VICSEG New Futures is thrilled to announce the appointment of Suzan Saka to its Board of Directors, confirmed at the VICSEG New Futures Annual General Meeting held in Coburg last week.

Suzan brings to the table extensive community-based networks and a wealth of not-for-profit knowledge and experience, underscored by a fierce passion for the advancement of CALD communities.

A member of the oppressed and marginalised Alevi cultural minority, Suzan first migrated to Australia from Türkiye seventeen years ago on a skilled migration visa. As a fearless advocate for Alevi people in Australia and globally, Suzan was earlier the first female president of Australia’s peak body for Alevi communities. Suzan’s community leadership has also seen her involvement in the campaign for pay rises to the early childhood workforce and, most recently, representing Labor in the recent Merri-bek City Council elections where she lost narrowly to the incumbent candidate.

As a project officer at the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria (ECCV), Suzan empowers people with disabilities and seniors’ groups from multicultural communities through self-advocacy, elder abuse prevention, and capacity-building initiatives. Suzan early led on promoting equitable access to the Victorian government’s household electricity rebate scheme amidst soaring cost-of-living pressures. Before this, Suzan spearheaded the ECCV’s COVID-19 response, engaging diverse communities in the context of widely circulating myths that risked undermining the rollout of vaccinations for the virus. The trust-based networks Suzan was able to establish in this period remain an asset to her current community engagement surrounding access to services and health promotion.

On top of all this, the Coburg local is part of VICSEG New Futures’ proud 65,000-strong student alumni! Suzan studied the CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care with New Futures Training before launching into a successful seven year-long working career in the space.

VICSEG New Futures’ Executive Director, Maree Raftis, said that Suzan’s community expertise will provide a valuable complement to the existing areas of expertise among Board members which include vocational education and training, compliance, finance, risk management, community development, health, multicultural media, and aged care.

“Suzan’s appointment to the VICSEG New Futures’ Board is just such a fantastic opportunity for all of us,” Maree said.

“In a lot of ways, I think we are all currently living and working in a city waking up from the shock and awe of the pandemic. The extensive lockdowns in Melbourne were incredibly disruptive to networks in many ways. But then you also come across stories like Suzan’s – of people who were able to build new networks in the throes of chaos and then able to hold onto them and carry them forward for the benefit of our communities once things finally settled. Suzan is a kindred spirit to VICSEG’s vision and values, and I’m delighted by her appointment to the Board.”

Suzan Saka says she is eager to seize the newfound opportunity at hand.

“I am incredibly proud to return to VICSEG, the organization that gave me my first job in Australia. Working with the Playgroup for Grandparents and completing my Diploma in Children’s Services, with John’s encouragement, shaped my journey and opened doors to new opportunities,” Suzan said.

“Over the years, VICSEG’s unwavering support and respect for multicultural communities have been a source of inspiration for me. The organization played a vital role in helping me settle and adapt my skills when I first arrived in Australia.”

“Joining the VICSEG board is a tremendous honour and a chance to give back. I am deeply committed to its mission of fostering inclusion, empowering communities, and creating opportunities for all.”

Suzan joins five existing Board members who have each graciously volunteered to recommit their service to VICSEG New Futures in 2025, namely:

• Marie Vassallo (President)  

• Prasad Cooray (Treasurer)  

• Ivana Csar OAM (Secretary)  

• Jayson Vinod (Director)  

• Rachelle Dalrymple (Director)

The VICSEG New Futures team remain incredibly grateful to each of our Board members who so generously donate their time and talents in pursuit of a more inclusive and equitable future for our diverse communities.