Oscar distinctly remembers the moment he first connected with Yusuf* because it all began with the gift of a soccer ball.
“He doesn’t get many gifts or toys due to limited funds in the family,” explains Oscar, Wesley Family Preservation Caseworker. “But when I gave him that soccer ball, there was a noticeable change in his attitude. He became so much more friendly and relaxed.”
Both Yusuf and his mum, Anaya’s* native language is Urdu. While Oscar had been visiting them weekly for months, initially Oscar was unsure whether Yusuf understood their conversations, even with a language and cultural support worker present.
But now when Oscar comes to visit, Yusuf immediately collects his soccer ball and sits next to Oscar.
“It’s my favourite sport in the world so I’m glad I got him the right gift. He’ll often come up to me with the soccer ball and we might go out to the backyard or park to kick it around for a bit. He’s got quite an appetite for playing sports,” Oscar says.
Going to the park is now a regular outing for Yusuf and his mum. But not too long ago, Anaya didn’t feel confident enough to leave her home.
Building confidence
When Anaya and Yusuf migrated to Australia, they struggled with setting up their new life because they didn’t know anyone and spoke minimal English. But after they were referred to Wesley Family Preservation, from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, they found the support they needed – firstly with their caseworker Cassie, then Oscar.
Struggling with a learning disability, Anaya found it difficult to complete daily life skills such as catching public transport, taking her son to school, going to the doctor or heading to the shops.
“She felt she needed a lot more support with looking after her son. She even struggled to take her son to the park to kick a ball around or play on the swings,” explains Oscar.
Since connecting with Wesley Family Preservation, Anaya has been slowly building her confidence to complete everyday life skills.
“She wanted to build that social confidence to be able to leave the house and do things with her son,” explains Oscar. “She started going to the park. And we’ve recently taught her how to ride a bus so that she can pick her son up from school and then take him home.”
For Anaya, her ultimate goal is to give Yusuf the best life. “The biggest worry for her is that Yusuf won’t develop age appropriately and that he’s missing out on lots of opportunities. She wants to make sure that Yusuf has the skills he requires so he can grow, make friends and develop his English,” Oscar says.
Building language skill
For Oscar, Wesley Family Preservation’s five-year partnership with the Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC) has also been crucial to helping build Anaya’s confidence. The turning point came when Anaya first spoke to a CMRC cultural worker who understood her native language.
“I remember, she was moved to tears of joy at the time because she was just so delighted that someone could actually speak to her in her own language,” Oscar reflects.
“At the time I think the only words of English she could speak was ‘thank you’. She could not stop saying it. It was a very emotional session.”
Anaya is now growing her English vocabulary and is starting to say more words and phrases. Before Yusuf started kindergarten, he couldn’t speak a word of English. Now his English language skills are increasing daily, which is helping him make friends at school.
Oscar has also supported Anaya and Yusuf in increasing their health and wellbeing by linking them with medical services. Anaya has now visited the GP by herself or with her son – something she would have never done previously.
Oscar says he’s proud of how far Anaya and Yusuf have come in building their confidence and life skills. Anaya is now looking ahead to the future and would even like to find a job. She hopes to one day work with people, like herself, who’ve faced similar experiences when moving to Australia.
“She wants to maximise everything that she possibly can to make sure that she and her son are not missing out,” Oscar says.