Working at a sporting organisation was far from the top of the list of what Nasradian Hassan expected he would be doing at the start of 2019. But then again as life has taught ‘Naz’ - as he is fondly known - anything, it is to expect the unexpected.
Somalian by heritage, Hassan was born in Ethiopia after his parents fled there to seek asylum during the civil war. At age 13 with three of his younger siblings in tow, Hassan arrived in Australia. The year was 2011, and not only did he not speak a word of English, but with most of his family still in Ethiopia – including his Mum and six other siblings – Hassan and his siblings moved in with their uncle.
When he first arrived in Australia, Hassan attended a language school to learn English, before transitioning into mainstream high school.
“Education was very different for me when I arrived in Australia,” Hassan explained. “I was age 13 or 14 and learning the alphabet. For me it was a matter of translating the subjects I was learning into English. I knew the content and concept but had to shift this from my own language to English.”
However, learning the English language was not the hardest part of moving countries for Hassan. Especially in the first two years following his move, adapting to Australian culture was harder.
“There is a big difference between culture and religion, and this was difficult to adjust to in Australia at first. Within my culture there is no dating and no hugging and no shaking hands, and I came from a very conservative religious community. Over time I adjusted to the cultural differences and I have adapted and integrated into society.”
Hassan is currently in his final year of university, studying a Bachelor of International Studies at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, and started an internship with Netball Victoria in the later part of 2019. He crossed paths with the team at Netball Victoria via the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY); a not-for-profit organisation based in Victoria, providing specialist knowledge and support to young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Netball Victoria recruit interns from CMY thanks to funding from the Victorian Government’s Multicultural Commission.
“At the start of the year [2019] I was struggling [to find a job] and didn’t think I would end up working with a sporting organisation,” Hassan said. “I was looking into other options - including retail - but had no success, so I started exploring youth employment programs then came across CMY and gave my expression of interest. I then had to do the interview and was successful. I was introduced to my mentor, Laura, and we have weekly catch up sessions. She has really helped me a lot and has been a good emotional support and is always there if I need anything.”
“I wanted experience in community engagement and interacting with different cultures and people of different age groups,” Hassan continued. “This is something that I haven’t experience before and I like to challenge myself.”
During his time at Netball Victoria, Hassan worked on Diversity and Inclusion projects within the Netball Development team.
“I completed tasks...which were related to a netball program for English Language Students who were learning netball for the first time. In my first few weeks I was researching the high population areas of multicultural communities, then implementing the program and setting up all the things that we needed like equipment, presentations and session plans. I would go out to schools to help coaches and coach sessions. I enjoyed teaching and interacting with the kids.
“I took on responsibilities that I have not done before and learnt a lot of new skills, including IT skills, and I have also learnt the game of netball when I assisted coaches with the program in Term 1.”
Whilst learning a lot, Hassan said the role also came with its challenges.
“Working with the kids during the netball program was a big challenge for me. I haven’t worked with children before this program, so I learnt off the coaches how to manage groups and assist in running the session.
“This was my first time working in an office setting, so I was not really prepared for the meetings and lots of interactions,” he continued. “[But] It was the people I was working with that made it the most enjoyable; Netball Victoria staff have been nice, I haven’t encountered any conflict…it has been really smooth.”
“I had the opportunity to see people in a different way away from work too. Every Tuesday I would watch some staff play netball and I got to see their competitiveness. I also enjoyed helping the team decorate the office with Christmas decorations and all the little things combined that Netball Victoria did made it a smooth experience for me.”
Unfortunately, Hassan’s time at Netball Victoria has come to an end, having successfully fulfilled the requirements of his internship. However, this doesn’t mean his ambition has been affected in the slightest.
“I am the person I am today because of my family. I am the oldest man [in my family], so there is a lot of responsibilities that comes with that for my culture. I want to be a successful person so we can provide for our family so that drives me and plays a huge role. I want to keep studying while I am still young…I am planning on studying my masters and educate myself as much as I can.
“Throughout my life I have experienced and witnessed a lot of social issues including gender inequality and poverty,” Hassan continued, “so I want to help people back home and that is why I study this course [at university]. I do it for the value and meaning it brings to me.”
“Currently I work to support people from refugee backgrounds in the humanitarian aid department. I give out food, nappies and other items that they need for daily activities.
In the future, I see myself being an international aid worker, or doing humanitarian work or project management in developing countries. I just want to help…people that need help.”
And what about Hassan’s own family?
He and his three Australian-based siblings now live in their own place in Manor Lakes. The process has started for their other siblings to also migrate to Australia.
“Hopefully, they will be here one day. I love living in Australia and having equal opportunity.”
