When Susana Ng saw rising racism in communities and a lack of safe spaces for people of colour to talk about racism, she jumped into action, initiating the NSW Anti-Racism Working Group.
Ng leads the group and collaborates with a range of workers in government and NGOs to amplify the voices of those working at the forefront of anti-racism, community development and advocacy efforts.
While her work particularly gives voice to people of colour, she says: “In the area of anti-racism, the onus of changes shouldn’t be on people who are affected by racism/ discrimination – we also need more people who can use their privilege to promote systemic change, to create a more inclusive and equitable community for everyone.”
Ng was named the Emerging Leader in the Public & University Sector at the 2021 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards for her inspiring work in the community. With over 20 years of experience in community development, policy and management in Australia and Hong Kong, she is determined to nurture the new generation of activists and community development professionals.
In addition to her work with the NSW Anti-racism group, she’s also the Program Manager for the City of Sydney’s multi-award winning International Student Leadership and Ambassador Program, and a range of programs promoting social cohesion in the City of Sydney.
As a former international student herself, Ng understands the unique challenges faced by those coming to Australia to pursue education, including interpersonal racism and systemic racism. She is a powerful force in advocating for their voices to be heard, linking them to support services and creating safe spaces for them to thrive.
Through the hardships of the pandemic, her work with international students has been vital to their wellbeing and, since borders have reopened, continues to be essential to Australia’s economic recovery by supporting those who left to return to NSW. Her leadership in the NSW Anti-Racism Working Group is also carving new pathways for inclusivity and Ng has seen first-hand the importance of providing a psychologically safe environment for everyone.
Here, Ng gives an update on the work she’s been doing since her win at the 2021 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards and shares insightful advice for making big things happen.
Nominations and entries for the 2022 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards close in August. Check out more here.
Can you tell us about a key project or work that you’ve been pursuing over the past year?
I continue to lead the NSW Anti- Racism Working Group with a range of workers from government and NGOs, particularly to give a voice to people on the coal face working on anti-racism, community development and advocacy, it particularly amplifies the voices of people of colour. The group provided input to the Australian Human Rights Commission on the development of the National Anti-Racism Framework, the Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool– a free, online, confidential self-assessment tool to support organisations to strengthen their approach to cultural diversity and anti-racism and submissions into Improving crisis communications to culturally and linguistically diverse communities from an anti-racism lens.
Can you give us any updates on your work with the International Student Leadership and Ambassador Program?
The fifth cohort of the City’s International Student Leadership and Ambassador (ISLA) program commenced in January 2021 and concluded on 25 June. The ISLA program leadership trains and co-designs projects in collaboration with international student leaders to address the needs of international students and provide a platform to amplify their voices in the community. With mentoring and support, this cohort of 31 international student ambassadors delivered 23 online and in person events with close to 1,300 international students attending during their 18-month ambassadorship.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the ISLA team played a pivotal role in supporting the wellbeing and connections of international students; and in the recovery phase, linking the broader international student communities to support services such as cultural festivals, mental health and wellbeing workshops, a movie night and game nights, providing a home away from home while students couldn’t return to their country at the peak of the pandemic. Events were also delivered to help international students improve their employability skills, including three employment panels and 10 career essential workshops. Upon completion of the program, many of our international student ambassadors also secure employment in the government and corporate sectors.
The ISLA program also builds international students’ capacity to influence policy, programs and services that affect their life in Sydney. ISLA ambassadors have gained confidence and skills to take on a range of leadership roles within their university and community to influence decision making. Many have spoken at national and state conferences and participated in a range of federal, state, City of Sydney and non-government organisation consultations, providing input to policy, programs and services to ensure the processes are inclusive and responsive to the needs of international student communities.
Since the border reopening, ISLA ambassadors have worked in partnership with Study NSW to share their international education experience and tips, and to act as the face of welcoming international students returning to NSW. This has been an important contribution to the City’s community and economic recovery.
How would you describe your current role and job?
It is rewarding to be able to nurture the new generation of leaders and work closely with the community and NGOS sector to build community capacity, to co-design projects with the community to address community needs and to support their aspirations. They are the experts of their life.
What’s your career and life been like over the past year?
The award has provided a platform to promote the importance of anti-racism, social cohesion and diversity and inclusion work. I have been invited to speak at a number of conferences such as the Welcoming Australia Symposium and the upcoming The Australian Women’s Leadership Symposium-Sydney.
It has been hectic in life in general, as a mom of two teenage sons, the pandemic has been taking a toll on young people so supporting their health and mental health in general has been a big focus and concern.
I have also had conversations with many women in various workplaces; as many workplaces have plans surrounding returning to the office and/or working from home, it’s important for workplaces to work in consultation with their workforce to provide a flexible working and compassionate environment to support people’s work life balance during and post pandemic, it’s particularly important for women as they still carry the majority of the carer roles.
What do you believe urgently needs to change for women in your current area of work or focus?
While there is increasing awareness and support of gender equity in the workplace, it’s important to use an intersectional lens on gender issues to ensure that women from diverse cultural backgrounds, particularly Black, Indigenous and Women of Colour are represented in this advocacy. The majority of the workplace leadership continues to be white and doesn’t reflect the diversity of the community. The definition of leadership continues to be based on the white lens that locks and blocks Indigenous and People of Colour, more so women from these backgrounds out of leadership roles. It’s well documented in the Diversity Council’s Racism at Work: How Organisations Can Stand Up to and End Workplace Racism | Diversity Council Australia (dca.org.au). It’s also important for workplaces to provide a psychologically safe environment for everyone to thrive.
What advice do you have for women who are looking to push the status quo on trying to achieve better outcomes for others?
The journey could be personally and professionally challenging so ensure you have a supportive network to work together and support each other to tackle the status quo. Make sure we also take care of ourselves to protect our own wellbeing. At times I feel guilty for not being able to do more, however, in the area in anti-racism, the onus of changes shouldn’t be on people who are affected by racism/ discrimination, we also need more people who can use their privilege to promote systemic change, to create a more inclusive and equitable community for everyone.
What, generally, is your best career tip for making big things happen?
To work in collaboration with others to leverage the diversity of ideas, resources, and collective power to advance systemic changes. Systemic challenges need a systemic approach to address the root issues. To develop inclusive leadership skills so we can inspire others to work on this seismic change together.
Nominations and entries for the 2022 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards close in August. Check out more here.