Special Refugee Week Edition

Dear subscribers,

Refugee Week kicks off this Sunday the 14th of June and concludes with World Refugee Day on Saturday June 20. This year will be the first virtual Refugee Week. There are range of excellent online events to participate in.

One of the aims of Refugee Week is to invite services reflect on whether are providing the best possible services to refugees. Getting along to one of the events is a great way to start on this reflection!

While Refugee Week is stealing the headlines from COVID-19, we have still included some important new information and resources below. We have published a series of e-Bulletins focused on COVID-19 related information and resources. You can view previous e-Bulletin editions here, or visit our website's COVID-19 Information and Resources page to see a collection of previously circulated resources. If you are not already subscribed to our e-Bulletin, please subscribe here.

Refugee Week Events

Below is a snapshot of the events on offer: you can find the full list of official Refugee Week events on the official Refugee Week website.

On 'welcome': Migration, first nations and refugee communities

This event will be live streamed from the Wheeler Centre's web page on World Refugee Day on Sunday 14 June 2020, 6.15pm-7.15pm. You can sign up here for a reminder email.

Voices from the front line: Refugee women and COVID-19 Forum

Refugee and asylum seeking women and leaders of frontline services share their experiences of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Foundations for Belonging: A snapshot of newly arrived refugees

Join Settlement Services International for the launch of new research that shines a light on the social and civic dimensions of integration. Hear the perspectives of refugees themselves and their everyday experiences of welcome, participation and belonging.

Breaking the silence about LGBTIQ+ refugees

The Forcibly Displaced People Network is hosting a webinar exploring the issues of LGBTIQ+ forced displacement and self-representation of LGBTIQ+ refugees. You can register here. Tickets are limited! Also, you can subscribe to updates from the Forcibly Displaced People Network here.

Local Councils celebrate Refugee Week

A number of local councils across Victoria have Refugee Week celebrations. Check out your local council website for more information.

The City of Whittlesea has a broad range of events on offer, from poetry and creative writing workshops, to community education sessions. The Hume/Whittlesea Refugee Immunisation Project are delivering an online community education session for community leaders and newly arrived communities about the importance of protecting families against vaccine preventable diseases and help answer all questions about how immunisation may effect Centrelink payments and entry into school.

Share your story of strength and healing - Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health

Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health will be digital voices on their social media that celebrate refugees and their healing/coping skills in adversity. If you or someone you know would like to share your story, please contact Kanwal Saleem by Monday the 15th of June.

Multilingual and Easy English resources

The Health Translations Directory June Newsletter is now out! New and notable translated resources cover topics including:

Working with interpreters by phone in a family violence setting. View here.
Managing worry about COVID-19 and diabetes. View here.
Coronavirus screening questions (audio). These translated audio recordings were developed by Bolton Clarke to help protect our clients and residents. T hese questions should be asked before entering a client home or to screen staff and visitors before they enter a residential aged care community or retirement community . View here.

New shareable posters on current restrictions: DHHS together with CultureVerse have created easily shareable PDFs with practical advice in 48 languages on the latest restriction easing. This link takes you to shareable posters in 48 languages. Please share widely!

COVID-19 Information and Resources

Coronavirus (COVID-19) rent relief grant

The Victorian Government is offering rent relief grants for Victorians experiencing rental hardship as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Please see the website for more information. Note: There are no citizenship or permanent residency requirements for applicants. More information about eligibility here.

Centre for Multicultural Youth: MYConnect Support Line

A reminder that CMY are offering support for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds during COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak with their MYConnect phone support service. The service can offer information and assistance to navigate services during this difficult time. Interpreters are available and all staff have been trained to use them if a young person requests one. For more information visit their website or the flyer here.

Free online Mind/body workshops in Arabic and English

A team of team of academics and research assistants from the University of New South Wales have launched the Covid-19 Support for Australian Refugees (CSAR) website (ER information relates to NSW only at this point). The website is promoting free trauma-informed mind/body workshops (in Arabic and English) facilitated by Gina de la Chesnaye. Gina is in the USA is offering classes Thursday mornings 9am Australian time. You can find information about the six week course (which commenced today June 11) in Arabic and English here. For more information and to enroll (on English web page) please go to https://mindoasis.org/classes/workshops-and-series/

Cohealth COVID-19 YouTube Channel

Since COVID19 began the Cohealth team of bi-cultural workers have been busy creating videos in their community languages, to share important and reliable information and to help ensure CALD communities stay safe and strong during these difficult times.

Video topics range from general information relating to COVID19; what is it? How to prevent the spread? what to do if you get sick? How to self-isolate etc. Other topics include; mental health, navigating mygov and Zoom, available services for refugee and asylum seekers, healthy eating and MORE! All videos can be accessed via the Cohealth YouTube channel at this link. As more videos are being created every week, please continue to watch this space!

Coping with COVID-19: Young people’s health and wellbeing in Australia

The Burnet Institute are conducting research on the impact of COVID-19 on young people. Surveys to be conducted at three-month intervals over the next 12 months with a planned end date of August 2021. For more information contact Megan Lim or visit their project webpage here.

Training and Professional Development

The Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health (CEH) offering reduced rates on their Health Literacy eLearning, if you reserve before June 30, see here for more information. You can also browse CEH's other upcoming webinars HERE.

The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House) is now delivering their learning and development calendar online, via Zoom. Upcoming workshops include:

Communities and Trauma: Supporting Recovery from Collective Trauma. Thursday, 25 Jun 09:30 AM - Thu, 25 Jun 03:30 PM Online
Community Capacity Building: Engaging Communities about Mental Health - 30th July 9.30 am - 3.30 pm. Includes free Refugee and Asylum Seeking Experiences online prerequisite training!
Supporting Children and Families of Refugee Backgrounds in the Early Years (FREE).

About the Victorian Refugee Health Network

The Victorian Refugee Health Network brings together health, settlement and community services to be more accessible and responsive to the needs of people from refugee backgrounds, including people seeking asylum. The e-Bulletin provides a regular forum to share news, resources and information to support practitioners and services in providing health care to people from refugee backgrounds.

Connect

You can contact the Victorian Refugee Health Network secretariat at info@refugeehealthnetwork.org.au. You can subscribe to the e-Bulletin here.