Built from experience.
Driven by purpose.
What We Are
Common Initiative was founded by a team of migrant students who lived this experience themselves. We arrived in Australia with qualifications, drive, and ambition, but without the networks, the insider knowledge, or the mentors that so many of our peers took for granted. We know the frustration of sending applications into silence, of sitting in lectures surrounded by classmates whose parents could make one phone call and open a door.
We built Common Initiative because we didn't want the next generation to go through it alone. We are a mentoring organisation connecting migrant and refugee university students with experienced industry professionals across Sydney, and we are guided every step of the way by the experience of having been in those students' shoes.
We are not a placement service. We are a human connection, one built by people who understand the pain point from the inside and are now in a position to do something about it.
Our Belief
Mentorship is not charity. It is an investment in potential. Every student we support brings unique perspectives, resilience, and skills that enrich industries and communities.
"Talent is universal. Opportunity should be too."
10+
Mentees
12+
Mentors
5+
Fields
Australia was built by migrants.
Its careers still aren't.
1 in 3
Australians were born overseas, one of the highest rates in the developed world. But migrant and refugee graduates are significantly more likely to be underemployed than their Australian-born peers.
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The gap isn't talent. It's access: the introductions, the insider knowledge, the mentors who open the right doors at the right moments. For students without family in Australian industry, those doors stay closed by default.
We open them.
We pair students with the mentor they'd never have met on their own.
Mentee
A migrant or refugee university student
Studying toward a specific career. Ambitious. Capable. Without a network in their chosen industry.
Mentor
An established industry professional
Working in the student's exact field. Able to offer context, introductions, and honest guidance.
1. Industry clarity
Students learn how their field actually operates, not the brochure version.
2. Real introductions
Warm doors to internships, first roles, and the networks that compound over a career.
3. A pathway forward
A plan grounded in someone who's already walked the road ahead of them.
Our Core Values
These principles guide everything we do at Common Initiative.
Empathy First
Our approach is rooted in lived experience. We understand what it means to navigate a new country, a new system, and a new professional world.
Community
We build lasting communities, not just temporary connections. Our alumni network continues to support and uplift each other.
Equity & Access
Professional networks should not be a privilege of circumstance. Every talented student deserves industry guidance.
Growth Mindset
Every interaction is an opportunity for mutual growth, with mentors and mentees both leaving each session better than before.
Purpose-Driven
Every decision we make is guided by our mission to create equitable pathways to professional success.
Excellence
We are committed to a high-quality mentoring experience that creates real, measurable impact in people's lives.
Our Journey
Where we've been, where we are, and where we're headed.
Where It All Began
Common Initiative was founded in Sydney by David Deng, driven by his own experience as a refugee navigating university without professional networks.
Building the Foundation
We began recruiting mentors, forming partnerships across Sydney, and refining our matching framework.
Growing Our Reach
Our goal is to expand across Victoria, partnering with more universities and industry bodies to support students across a wider range of fields.
A National Movement
We envision Common Initiative operating in every major Australian city, building a nationwide network where no migrant or refugee student navigates their career journey alone.