Mohammed Isah has over 12 years of experience working with the community delivering programs that support diverse groups including youths, refugees and asylum seekers. He is currently working at Brimbank council as the neighbourhood house-community centre unit co-ordinator.
What is your connection to Brimbank?
I have worked in Brimbank since 2017. I arrived in Australia with my family at age 12 with the motivation and desire to escape. From my vantage point as a migrant, I have seen that multiculturalism has enriched every aspect of Australian life. Since 2017 I have been involved and worked along numerous community groups and programs that foster an environment enabling individuals and groups to maximise our greatest asset ‘our diversity’. Currently I am the Neighbourhood Houses/Community Centres Unit Coordinator at Brimbank City Council, a position where we work with and alongside community to create social change and longer-term impact.
What has inspired you to serve the community?
My inspiration to serve the community started at age 16 when I was volunteering at a youth drop-in Centre. A young person came up to me and told me a story about their life and because of the experience I’ve previously had, I felt helpless as I was not able to assist this person. At the time I didn’t know anything, I was not qualified. This encounter spurred me to action. My first-hand experience was a key motivator in me pursuing a career in the community service sector. I remain committed to serving the needs of our diverse communities through a collective impact approach.
You have a great wealth of experience delivering successful programs that have supported the community for over a decade now, what are you most proud of?
I would have to say the thing I am most proud of is initiating my first project in the organisation I completed my student placement. When I was an aspiring social worker, bringing together a group of people to understand their needs and issues, working alongside them to develop solutions had been the pinnacle of my definition of success. It led to the development of a holistic wraparound support for that community with longer term impact. Even though I have delivered much more substantial and life changing programs since then, this memory is what I am most proud of. A chance to finally prove myself as a social worker.
What do you hope to see in the future of Brimbank?
I would like to highlight how fortunate we are in Brimbank to be a vibrant and diverse community with a high percentage of our population born overseas and a wide variety of languages spoken by residents. Our collective strengths place us in a unique position to work with and alongside one another in order to stay relevant and responsive to community needs.
Can you tell us more about the Neighbourhood Houses and Community Centres?
Neighbourhood Houses and Community Centres are friendly places for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. The centres aim to provide opportunities for individuals to enrich their lives through social connection, culture and learning. Our Neighbourhood Houses and Community Centres offer classes and activities that are generally low cost or free, and cover topics such as, health and wellbeing, art, sport, digital literacy and much more.
