Lina Ishu is youth leader and community development at STARTTS, which is the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors. STARTTS is a specialist, non-profit organisation that for 30 years has provided culturally relevant psychological treatment and support, and community interventions, to help people and communities heal the scars of torture and refugee trauma and rebuild their lives in Australia. STARTTS also fosters a positive recovery environment through the provision of training to services, advocacy and policy work.
Lina Ishu says there are many Assyrian refugees who ask for the help of the organisation. Almost the majority of clients are Assyrian refugees. she take care of the youth, from the age of 12-24 years old. she takes them to sessions of rehab and get them involved sports activities.
Miss Ishu says it is important to exercise your brain as you do exercise the body so they can function better. She further asserts that most of the youth have bad and terrible experiences as refugees before arriving to Australia, our job is to ease their pain and make them feel settled so they can go on with their life.
Finally Miss Ishu ask the listeners and people who use the services of STARTTS, who can't speak English, to ask for Assyrian interpreters instead of other languages, because we need to preserve the heritage, as language is your identity.
