LES TWENTYMAN is a youth worker with not-for-profit organisation Open Family Australia and commentator on youth issues and homelessness, named 2006 Victorian of the Year.
SAMAR MOUGHARBEL is a community worker with migrant and refugee women in Melbourne’s south-east and a member of the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Listen:

22 Dec 2006

The festive season leads Samar and Les to recount experiences of working with the upsides and the downsides of social difficulty. Les points out common sleeping spots for homeless people and laments the increase of stabbings occuring in Melbourne that he relates to increased availability of violence inducing drugs like 'ice'. Keeping kids in schools and involved in sporting activities is key he reckons: 'keep 'em in classrooms is better than seeing 'em in courtrooms'. Samar values cultures sharing celebrations together and reminds that in this particular festive season there is a closer than usual confluence of celebratory occassions. What will it be like for women newly arrived in Melbourne from refugee camps?