In 2012, Syria, the place Simon Shahin called home became unrecognisable.
Caught amidst the civil war in the Syrian capital Damascus, Simon and his family’s lives changed forever.
“We were living in limbo and just surviving from death. To describe how Syria was during the war, there was daily mortar shelling. Constant stray bullets. Constant car explosions. A complete carnage of innocent souls. It was horrific to experience.”
The entire country, one of the oldest countries in the world was raised to the ground. The capital Damascus is 7000 years old and now it is destitute, the infrastructure has collapsed.
Simon and his family had no choice but to flee war-torn Syria in 2015, praying for a new life and opportunities in Australia.
“It may seem silly but being on an airplane for the first time or in another country when a person has been at war for so long, any hope can be overwhelming”.
When Simon arrived he had a lot of PTSD, which affected his sleep and made daily life difficult.
“Even for example if a balloon popped, a window closed, I would be jumping to the ground. I used running and sport to cope. I learnt to play the piano.”
Simon began his Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical, sub majoring in renewable energy at UTS. He sought to repay his gratitude by giving back and became involved with UTS Shopfront’s SOUL program. Beginning his volunteering with the Red Cross, Simon became part of the Youth Advisory Committee, greatly developing his confidence and facilitation skills. As part of this membership Simon travelled to regional areas, including Dubbo, to respond to the need in drought stricken communities and grow Red Cross membership base.
“In many workshops I would always try and be the first to start the conversation, break the ice.
Instead of leadership I try and use facilitation, because who am I leading. I’m actually facilitating a whole group of people who are talented but they don't have the courage to stand up and speak in front of everyone.”
He notes the many camouflaged barriers to success refugees face, an area Simon feels strongly about and which motivated his involvement with the Refugee Council of Australia. He has also assisted with VIVID Sydney and World Vision initiatives.
He also recently completed the UTS Accomplish Award program, which is designed to enhance participants employability success through a series of interactive workshops and experiential events.
“Volunteering and programs such as SOUL, they remind us of these core and fundamental skills and values that we sometimes forget - empathy, accessibility, respect and so on.”
The valuable skills gained through these programs Simon has put to use in internships in the renewable energy sector, interning at Endeavor Energy and currently undertaking an internship at AusGrid.
“I’ve always been passionate about the environment, because of my father. Before we left he founded the organisation the Syrian Environment Protection Society and they ran lots of projects in Syria to try to raise awareness and insert environmentalism inside school curriculum.”
Despite everything he has overcome and all the selfless acts, Simon remains humble and is always looking towards the future. He plans to undertake a university exchange to Japan or participate in a UTS BUILD program to continue giving back.
“The reason I’m so determined is that my life stopped for a while. In brief I don’t take my life or opportunities for granted anymore. Deprivation caused me to be more grateful for that.”
He describes his biggest influences as being Bill Gates and Steve Irwin.
“I’m also of course grateful for my family. Moving to Australia has allowed my Mum to follow her own dreams and run her own business.”
“You know the best way people can be grateful. By being successful and giving back. That's actually what I’ve found is the best way because no matter how much we thank them [our parents] it's never enough. We are their investments.”
When asked his thoughts on the bushfires and what he envisages for our future, Simon said:
“We have something called democracy which we aren’t actually using. Greta Thunberg is amazing. She shows what one voice can do. We should be the people who select and make the choices. If more people are aware of the situation, there will be more influence on the decision making. Until then I will do my part and I will encourage everyone to do their part. Learn about the issue, create less waste, use resources efficiently, avoid food waste.”
Simon's character, positivity and contribution to society is awe-inspiring. As Simon put it best, “Australia misses out on a lot of good refugees”.