‘ Blacktown was the first place I called home ’
Westpoint is proud of our local community , and to help celebrate positivity and personal achievements , the centre has created the Neighbourhood Good program .
By sharing stories of locals who make lives better or take care of those in need , Westpoint leads by example in showing how much good there is in this community and how proud they , and we , are to be part of it .
Meet Anyier Yuol , a member of Blacktown City Council ’ s Women ’ s Advisory Committee .
She has been a proud Blacktown resident since arriving in the country 18 years ago . “ I grew up in Blacktown ,” Anyier said . “ I came from Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya , and Blacktown was the first place I called home .
“ I went to primary school and high school here , and I started getting involved in community initiatives through football . When I got to university , I maintained that community volunteering and began working with the migrant communities .”
Anyier juggles many roles , working for a migrant resource centre in Parramatta and studying for her PHD – while continuing community initiatives through Blacktown City Council .
“ I ’ m passionate about supporting women in Blacktown . I try to find initiatives to bring more awareness into our LGA , and just bring the voices of women out ,” she said .
“ This year I ’ ve looked around at what was happening . And there was so much emphasis put on older women , addressing the issues of domestic violence , and the youth , who have their own things going on . I saw that there was a huge gap with the 18 to 25-year-olds – their needs were not being addressed .”
For Anyier it was crucial to find a way to help these young women – which is how the idea for a Blacktown Young Women ’ s Forum came about .
“[ At a forum ] they can come in and network , but at the same time we are also able to find what are some of the issues they ’ re facing . What are their inspiring stories ? And what do they want to do ?”
Of course , while some of the challenges faced in Blacktown are the same worldwide – finishing school or university in the middle of a pandemic giving many young people increased stress , family issues and more – locally , there are added challenges too .
“ We have those issues , plus a lack of employment , and domestic violence issues too ,” agrees Anyier .
“ And speaking from that young women ’ s perspective – women starting out their career – I think they haven ’ t been provided opportunities to think beyond their limitations .
“ When I speak to these young women , I think there is a lack of mentorship to know where they ’ re going , which career pathway to take . We want them to be connected to university , to academia , to businesses and all of those kinds of things . “ Everything and anything is possible when you are given the resources , when
Anyier Yuol has been a proud Blacktown resident since arriving in the country 18 years ago .
you are provided the opportunity . And what we are trying to do now , with our work , is to say , we are your resources .
“ We want to give a little bit of a boost of confidence to say , we ’ re here , we hear you and we want to bring that leadership out in you .
For Anyier , this also involves breaking down stereotypes when it comes to how Blacktown , and Western Sydney in general , are often perceived .
“ It ’ s important for women like me and other young women who are out there to speak up and say , look at what we ’ re doing . We ’ re thriving , and we ’ re pushing .
“ I think it is our responsibility to come back and help the Blacktown community . And to make sure that they know that there ’ s a helping hand out there that can unite all of us .”
Being part of that helping hand is a chance for her to give back to the community she loves .
“ It ’ s about making sure that our community has the best opportunities that they can get . It means that we are working in unity and that we are looking out for each other .”
BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 09 // DECEMBER 2021 11