eNewsletter - June 2021 - Gold Coast Multicultural Updates
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Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast June 2021 Newsletter
Meet Greet Eat - Census Edition
Thank you to everyone who joined us earlier this week for our Meet Greet Eat community networking dinner! We had amazing performances from both The Blenders Chorus and Hope Island Dance Group and learned all about the 2021 Census from guest speakers Saga Selsby and Trisha Newton.
As always, we made new connections, shared information and enjoyed each other's company over a delicious meal! A huge thank you (meitaki maata) to Kevin Dando for organising and hosting his last community event with us; it was a wonderful note to end on with so much love and appreciation from community leaders and members for all the work he has done with MCCGC across the Gold Coast over the last several years.
Farewell to our Community Development Officer (CAMS) Kevin Dando!
After six years of service, fun, community development, event coordination, information sharing, support, DJing, MCing and laughter, we are saying farewell to Kevin Dando.
Kevin has led the way in the coordination of many of our community events and programs including our first Australian Citizenship Ceremony, Harmony Day, Walk Together, Waves Forward, Meet Greet Eat, Our Colours Our Stories and Ready, Set, Goal. We appreciate all the incredible work he has done over his tenure within our team and our community and we will miss his enthusiasm and energy!
Kevin’s final day will be Friday 11th June.
Kevin has cultural heritage in the Cook Islands.
So, in the Cook Islands 'Farewell' is “Ka Kite” (Kah-kee-teh).
Ka Kite Kevin!
Another Successful Waves Forward Expo!
Last Tuesday we held our second 'Waves Forward' Expo at Keebra State High School.
The program engages Pacific Islands and New Zealand Maori Youth with cultural awareness training and career workshops from businesses and Government organisations around the Gold Coast and Australia!
The students acknowledged cultural traditions, got to listen to some wisdom from some inspiring people, learnt the importance of having an after school 'plan' and how to work together in a team to achieve success (oh and some dancing)!
Check out the video below to have a peek into what we got up to on the day!
COVID-19 Public Health Alert
The Queensland Government has declared Victoria a hotspot and introduced border restrictions.
This started from Friday 1am 28 May 2021.
Victoria has begun a statewide lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19. Anyone who has been in Victoria in the last 14 days should go and get tested immediately if they have any symptoms. You cannot visit hospitals, residential aged care facilities, or disability accommodation services in Queensland if you have been to Victoria in the last 14 days.
Check out the following links for more information:
- Plain-English Public Health Directive
- Translated COVID-19 information
- Victorian Lockdown Places of Concern & Questions
- Contact Tracing
- Testing & Fever Clinics
If you feel worried, scared or sad about COVID-19 you can phone Multicultural Connect on 1300 079 020 and ask for an interpreter if you need language support.
We're excited to be expanding our team across South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales and are looking for dedicated individuals to join us.
As part of our 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, we are recruiting a range of new positions and increasing service delivery across several areas to support more community members in the regions we serve.
Join our team to help make a difference in your community and work with a diverse group of people who love what they do!
MCCGC Roles
CÜRA Roles
- Clinical Care Manager (Full time) - Ashmore, Gold Coast
- Care Advisor - Clinical (Full time) - Gold Coast Region
- Community Pathway Connector (Part time - Outer Limit)- Ashmore, Gold Coast
- Team Leader (Full time) - Tweed Region
- Care Advisor (Part time)- Cabool and Sunshine Coast Regions
- Home Care Worker (Community & Centre-Based) - Cabool and Tweed Regions
- Home Care Workers (Part time & Casual)- Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Moreton and Tweed Regions
- CÜRA Care Support (Full time)- Ashmore, Gold Coast
If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact our People and Culture Officer Vanessa on 0428 684 721 or via email vanessaw@mccgc.com.au
Update from MCCGC Board of Directors
Our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Suzanne Graham will be taking a combination of annual and long service leave. Suzanne’s leave will commence on 2 July 2021 and she will return to work in January 2022.
The organisation is in a strong position to cover Sue’s leave. Our current Chief Operating Officer (COO) Rose Vearing will step in as acting CEO for the Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast (MCCGC) and CÜRA during this period.
We are confident that Rose, the executive team and senior staff will continue to deliver effective service to our clients and the multicultural community over this six-month period.
We wish Sue the very best for her well-earned break.
National Reconciliation Week 2021
Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2021, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action.
The dates for NRW are the same each year; 27 May to 3 June.
These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
History of National Reconciliation Week (NRW)
NRW started as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993 (the International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples) and was supported by Australia’s major faith communities. In 1996, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation launched Australia’s first NRW.
In 2001, Reconciliation Australia was established to continue to provide national leadership on reconciliation.
In the same year, approximately 300,000 people walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of National Reconciliation Week-and subsequently across bridges in cities and towns-to show their support for reconciliation.
Today, National Reconciliation Week is celebrated in workplaces, schools and early learning services, community organisations and groups, and by individuals Australia-wide.
NRW 2021 at MCCGC
This year MCCGC attended the Gold Coast Titans Reconciliation Week celebrations, with our Community Development Officer (CAMS) Kevin Dando MCing the event.
Additionally, we attended the launch of the Gold Coast Health Board Statement of Reconciliation at the Gold Coast University Community Garden.
Learn more about National Reconciliation Week and what it means for Australians here.
Our ‘I Speak Your Language’ program is coming to an end as of Friday 25th June 2021, as funding will cease then.
The program was a response to social isolation during COVID-19 and has allowed us to help multicultural community members across Queensland with regular social phone calls in their own language.
Over the course of the last year, we’ve had over 100 dedicated volunteers delivering phone calls in over 50 languages, averaging 291 hours per month of conversation.
We’d like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to our incredible volunteers who shared their language, listening skills and time with our participants and helped them feel connected and supported through these difficult times.
A big thank you to everyone who was involved in the I Speak Your Language Program!
UNITED NATIONS - World Refugee Day 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic and the recent anti-racism protests have shown us how desperately we need to fight for a more inclusive and equal world: a world where no one is left behind.
It has never been clearer that all of us have a role to play in order to bring about change. Everyone can make a difference.
This is at the heart of UNHCR World Refugee Day, coming up on 20 June 2021.
This year, the UNHCR aims to remind the world that everyone, including refugees, can contribute to society and Every Action Counts in the effort to create a more just, inclusive, and equal world.
Every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror.
Settlement Engagement Transition Support Program (SETS)
MCCGC's Settlement Engagement Transition Support Program (SETS) supports and empowers refugees and eligible permanent migrants to address their settlement needs in order to improve social participation, economic well-being, independence, personal well-being and community connectedness.
The SETS program is available to humanitarian entrants and certain family stream visa holders in their first five years in Australia.
Member of the Month
Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin Gold Coast (GOPIOGC)
Welcome to our newest organisational members GOPIOGC!
What is GOPIOGC?
The Global Organization of People with Indian Origin (GOPIO) is a non-partisan, secular global organization engaged in promoting the well-being of people of Indian origin and enhancing cooperation and communication between Indian diaspora around the world.
GOPIO is an international network of people, of Indian origin, helping each other to grow, flourish and nurture their Indian roots.
When was GOPIOGC founded?
GOPIO was founded at the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin in New York in 1989.
GOPIO Queensland was established in 2007.
GOPIO have multiple wings with different priorities, with our head office being on the Gold Coast.
What does the GOPIOGC do?
The initial intention of GOPIO was fighting human rights violation of Indian people around the world.
Although the past decade has seen human rights violations improve dramatically for persons of Indian origin (PIOs); human rights violations continue to be the major issue for PIOs throughout the globe. GOPIO advocates for the human rights of PIOs.
In addition, the GOPIOGC operates a Business Council helping emerging PIO entrepreneurs start their businesses.
GOPIOGC have a working Women’s Council focusing on women’s health issues, domestic violence and celebrating motherhood.
They also have a working Youth Council which facilitates workshops and career advice for PIO youth in Queensland.
We will be sharing GOPIOGC's upcoming community events across our social media channels over the coming months, so stay tuned!
If you are interested in learning more about the work GOPIOGC do, visit their website here.
MCCGC Membership Program
Join the family and be part of the peak multicultural organization of the Gold Coast, support us to continue to make the community more inclusive and enjoy the Membership Program benefits.
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Kombumerri People of the Yugambeh Language Region, and pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We extend our respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and acknowledge their ongoing connection to land, sea, culture and community.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Census Jobs Dashboard
There are job opportunities available for the 2021 Census including Field Managers, Field Officers, and Support Centre Supervisors and Team Leaders. To see all jobs and more information on the Census, click below.
The Migrant Centre - Training & Employment
Community Work Skills offers tailored assistance to disadvantaged Queenslanders to gain nationally recognised skills and vocational qualifications up to Certificate III level. Eligible students under the Skilling Queenslanders for Work programs can train in nominated courses at no cost to participants.
For more information on how you can apply, click below.
Breast Screening Beenleigh
The BreastScreen Queensland Gold Coast service mobile unit will be at The Beenleigh Bowls Club until 29 July, offering free breast cancer screening to women, without current breast cancer symptoms. Women aged 40 and older can book a free breast screen by calling 132 050.
CÜRA is a branch of MCCGC (Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast Ltd) and specialises in providing tailored care services including CÜRA Kitchen, CÜRA Active Living, CÜRA Health & Well-being and CÜRA In-Home Support. Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast Ltd trading as CÜRA Community Services.
