“We Are the Community”: Tawasul Foundation’s Message to VETASSESS 2026
Tawasul Foundation, presented by its co-founder Joseph Youhana, took the stage at VETASSESS 2026 in Melbourne, sharing a powerful personal story of migration, bureaucracy and breaking through barriers, one that speaks directly to the mission driving the Foundation’s Strengthening Communities Against Racism project.
A Story of Barriers and Breakthrough
Arriving in Australia with a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and Art from Mosul University, our speaker was ready to contribute. Instead, they met a wall familiar to millions of migrants: the slow grind of having overseas qualifications recognised.
Rather than wait on the sidelines, they built a career from the ground up, moving from casual community services work to Team Leader, managing housing for refugee communities across Metro Melbourne. Five years of frontline leadership became the evidence base for a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathway, unlocking a Diploma in Management without stepping into a classroom. That single recognition opened the door to an Advanced Diploma and a Bachelor of Applied Management, and a growing voice in global conversations on refugee participation and labour mobility.
Why This Story Matters Now
The speech also drew on frontline experience supporting recent Afghan evacuees, highly skilled individuals with strong English and recognised qualifications, who still hit closed doors and rigid systems. As the speech put it plainly: locking away someone’s qualifications doesn’t just hold back an individual, it impoverishes our economy, our workforce and our communities.
This is the same barrier Tawasul Foundation confronts every day through our Strengthening Communities Against Racism project (LARI, under the Local Anti-Racism Initiatives Program) Whether it’s a workshop helping elders find their voice against discrimination, or a CALD professional stuck behind red tape, the pattern is the same: systemic delay chips away at people’s sense of belonging and their ability to give back.
Tawasul: The Bridge, Not Just an Organisation
As Joseph told the VETASSESS audience:
“We are not just another community organisation. We are the community itself, led by former refugees. We know the terrain because we have walked every inch of it.”
That lived expertise is exactly what Tawasul brings to every partnership: institutions, policy-makers and organisations working to reach unheard stories and unlock wasted potential in CALD and refugee communities.
Our Call to Action
We’re not asking for applause. We’re asking for partners.
If your organisation is serious about dismantling administrative barriers, recognising overseas skills, and building genuine outcomes in community, Tawasul Foundation is ready to work closely with you.
Partner with us. Collaborate with us. Build a stronger Australia together.
