Victorian Arabic Social Services

change with every gesture. Making peaceful communities is not the re- sponsibility of any one person or or- ganisation but rather of the collec- tive. Right now, VASS has a waiting list of volunteers from a multicultural background who are waiting to work for them. The organisation has a wide range of issues that they can help with, varied creative responses, a rich cultural and social background, and a unique status in many communities. VASS has attracted respect so peo- ple wish to be a part of that and have even gone to do placements there in order to gain experience in an active organisation. Though Leila and VASS have a very cooperate relationship with the gov- ernment, the funding allocated to them is very limited compared to the amount of work they do. In the fu- ture, Leila wants to increase the part- nership with the government as well as the mainstream services. As she explained to us, there are very criti- cal issues that require a whole-com- munity approach as they affect a di- verse range of people. Furthermore, she wants VASS to offer more educa- tional services in isolated areas as such an approach will directly lead to better employability within the Arabic community which is a major concern today. Moreover, she wants to sup- port refugees and humanitarian ser- vices in a culturally appropriate way. In addition to all that, she would like to offer increased support for isolat- ed elderly citizens. As a registered training organisa- tion, VASS has several strategies in place to address the increase of hu- man resource capacity in order to achieve more within each commu- nity through both volunteering and paid labour. There’s a clear vision and plan for the next 10 years and Leila will be at the forefront of such changes that will continue to influ- ence the community and help es- tablish the peace.