The Australian Immigrant and Refugee Women's Alliance (AIRWA) is seeking one young woman of immigrant or refugee background from each State and Territory to attend a week of training in Canberra. Selected participants will have their flights and accommodation paid for by AIRWA and will receive training on the Federal Budget process, as well as training in lobbying. Following two days of training, participants will accompany AIRWA board members and staff to Federal Parliament where they will get the opportunity to use their skills to directly lobby politicians on the ratification  of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Applications must be submitted by 5pm EST on 1 February. Events will take place in Canberra between 28 February and 2 March.

Organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations (Vic), Melbourne's annual Chinese New Year celebration held in Chinatown on Little Bourke Street is expected to attract tens of thousands of revellers. This year is especially significant because it will celebrate the Year of the Dragon. This colourful event is an annual highlight of Melbourne's cultural calendar, and showcases the city's rich cultural diversity and heritage. Enjoyed by young and old alike, come along to watch the street parade, sample aromatic Chinese cuisine and learn more about the ancient Chinese culture.

The Multicultural Women's Sewing Group in Brunswick is running a special summer holiday program of sewing and knitting classes. All the workshops are suitable for beginners and involve preparing simple but useful projects. The craft supplies are provided and children of all ages are welcome. The workshops are a great opportunity to learn something new, improve your sewing skills and meet new friends! You do not need to speak English to attend. Volunteers who would like to share their craft skills or assist with the group are also encouraged to come along. For more information contact Jennifer on 0416 049 647 or email her at jennifer.mok@rch.org.au

This new publication by Australian Academic Press entitled, Us and Them: Muslim Christian relations and social harmony in Australia, contains cross-cultural research which provides exceptional insights into the hopes and fears of interacting with people who are different from ourselves. The book consists of 12 different essays which read together paint a picture of the diverse interpretations of interfaith relations and cultural harmony present across Australia today. In turn, the book attempts to offer an often overlooked truth about the interfaith relations as they are believed and expressed by Muslim and non-Muslim Australians.

The City of Hume will celebrate Australia Day in true patriotic style by annoucing its Citizen of the Year at a special ceremony held at the Broadmeadows Town Hall on Thursday 26 January. The Hume Young Citizen of the Year will also be announced at this event which will include a ceremony where 100 residents will officially become Australian citizens. The presentations will be made by Hume City Mayor, Councillor Ros Spence, who said: "The winners of our citizenship awards are shining examples of how everyone can make a positive difference in our community". Free entertainment at the event will include local singer, Avah Nikoll, and a community morning tea.

We love to hear what you have planned. You can submit your events and details of any new resources with a multicultural focus via the form on our website. These get added to our online Community Noticeboard and Events Calendar. Selected listings will be included in the VMC Update each fortnight. Click on the link below to find out what's going on around multicultural Victoria.