Multicultural Recognitions and Celebrations

New School Community Liaison Officer - Ladan Ahmed

For those I haven't met my name is Ladan, and I am the new School Community Liaison Officer. Hired directly from the Department of Education as part of the Victorian African Community Action Plan (VACAP) to support African students, families, and school communities through the SCLO initiative. I attend two schools during the week to fulfil my obligations as a Community Liaison Officer, and I am based within the Senior School (west-wing) area, my working days are Monday's-Thursday's.

Mukasa has resigned from his role as a SCLO; but he will continue to work on Thursdays at LSC. As he continues to support the initiative, Mukasa's role will primarily focus on the Media element/ assisting with programmes while continuing to support the African-Australian community.  

The VACAP project encourages the development of initiatives to ensure that all young people have access to education and employment. My role strives to raise cultural awareness and understanding among staff and school communities, resulting in a more inclusive and respectful environment- so please feel comfortable to approach me with any questions you may have. As someone of African background, I am aware of the cultural and societal expectations, challenges, and barriers that my community faces. There is such a significant cultural divide between an African students' home setting and school environment, this one of the biggest challenges that many African students face. My role is vital in assisting students in making sense of this cultural gap, resolving any internal confusions or conflicts that may arise, and providing a stable platform for students to engage in their educational environment in a more positive and fulfilling way. Strong evidence of positive outcomes for student wellbeing, family engagement, increased cultural sensitivity and understanding within school communities were key findings of the SCLO Project evaluation 2022.

 Here is an overview of my role:

• Liaising parent meeting and translating discussions between parents and teachers.
• Offering teachers an insight, and building their understanding, into the linguistic and cultural aspects of student attitudes and behaviour from African heritage
• Building links with African community organisations to access community guidance and knowledge and further levels of familial support
• Promoting student engagement and leadership opportunities to foster sense of value, leadership \ identity and belonging
• Facilitating information sessions for parents to support an increased understanding of the education system and platforms and increase engagement with parent teacher nights, information days and school celebrations
• facilitating professional learning for school staff on teacher reflexivity and cultural safety, coordinate workshops and forums for the school and local community. (Potential date Oct 12th )
• facilitating access to homework clubs and afterschool programs, to offer support and mentoring outside of the school

How I can support staff:

• Family communication; organising and liaising parent meetings.
• Address/ advise culturally sensitive subjects (racism & discrimination, e.g. N-word)
• Assist in student engagement; if you are struggling with a specific student who identifies as African, please feel comfortable to reach out.
• Assist students in identifying career paths, goals, & liaising with careers.
• Links to student resources, with available funding and community organisations.
• Attend sub-school meeting to offer support for African-Australian (reengagement strategies, behaviour management, positive reward systems etc)

 I look forward to working with you all☺️

Ladan Ahmed

School Community Liaison Officer