is literally forgot about an unseen
is you know, I think you said eighty nine percent
(07:48):
of people are employed within twelve months and ninety three
percent or within six months, and you're being able to
double their income by more than fifty one percent, which
is incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Yeah, no, it's great. And you know, there are so
many great not for profits doing an NGO is doing
what they can do, but a lot of people are volunteers,
a lot of their case loads are full, and so
it really takes you know, someone like me as well.
That's you know, that is all I'm focusing on. I'm
not focusing on settlement or I'm not focusing on the
(08:19):
case management and the mental health. But I'm focusing on
the employment part. And I think that is where we
can really make some serious change in this space.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
So we need to be talking about making each other
aware and the importance of giving people a crack a
bit an opportunity and talking to our employers and saying,
all right, what policies do we have in house, how
can we improve them? You know, getting people in front
of you to actually talk about how you can add
help them with their internal policies as well, so that
(08:52):
more and more people have given this opportunity as a refugee,
as a migrant, as a long term unemployed person, as
a a young unemployed person.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
As a woman.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
You know who has young kids who can only do
your ten to two shifts. I mean it is women
generally suffer the most. So you know, looking at how
you can change your schedules around, how you can change
you know, what has been done in the past to
really make a difference. And you will see that it
(09:23):
will benefit the organization as well, making that simple change.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
I think when you've got someone who wants to work,
they will work so goddamn high just to prove their worth,
and they're so incredibly grateful that they're the people you
want in your team, in your community, in your stratosphere,
you know, working together and you know, with common passions,
you know, great work ethics, that dedication, that commitment, and
(09:48):
that sense of gratitude as well, like which we take
for granted so easily.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Yeah, and it really does add to the diversity in
your organization. It adds so much color.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Yeah, you know, people have.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
So much value to add and their different stories and
listening to them just makes you realize how lucky we
are and they want to have that same luck.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
What made you to start this? I mean, I know
you said you were at Harris Farm and you realize
you needed stuff, Like you haven't just dipped your toe
and you've completely jumped in head first and like taken
this project on like with you know, like open arms,
Like how has this changed your life?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Very good question. I probably haven't had enough time, you.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Know, I've been very busy with this.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Yeah, it for me, it was a no brainer. It's
just doing the right thing. I know that this is
doing the right thing, and you know, I wanted to
be the advocate, and I think it can't just be me,
but this is what keeps me going, which is knowing
(11:01):
that they need us. And you know, I want to
make sure that not only my kids get educated or
lucky enough to have a career, but everyone who comes
to Australia and is on the working visa gets the
opportunities that any ordinarily ordinary Australian should get.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Absolutely, can you, just as we wrap up today's episode,
can you share with me some of the goals behind
the Dragonfly Network and what you really want to hear
from people and what you want to see from people,
and how we can help you beyond those conversations and
the awareness.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Right. Yeah, I suppose the goal of my business is
to you know, place one asylum, seek a refugee, you know,
placing one person at a time, which that one person
leads to ten people, leads to twenty people, having organizations
come on board and partnering with me who actually want
(11:59):
to do the same thing in their organizations. It could
be corporate, it could be entry level position, but just
making sure that we all have the right policy, which
is to ensure that we're giving these cohort an opportunity
to get a job and a pathway to employment and careers.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
You know, life can be so cruel and it can
be so unfair. This is our opportunity to help make
the world fairer, help make sure that these opportunities exist
and that they continue on blossoming, and that everybody has
an opportunity and equality in our world. But we also
do this together, helping each other, supporting each other with
(12:44):
those with awareness, but also with compassion and kindness all
the way through exactly Andrena, thank you so much for
coming in today and to all the listeners right now.
Please reach out to Dreams through the Dragonfly Network through LinkedIn.
I will make sure I put all of her contact
details in the podcast notes. This is our opportunity to
(13:05):
speak to our work colleagues about this. This is our
opportunity to speak to your internal HR team, Ask them
what are they doing about this? Are they aware? How
can we improve it? And of course put them in
direct contact with Andrena, because this is where we can
make some really powerful shifts and breakthroughs in breaking poverty
and changing the direction of people's lives forever, and being
(13:26):
part of a very important follow on effect where everyone
benefits from this. So thank you so much for thank
you for having me.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Really, that's the episode.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Did everything
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