Mariam Issa
- http://speakingout.com.au/find-a-speaker/author/mariam-issa/
- bookings@speakingout.com.au
- (03) 9417 4443
Specialty Areas
Community Service and Engagement, Cultural Diversity, Feminist Policy and Politics, Women’s Affairs, Food and Wine, Immigration and Citizenship, Voluntary Work
About Me
Mariam Issa’s refugee experience is a powerful and positive one.
It’s a journey of inspiring resilience and strength. When she arrived in Melbourne from her Somali homeland in 1998, she had a husband, four children and a fifth on the way, with little knowledge of Australian life, other than the motivation to provide a secure, safe future with her family. In her book Mariam talks of her experiences of Integration, refugee issues, new beginnings and the power of community.
In 2012 Mariam launched RAW (Resilient Aspiring Women) – a not-for-profit organisation to create better social environments for all women. RAW is a platform, a community garden and a meeting place for all women in her backyard Brighton home. Through Community, Culture and Cuisine one of RAW’s popular workshops Mariam uses again her love for food and shares the flavours of her East African heritage. Previously Mariam owned a successful catering and cooking class business, aimed at showcasing and educating the main stream community about the wealth of other nations.
Food is a great catalyst to create social change and Mariam feels privileged she can use this power to her advantage and connect communities.
“I share my traditional East African menus with Australians so we can come together and help make a difference” she says.
Mariam has appeared on SBS, Channel 7, ABC Radio, Community Radio, in the Herald Sun, The Australian, local press and RACV magazine and was recently awarded the Ambassador of Peace award from the Universal Peace Federation – in recognition of her ongoing work as a tireless community worker promoting peace and harmony in Melbourne’s culturally diverse population.
“From where I began, I have reinvented myself and evolved. I want to share my knowledge and experience with others,” she says.
Today, firmly established in the tight-knit bayside suburb of Brighton, Mariam shares her stories widely and very passionately about holistic integration, social justice, women issues and strengthening communities.
