Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast -November 2020 Newsletter 

National Unity Week #TogetherWeRise

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate National Unity Week in October! 

Special shout out to Andro Engelbrecht, an amazing local Gold Coast photographer who helped us with a project to share stories and advice from our staff, volunteers and students! You can check out more of his work here: https://androphotography.com 

And thank you to everyone who entered our photo competition. The lucky winners are:

1) Keebra Park SHS Intensive English Centre (IEC) whose talented students created a huge mural of self portraits to show that #TogetherWeRise.The result was absolutely incredible and a wonderful representation of the diversity and unity of the Gold Coast. The students in the IEC come from all around the world including Vietnam, Kenya, India, Pakistan, Germany, Thailand, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Philippines, Iran and China! #LearnTogether

2) Thia Taylor who celebrated with her friends outdoors - "No matter sunshine or rainy day... we are out there #PlayTogether

3) Nannie Patterson whose granddaughters, Charlotte & Lucinda, celebrated with traditional Russian National Dancing! #DanceTogether

Thank you to everyone who sent through photos, we loved sharing in your celebrations and learning about different cultures!

#TogetherWeRise

We'd like to support more multicultural Queenslanders!

Our I Speak Your Language program connects socially isolated Queenslanders with a friendly volunteer for a weekly social phone call in their language. We would like to reach more Queenslanders who speak the following languages as we have volunteers ready and waiting to offer friendly support!

• Hebrew
• Bengali
• Shona
• Hindi
• Vietnamese
• Dari
• Punjabi
• Tamil
• Indonesian
• Farsi
• Zimbabwean,
• Amharic (Ethiopian)
• Malaysian
• Italian
• Lithuanian
• Romanian

We are also looking for volutneers who speak Oromo, Thai, Amharic, Croatian & Cantonese.

If you would like to register or refer someone, click here to download our registration form. You can also call 1800 95 40 40 or email ispeak@mccgc.com.au to join the program. 

Understanding disability and the NDIS can be difficult for many multicultural people and communities and our CÜRA team is here to help. We have dedicated staff ready to support individuals to navigate the NDIS and to assist organisations in improving their cultural awareness to better serve multicultural clients.

You can get in touch with our NDIS Community Connectors by phone or email:

Gold Coast NDIS Community Connector

Carla Carneiro | 0427 626 723 | carlac@curacares.com

Sunshine Coast NDIS Community Connector 

Helen Wilkinson | 0427 601 910 | helenw@curacares.com

https://www.mccgc.com.au/cura-services/ndis/ 

NAIDOC Week 2020 Gold Coast

NAIDOC Week is coming up 9-15 November and Kalwun has organised two events on the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast NAIDOC Week Flag Raising 

Monday, November 9, 2020 9:00 am - 10:30 am

Join the celebration of NAIDOC Week with performances, a flag raising ceremony and notable speakers. Light refreshments will be provided.

Please arrive at 9am for a 9.30am start.

RSVP essential. Email headoffice@kalwun.com.au by COB Friday 6 November.

Please note: Due to COVID gathering restrictions, there are limited numbers allowed at this event. All those interested must RSVP. RSVPs cannot be accepted after 6 November. All attendees will be required to complete a pre-screening form and temperature test and must stay at home if unwell or have a cough, fever, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath.

Gold Coast Titans NAIDOC Event

Thursday, November 12, 2020 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

An event for the whole family with kids activities, information stalls, musical/dance performances and food and drinks.

All Kalwun events are alcohol and smoke free and follow COVIDSafe event guidelines.

NAIDOC Week Theme - Always Was, Always Will Be.

Always Was, Always Will Be. recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.

This country was criss-crossed by generations of brilliant Nations.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists.

NAIDOC Week 2020 acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact whether in 1770 or 1606 - with the arrival of the Dutch on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula.

NAIDOC 2020 invites all Australians to embrace the true history of this country – a history which dates back thousands of generations.

It’s about seeing, hearing and learning the First Nations’ 65,000+ year history of this country - which is Australian history. We want all Australians to celebrate that we have the oldest continuing cultures on the planet and to recognise that our sovereignty was never ceded.

Always Was, Always Will Be.

Download the National NAIDOC Logo and other social media resources
 

COVID 19 Updates

Multilingual Resources

Queensland Health is working closely with key stakeholders across the state to ensure that people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds have access to current, culturally appropriate and translated COVID-19 information. 

To view transalted easy-read resources you can visit: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/support-and-resources/translated-resources 

Borders - Stage 5 from 1am 3 November 2020

NSW: Visitors and returned travellers from New South Wales (excluding people who have been in the 32 Sydney Local Government Areas identified as hotspots in the last 14 days) can enter Queensland with a valid Queensland Border Declaration Pass without having to complete mandatory quarantine.

• Bayside
• Blacktown
• Burwood
• Camden
• Campbelltown
• Canada Bay
• Canterbury-Bankstown
• Cumberland
• Fairfield
• Georges River
• Hornsby
• Hunters Hill
• Inner West
• Ku-Ring-Gai
• Lane Cove
• Liverpool
• Mosman
• North Sydney
• Northern Beaches
• Parramatta
• Penrith
• Randwick
• Ryde
• Strathfield
• Sutherland Shire
• Sydney
• The Hills Shire
• Waverley
• Willoughby
• Wollondilly
• Woollahra
• Unincorporated (this is Sydney Harbour)

.

Multicultural Initiative Project - Gold Coast Health

Gold Coast Health nurse Ya-Ling Huang has seen how her multicultural background has helped staff and patients at Gold Coast University Hospital.

This prompted Ya-Ling to develop the Multicultural Initiative project with the support of her colleagues. It was launched last month to promote and embrace the cultural diversity of our workforce and patients.

Ya-Ling is a registered nurse in the respiratory unit and a clinical nurse researcher in the emergency department at the Gold Coast University Hospital.

In her clinical practice, she has often looked after Chinese patients as she is the only person on the ward that speaks the language and understand the culture which was embedded in Taiwan, where she grew up.

In Taiwan she worked as a registered nurse, clinical facilitator and nurse educator. She came to Australia as an international student and eventually settled on the Gold Coast. It has been a significant transition in her life and nursing career coming from a non-English speaking country to an English-speaking multicultural society in Australia where the culture, language and system are different.

“We hope that the outcome of this project will help raise cultural awareness and challenges faced by staff from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds as well as faced by staff who care for patients from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Also, it will help provide a supportive and respectful work environment and build bonds among staff within the workforce as well as improve communication and patient experience.”

Support for Deaf CALD Community Members 

Do you know any Deaf mulitcultural individuals who need support with communication? Deaf Services has worked with many individuals to assist with communication barriers and collaborates with service providers to ensure the best supports are offered suitable to their needs. 

If you know any Deaf multicultural people who need support or your organisation would like to provide better support for Deaf individuals, please reach out to Deaf Services at dsq@deafservices.org.au or visit their website https://www.deafservices.org.au/. 

Members of the Month 

Currumbin Clinic

International students are at increased risk of experiencing poor mental health, with isolation from families and culture, language barriers, financial stress and academic pressures attributing. Globally, universities compete to attract the best students, however, they have a responsibility to address the unique mental health concerns of their international community. This year, especially with COVID-19 to navigate, greater challenges have presented in providing psychological support and crisis management. As a result of exposure to multiple stressors, international students are particularly vulnerable to developing anxiety, mood and stress-related disorders, which can impact multiple domains of functioning, including academia. While some students will seek mental health specialists many won't, especially if mental illness is stigmatised in their home country. 

Currumbin Clinic recognises these challenges, offering help and support to international students with their mental health.  Working closely with Universities and insurance providers to cover international students, Currumbin Clinic’s 104 bed private mental health facility delivers high quality care and positive patient outcomes.  Regarded as the centre of excellence in mental health on the Gold Coast, our team assists international students with a variety of mental health and addiction concerns including anxiety and mood disorders, resilience, and addiction to substance.  Offering inpatient stays, day patient programs and outpatient appointments, we can help students on the road to recovery. To discuss the best options for treatment please contact our admissions and assessments team on 1800 119 118.

Momentum Collective

Building momentum in local communities

Momentum Collective has a proud 40 year history of delivering essential services across communities spanning from South East Queensland in the north to Tweed, Richmond, Clarence Valley and Far North Coast regions of New South Wales in the south.

Our diverse services provide support to people living with disabilities, women and children escaping domestic and family violence, specialist homelessness services for Aboriginal people, people living with mental health issues and low income individuals and families in need of affordable housing.

We provide person centred programs that are tailored to meet the support needs of individuals. Our purpose is to operate as a community collective creating real social change and inclusive opportunities for everyone.

With the introduction of the NDIS we have expanded our workforce to meet a growing need for disability supports and housing in our local regions. We provide 24/7 housing and support for people living with disabilities including people experiencing mental health issues.

These services allow people living with disabilities to maintain their independence and increase their community participation with the support of dedicated workers.

We are expanding our Supported Independent Living (SIL) program with an exciting new development in Logan in collaboration with Adapt Housing.

This project will deliver several brand new, purpose build homes will be accessible to NDIS participants who are eligible Supported Disability Accommodation.

If you would like more information about our SIL programs please contact Laura Kennedy at Momentum Collective by calling 1300 900 091 or visit our website to find out about all of our programs and services www.mymomentum.org.au

MCCGC Membership Program

Join the family and be part of the peak multicultural organisation of the Gold Coast, support us to continue to make the community more inclusive and enjoy the Membership Program benefits.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Good story of the month

Our Japanese Club is back on! Our members hadn't seen each other since March and were very happy to be reunited again at our CÜRA Wellness Centre for some Zumba and socialising over delicious food.

We are bringing back more of our group activities with new COVID-safe plans in place including translated information and smaller group numbers to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe.

If your cultural community group needs assistance with your own COVID-safe plans, we can help. Contact Jennie Burton at jennieb@mccgc.com.au to get support!

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.