The Australian and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies (ANZALS) is delighted to bring you the final ‘ANZALS in Conversation’ event for 2025!

Have you ever thought about making a difference in your community by doing impactful research that they can use, but weren't sure how to go about it? Well this session has been designed with you in mind so read on!

We will be in conversation with panellists from the University of Technology Sydney and the Somali Welfare & Cultural Association, who worked together on a significant project. They will share their experiences with us - how they got started, what the challenges and moments of joy were, how they learned to work successfully together, and their insights and advice for others wanting to do the same! There will also be an opportunity for you to have your burning questions answered.

Time conversion as follows...
3pm Thursday 25 September New Zealand
1pm Thursday 25 September AEST
11am Thursday 25 September AWST
4am Thursday 25 September BST (UK)
8pm Wednesday 24 September PDT (US)

Adama Kamara has over 20 years working in refugee services, health, and local government as well as experience supporting newly arrived refugees from her home country of Sierra Leone. She works in refugee advocacy and volunteers on a range of community projects, raising awareness about the experience of refugees and community development projects with African communities in western Sydney. She has a passion for community-led initiatives and is an advocate for meaningful participation, and has led several co-design projects with diverse communities.

Fatma Mohamed is a community development professional with over 25 years’ experience in social welfare, cultural development, and grassroots advocacy. She has focused on supporting migrant and refugee communities, particularly African diaspora groups in Western Sydney. She co-founded the Somali Welfare & Cultural Association and the Africultures Festival, a major annual event celebrating African cultures, inclusion, and community engagement.

Pavlina Jasovska is a Senior Lecturer in International Business & Strategy at UTS Business School. She studies how organisations develop strategies in markets where society holds conflicting cultural values and expectations. Her current research projects focus on authenticity and sense of place of craft and artisan firms and legitimacy work in migrant- and refugee-led organisations.

Najmeh Hassanli is a Senior Lecturer at UTS Business School whose research explores how community-led organisations foster inclusion, belonging, and resilience. Her work highlights the transformative role of leisure in empowerment and resistance, particularly for migrants and refugees, using participatory methods to inform socially just and culturally responsive organisational and policy practices.