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| DAA Donor Drive "thank you" messages; photo: Dinesh Liyanage |
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| Amy Rashap. Photo: Nick Chiarizia |
Nicky Reiss: Nothing is Permanent (but the
important things remain the same)
Nicky Reiss is usually the first person any Diaspora Action Australia
(DAA) volunteer will meet. Her green eyes look at you searchingly, yet her face
is friendly and open. Once you start speaking with her, she makes it clear that
she is listening—really listening—to you. This combination of cool-headed analysis
and friendly intuition are just two of the reasons why she has been such an
asset as volunteer coordinator for DAA. There is an even greater number of
reasons why we are all very sad to see her go.
Nicky comes from a cosmopolitan family that exposed her to global
issues. Her father was born in Germany, but was raised in the U.K. Nicky’s
mother, a U.S. citizen, met her future husband while both were students in the U.S. As the owner of a wool business, Nicky’s father often
entertained international visitors at home. She also became interested in international affairs due to her paternal
grandmother, Franziska
Simonis. Born in Germany in 1899 into a Jewish family, Franziska and some
family members were able to escape to the U.K., avoiding internment in
concentration camps. After WWII, Franziska worked as a volunteer in the British
Council for Aid to Refugees (now called the Refugee Council). ‘She helped
refugees settle in the U.K.,’ Nicky recounts. ‘Hearing about this experience
had a huge effect on me—I think it’s one of the reasons why I chose a career
path involving travel and working with people around the world.’
Travel? She’s done it. After university (where she spent time in both Austria
and France), Nicky’s wanderlust took her to Indonesia for two years, as a VSO
(Voluntary Service Overseas) volunteer. While she had wanted to be placed in
China, the VSO decided Indonesia was the place for her. ‘I had visited a friend
in Indonesia for a week,’ Nicky laughs, ‘and when the VSO asked if I had any
experience in that country, I said, “Yes, I have been in Indonesia for seven
days,” and that was enough for them.’
Nicky has lived in the UK, Australia, the US (including Hawaii), Austria,
France, Indonesia, Malta, New Zealand, Timor Leste, DR Congo, and Rwanda. She
has worked for universities, INGOs, and on the UN mission in East Timor
(UNTAET).
If you look up Nicky on Google, you will see that she is a tireless
blogger and tweeter. ‘I began doing online advocacy because of my illness,’ she
said. ‘I was constantly doing research on the internet. I began contacting
people with the same symptoms as me on Facebook. We are all given this
wastebasket diagnosis; we knew research had to be done, and no one was doing
it.’ As a result of these efforts she firmly believes in the value of social
media. ‘For people with disabilities, Facebook is a lifesaver. We created
networks and a wonderfully supportive environment. Through Facebook I learned
about advocacy and it was something that helped me get this job at DAA.’
(Nicky finally found a good doctor in Melbourne, and avows that her
health is now 85 to 90% restored.)
Being volunteer coordinator at DAA is the first job Nicky has held
since 2008, and the organisation has been lucky to have her for more than three
and a half years. ‘What have I loved about this job? The volunteers,’ Nicky
states immediately. ‘I get to meet interesting, amazing people, especially
young people, full of energy and enthusiasm. We’ve had volunteers from Africa,
the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, as well as Australia—and I’ve learnt so
much from each of them. It’s especially exciting to see what each person can
contribute to DAA.’ Nicky proudly relates that several DAA volunteers have
parleyed their skills into careers in international development, finding
placements in Oxfam and Plan International.
Nicky is especially proud of having developed the DAA communications
team from a unit of one individual to a group of writers, web editors,
photographers, social media specialists, and graphic designers. She is also pleased
with how DAA itself has matured: the organisation developed a new strategic
plan in late 2012, and following on from that a communications plan, an income
generation plan, an operational plan and a program logic model.
‘I also believe in this
organisation’s mission: to support diaspora community initiatives; provide resources, information and
training; facilitate dialogue and shared learning,’ she observes. Nicky narrates several
examples of well-meaning Western organisations who have attempted to effect
change in developing countries without having a solid grasp of the local scene.
‘So often, these great-sounding projects just disintegrate because there is no understanding
of how local people live every day,’ she says. ‘It makes more sense to train
people from developing countries—as DAA does—and these people can then bring
back that knowledge to their countries. They know the territory.’
‘I would also like to see Australia recognise that diaspora groups can
play a key role in international development. When we have this recognition, we
might be able to get more funding, work with more groups, and then we can
grow,’ she says optimistically.
Amy Rashap - writer.
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