Applying systemic approach in work with the Bosnian community in Sydney - experience of STARTTS in Australia

Aplicando un abordaje sistemico en el trabajo con comunidades Bosnias en Sidney - las experiencias de STARTTS en Australia

Jupp et al (1991) define the dimensions of vulnerability of newly arrived ethnic groups as including lack of English, refugee arrivals, low level of education and skills, cultural distance from the Australian majority and lack of consolidated community structures and resources. According to the author's experience, the Bosnian community was highly represented in all of the above at the time she commenced at STARTTS. Consequently, the Bosnian community was almost invisible to the general Australian public, and, therefore, experiencing significant marginalisation. Since 1993, STARTTS has played a major role in addressing these issues. This paper provides an example of how the STARTTS systemic and holistic framework can be used to address marginalisation of refugee communities.

The paper will describe various issues STARTTS encountered on all levels of the social system relevant to the Bosnian community. The levels range from individual, to the mainstream service providers and Australian society in general. The author also describes the interventions STARTTS used to address these issues at all levels. Some of the interventions included: individual counselling, group-work, and various community development strategies such as infrastructure building, training, and awareness raising.

Furthermore, the author addresses barriers STARTTS has encountered at each of these levels, from the ethnic and political differences and consequent fragmentation of the Bosnian community, to the ignorance and prejudices on the higher levels of the social system. The author uses the systemic model as proposed by Aroche & Coello (1994) in their paper on providing holistic and multidisciplinary services to the refugee torture and trauma survivors.