Stories of Community Resilience

With a contagious and distinctive laughter, Ahmad has been illuminating the air waves of Melbourne, with Arab beats, deep cuts, and music that samples familiar beats in new ways! These beats have reached around the world - with collaborations like Radio Al-Hara based in Bethlehem, Palestine. Joining us today for Stories of Community Resilience is Ahmad in the studio ! 

Follow Ahmad @djmatab and Listen to radio Dounya show here 

Rebecca's latest projects are on Linkedin 

0:00 - 9:00 - Music memories across life, working at Radio Jordan. 

9:00 - 12:00 - Dounya Radio Program, how we fill in the cultural expression gaps.

12:00 - 15:00 - Radio as a means of self-expression.

15:00 - 20:00  - Collaborating with Radio Al-Hara in Bethlehem, Palestine. 

21:00 -   31:50  - Radio connecting is in real life, community music events. 

32:00 - 38:00 -  Why we feel it is important to include Palestinian voices and artists, returning to our 'roots'. 

38:00 - End - Proud moments, upcoming events.

Note - audio transcriptions provided on streaming services are automatically generated and may contain errors. Stories of Community Resilience is supported by a Content Grant from Community Broadcasting Foundation. Purple Planet Music - Track ‘Sunbeam’ Used under creative commons license. Arabic Melody Dance - Melodies of the Orient and  Voice of the East by TimTaj is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Recorded at SYN Media studios in Narrm, Melbourne February 2026. 

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Amy Wooller and Veronica Greene from SYN  discuss a choir that is inclusive and welcoming.

The Salt Choir is aiming to be an all-disability choir and a way for people with disabilities or equivalent to experience music. Information about upcoming sessions can found @the_salt_foundation contact Choir Master [email protected] to get in touch. 

Interviewer Amy's links can be found here. 

Note - audio transcriptions provided on streaming services are automatically generated and may contain errors. Stories of Community Resilience is supported by a Content Grant from Community Broadcasting Foundation. Purple Planet Music - Track ‘Sunbeam’ Used under creative commons license.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYN media maker Darcy, interviews Ethan Symon. Ethan is a young disabled person who has been an aspiring actor for some time now he is is most well known for his work as a participant at Bus Stop Films, an all abilities filmmaking program. Ethan has starred in two films most notably - Ratbag (2023).

Ethan and Darcy the challenges of being a young disabled person trying to get into the film industry.

Note - audio transcriptions provided on streaming services are automatically generated and may contain errors. 

Stories of Community Resilience is produced by SYN Media and is supported by a Content Grant from Community Broadcasting Foundation. Purple Planet Music - Track ‘Sunbeam’ Used under creative commons license.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hadeel wears many hats - motivational speaker, coach, advocate and Mum are some of her many roles. Today Hadeel speaks about her role as a speaker and advocate - bringing attention to mental health and breaking down stigmas in the community.  

Follow Hadeel: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn 

Interview by Rebecca Maakasa, follow Rebecca on LinkedIn. 

Content Warning: There is discussion of mental health and depression in the context of seeking mental health support. If this episode raises any concerns for you, reach out to a support hotline such as Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia. 

Stories of Community Resilience is produced by SYN Media and is supported by a Content Grant from Community Broadcasting Foundation. Purple Planet Music - Track ‘Sunbeam’ Used under creative commons license.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Awale is a multilingual storyteller born in Somalia and raised in Saudi Arabia after having to leave Somalia due to the Civil War. Well known for his spoken word poetry, Awale has performed on stages all over the world. Awale also has a strong passion for advocating for the rights of refugees, and social justice. Awale is interviewed by SYN volunteer Amira Mahmoud who is an emerging media maker. They discuss his personal journey, how Awale started writing, his involvement in refugee and migrant communities and childhood memories. Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a moving poetry reading in Arabic and English, as a dedication to Gaza.

Content Warning - Confronting discussion of death in the context of war.

A translation for Awale's poem in Arabic about Hargeisa:

"You are the princess of my dreams ... Oo no .. you are the bride of my fantasy
Here I am sailing towards you... while I am lost in my imagination
I am captured by the army of your love … and My foreignness deepened my wounds
I crossed the sea carried by...the ship of longing and love
I have lost my words.. My poems...can you listen to my excuses? Can you forgive me?
Here are some of my melodies… and some of my love formed as verses
Soon soon I will come…and I will jump of joy between your alleys
Hargeisa you are my history ... and you are my most beautiful stories
In you I have witnessed the light in my beginnings .. and surely I will witness my end".

Awale's Links: مدونة عواليات |  Instagram | Surviving the Somali Civil War - Barefaced Stories Performance

Connect with Amira on LinkedIn.

Note - audio transcriptions provided on streaming services are automatically generated and may contain errors.

Stories of Community Resilience is produced by SYN Media and is supported by a Content Grant from Community Broadcasting Foundation. Purple Planet Music - Track ‘Sunbeam’ Used under creative commons license. 'Alf Leila wa Leila / A Thousand and One Nights' Performed by Umm Kulthum (1969) - أم كلثوم licenced in the free public domain. 

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Stories of Community Resilience podcast is produced at youth broadcaster SYN, by emerging media makers. Supported by a project coordinator, the series highlights topics and issues impacting Culturally & Linguistically Diverse communities and celebrates the achievements of culturally diverse people.

To share your story, or if you are a SYN volunteer that would like to produce an episode - email 

[email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Louis Harrison chats with Maggie Zhou about her experience connecting with culture from the other side of the world, the way she communicates with others and her experience developing resilience despite microaggressions and prejudice in society.

Maggie Zhou wears many hats. She’s a writer, editor, podcaster, content creator, speaker, emcee... and more that we couldn’t possibly fit into a list here.

The topics Maggie Zhou covers in her work range from sustainability, internet and pop culture to fashion. You might have read her pieces in some of the country’s top culture publications, perhaps you follow her for (slow) fashion tips or maybe this is the first time her name has come across your orbit. 

Maggie Zhou has a unique and authentic presence you’ve got to keep an eye on.

Transcript available here.

Follow Maggie on Instagram

Follow Louis on Instagram

Note - audio transcriptions provided on streaming services are automatically generated and may contain errors.

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ruhee Meghani, founder of Allied Collective - Australia's first inclusive facilitation and wellbeing agency, interviews Jamal Hakim - City of Melbourne Councillor and Lord Mayor Candidate. Together they discuss Jamal's professional background, the importance of community values, and principle based politics.

Transcript available - click here.

Follow Jamal: Bio Instagram Website   

Follow Ruhee: Allied Collective  LinkedIn Instagram

Ruhee Meghani is an inclusive facilitator and public speaker with over 12 years of teaching and facilitating experience. To support others in their learning journey, Allied Collective was founded to solve the need for impactful, inclusive, and accessible training. Today, Ruhee combines these insights with years of experience in teaching to provide clients with engaging workshops, training, and facilitation.

Note - audio transcriptions provided on streaming services are automatically generated and may contain errors.

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Advertising and marketing thought leader, Romayne Perera, speaks with Ruhee Meghani. Reflecting on Romayne's life experiences - of migration, self-care, and community healing Ruhee & Romayne discuss the impacts of community on collective healing and intergenerational trauma. 

Episode Transcript Available - Click here.

Romayne read somewhere that emotional generosity is the key ingredient to all human relationships and this has been her obsession since. The practice of emotional generosity is particularly important for Romayne, who understands that those in the communications industry are responsible for how messages are distributed, received and acted upon, as well as how they are amplified, managed or quashed. In her work and in her community, Romayne strives to make people feel seen, safe, understood and appreciated; because that's how we can contribute to protecting others' resilience.

Follow Romayne's Work: LinkedIn

Ruhee Meghani is an inclusive facilitator and public speaker with over 12 years of teaching and facilitating experience. To support others in their learning journey, Allied Collective was founded to solve the need for impactful, inclusive, and accessible training. Today, Ruhee combines these insights with years of experience in teaching to provide clients with engaging workshops, training, and facilitation.

Follow Ruhee's work: Allied Collective  LinkedIn Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Note - audio transcriptions provided on streaming services are automatically generated and may contain errors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Story of Community Resilience is produced by Ruhee Meghani. Ruhee speaks with Hala, CEO of the Institute of Non Violence. Ruhee and Hala reflect on ideas about resilience, through the lens of gender, their respective lived experiences of migration, and notions about spirituality and how we can build resilience in ourselves, and respective communities. 

Episode Transcript Available - Click here.

Follow Ruhee's work: Allied Collective  LinkedIn Instagram

Ruhee Meghani is an inclusive facilitator and public speaker with over 12 years of teaching and facilitating experience. To support others in their learning journey, Allied Collective was founded to solve the need for impactful, inclusive, and accessible training. Today, Ruhee combines these insights with years of experience in teaching to provide clients with engaging workshops, training, and facilitation.

Follow Hala's work: Institute of Non-Violence | LinkedIn

Hala is the CEO and Founder of the Institute of Non-Violence, a service that was established to support family violence response across Australia. The Institute offers advanced family violence training programs, clinical supervision and therapeutic services to clients who are using or experiencing violence. It also works to eradicate systemic racism and misogyny.

To share your story, contact Rebecca [email protected] 

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.