Refugee Week in Casey

Transcription

1 Diversity Respect Empowerment Participation Resilience Website: NEWSLETTER # 36 August 2012 Refugee Week in Casey Above: service providers in City of Casey participate in the forum. Right: Deb Holmes, MRC Communities Team Leader speaks with former refugees Albert Mambo and Mladen Krsman In the City of Casey council chamber on World Refugee Day, 20th June, member agencies of the Casey-Cardinia Migrant Settlement Committee (MRC, AMES, Centrelink, City of Casey, Shire of Cardinia, DIAC, Casey North Community Information and Support Service, and Casey Multi-Faith Network) conducted a wellattended forum of service providers to celebrate and explore the changing nature of refugee settlement in this region. Speakers included the Deputy Mayor, Cr Shah Balmes, staff from the MRC and Red Cross. Speakers covered such topics as existing service provider program participation, and recent developments in the delivery of Community Detention and Bridging Visas. Participants also discussed a range of ways in which the service sector can work collaboratively to assist with the successful settlement of refugees into our community. A highlight of the event was a facilitated interview with two young men of different refugee backgrounds, Mr Albert Mambo from Sudan and Mr Mladen Krsman from former Yugoslavia, who is an active community volunteer in the City of Casey. Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for providing funds under the Settlement Grants Program to assist with this event. Delicious authentic Burmese cuisine was provided afterwards by the Free Burma Café of Springvale.

2 Refugee Week in Greater Dandenong On 21 st June, the SMRC, in partnership with City of Greater Dandenong, hosted an indoor soccer tournament at Mills Reserve to celebrate our diverse communities from migrant and refugee backgrounds. It was a cold and rainy night but the that didn t keep dedicated football players and their supporters from attending this event. A total of 4 teams competed in a round-robin format and finals playoffs. Teams were made up of players from migrant and refugee communities, including Sudan and Afghanistan. All games were close and the skill level was very high. After an exciting grand final and nail-biting penalty shoot out, the Big Issue Street Soccer team took out the tournament title, narrowly beating Hazara Legends. 3 rd place went to the AMES Dandenong team, and 4 th place to Reds FC (from Centre for Multicultural Youth). In addition to the soccer matches, players and supporters were entertained by performances throughout the night. Half-time entertainment was provided by talented young female singers from Dandenong High. Closing ceremony entertainment featured the Hip Hop dance troop Culture Crew (provided by Footprints) and guest speaker Josh Bondin from the Melbourne Heart Football Club. SMRC received funding from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Government under the Settlement Grants Program to run this event. We would also like to thank the Rotary Club of Noble Park for providing a free sausage sizzle for all players and supporters on the night. (Top): winners Big Issue Street Soccer team Stuart McGown, James Tut, Mathew Simson, John Langa Langa, Choul Fouch, Michael Myszka, Silviano (Middle): CMY Reds FC team [wearing yellow], AMES Dandenong team [orange], Hazara legends team [green] (Bottom): Culture Crew performing hip-hop routines

3 Positive Ageing SMRC has recently completed a 10-week exercise program for older migrants and we have developed a measurable assessment tool to record our achievements each week, incorporating participants strength, flexibility and agility. Initial, mid-program and final assessments have been conducted by our qualified fitness instructor. Each client s improvement throughout the 10 weeks has been measured. One client s success in this program has been to empower her to become less dependent on carers in her family. At the start of the program, she needed to be accompanied by a family member. But soon after participating she felt such increased confidence and comfort that she was willing and able to board the SMRC bus by herself and to attend the program on her own. Not only has she excelled in all areas of assessment but she has been able to leave behind her cane and a railing that used to provide with a sense of safety and security. She beamed a big smile upon receiving the certificate of completion as she had never received a certificate in her life before, and she is 87. Volunteer Week (1) Meg Cornell and Antonia Legaie, both volunteers in SMRC s Social Support Program, were thanked and acknowledged at the City of Casey Volunteer Award evening on May 18 th with other volunteers in the City of Casey. Meg assists with the Filipino Planned Activity Group held at Brentwood Park Community Centre. She provides delicious meals and encourages the group to participate in all activities. She says she provides the same respect and enthusiasm she would provide her own mother. Meg has volunteered with SMRC for 4 years. Antonia provides friendly visiting to French-speaking clients in their own home. Antonia also juggles full-time employment and family commitments, and is exceptional in her dedication to volunteering, which she has done for 8 years. Meg Cornell, Anne Jones (HACC Programs and Projects team leader), Antonia Legaie Left: Mrs. Cumaravelu and MRC staff member Mary Zettl. Above: Roberto Bautista, fitness instructor, with Rudi Oei

4 Volunteer Week (2) MRC s Social Support Program volunteers celebrated National Volunteers Week at Brentwood Park Community Centre in Berwick. Volunteers from 24 different countries came Kneeling: Cathy Healion, Aged Care Manager; Jenny Semple, CEO; Bernadette Cherry, Social Support Coordinator; Sylvia Wan, PAG team leader. Standing and sitting: SMRC volunteers. together to dance for a Zumba workshop run by Madi Braim. Jenny Semple(CEO) and Catherine Healion (Aged Care Manager) congratulated and thanked the volunteers on their commitment and passion for the program, which provides social support through Friendly Visiting and Planned Activity Groups. Jenny said: It is hard to fully appreciate the value of this regular and individualised support for isolated people. She encouraged the volunteers to continue their great work and to spread the word about their role as we always welcome new volunteers in this program and in our Settlement programs. We would like to thank Dandenong Officeworks, who donated notebooks through their Community Involvement Scheme. Volunteers were presented with notebooks displaying our new name and logo and a message of thanks. We are always looking for more volunteers to support our Friendly Visiting program and our Planned Activities. If you have an hour or more to give each week and would enjoy volunteering in a supportive and dynamic team environment, please call Bernadette on or her at bernadettec@smrc.org.au SMRC volunteers join in the Zumba dance workshop run by Madi Braim.

5 CEO attends conference in Prague This year our CEO Jenny Semple delivered a presentation at the IFA (International Federation on Ageing) 11 th Global Conference on Ageing, in Prague, Czech Republic, entitled Ageing Connects. The conference focused on how technology will radically change and hopefully improve the lives of older people and their communities in an interconnected world. Issues related to the theme of active and healthy ageing, an overarching theme proclaimed by the European Commission for There were 700 delegates present from 63 countries including several organisations and COTA from Australia. Topics included: Older Persons and Development, Advancing Health and Wellbeing into Old Age, Ensuring Enabling and Supportive Environments, and Connected Technologies. A range of high-profile international speakers and workshop leaders, including Jenny, guided delegates through various research and developmental work from various parts of the globe, which included our own Diverse Care program. South Sudanese Forum on Child Protection Southern Migrant & Refugee Centre and Springvale Community Aid & Advice Bureau, through the Refugee Action Program (funded by Office of Multicultural Affairs), held a forum for the South Sudanese on the important topic of child protection at the Department of Human Services in Dandenong on Saturday 7 th July. The forum was the result of months of planning and collaboration. The African Communities Foundation Australia, Child Protection, Victorian Legal Aid, Dept of Justice, Dept of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria Police, the Office of the Child Safety Commissioner, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship developed the program, in partnership with South Sudanese leaders. Presentations by South Sudanese leaders highlighted the differences of parenting children in Australia and Africa as well as differences in protecting children from harm. The forum discussed how the child protection system in Victoria works, and how families may receive assistance from services in the community. Other issues discussed included: how to maintain culture in out of home-care, how agencies and community leaders can work together, improving accessing to education around Victoria s Child Protection laws and how schools can work better with the community. The forum was a part of a wider strategy as the South Sudanese community continues to work with government in developing strategies to improve outcomes for families. For more information, contact Wendy Fox on wendyf@smrc.org.au or phone Kar Kulture Our previous newsletter (May 2012) featured an article about our highly successful Kar Kulture program, which aims to build positive relationships and develop friendships between young people from all backgrounds, whilst restoring a second hand car, with the guidance of an experienced mechanic. Our article featured the generous contribution made to the program by RACV, but we did not mention the equal generosity to this program shown by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), through the Diversity and Social Cohesion Program. If not for the assistance of DIAC, the Kar Kulture program would not have been such a success. We thank DIAC for their funding and we apologise for this omission. For details about MRC services or publications please see our website or contact the Client Services Manager, Mr Bill Collopy, billc@smrc.org.au Page 5

6 VOLUNTEERS WANTED: Driver Education for Refugees We seek volunteers with full driving licence who are committed to helping refugees with driving practice using our comprehensively insured vehicle. These learners have already completed 5 driving lessons with a qualified instructor. For more information, contact Yembeh Forna on or at yembehf@smrc.org.au Careers Mentoring for Refugees We match Year 7 and 8 students from CALD or refugee backgrounds with volunteer mentors to help young people develop career pathways through education and training, and an awareness of good health and emotional well-being. For info, contact Marina Savron on Ph: or at marinas@smrc.org.au Social Support for Aged Care We seek volunteers to support older frail and aged migrants who are socially isolated. Volunteers assist with friendly visiting and social activities. Please contact Bernadette Cherry on or at bernadettec@smrc.org.au Homework Support Program We seek volunteer tutors to help refugee students (Years 7-12) after school with homework skills in Maths and English. For details, please contact Sharon Smith on Ph: or at atiqurr@smrc.org.au or sharons@smrc.org.au

7 Diverse Care is a social enterprise of Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre. Our team of qualified bi-lingual personal care workers provides contracted services for community aged care organisations. Services include personal care, respite and home help services. Our team speaks 50 different languages and can accommodate the needs of clients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Training and support is provided for each of our workers. Languages in demand at present: Greek, Italian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Dari, Vietnamese Suburbs in demand at present: Caulfield, Bulleen, Narre Warren, Knoxfield, Ferntree Gully, Bentleigh, Mentone

8 To become a member of the MRC APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP... Address (Home) - Number and Street, Suburbs, Postcode.... Address (Work) - Number and Street, Suburbs, Postcode Telephone (Home) Telephone (Work) Telephone (Mobile) I wish to become a member of the Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre. I agree to be bound by the Rules of the MRC for the duration of my membership. I enclose a five year membership fee of $10.00 (ten dollars) inc. GST..... Signed... Dated Please state which nationality, cultural or ethnic group you consider you belong to (proof may be requested if necessary)... Ethnic group Languages spoken For details about MRC services or publications please see our Website or contact the Client Services Manager, Mr Bill Collopy, billc@smrc.org.au Page 8