Emerging Issues 2008-09

In 2008–09 funding was been awarded to seven projects to respond to emerging issues. Summaries of the projects are provided below:

Organisation: Australian Multicultural Foundation
Project Name: Cultural Diversity Management Pilot Training Program
Location: Melbourne, VIC and Adelaide, SA
Amount: $132 800
Project Summary:
The Cultural Diversity Management Pilot Training Program will develop a training package for small, medium and large enterprises to facilitate better understanding of cultural diversity and how to manage it effectively.  The project aims to improve workplace relationships, teamwork, productivity, market knowledge, community relationships, customer service and competiveness. 

The training package includes a facilitator manual, participant training materials and a guide to practical resources and support which will be piloted in four workshops in Adelaide and Melbourne.  An anticipated 60 businesses will be involved in the pilot program.  The workshops will be combined with strong attitudinal research surveying pre- and post- workshop concerns, attitudes and practices of participants.
See: http://amf.net.au/news/managing-cultural-diversity-training/

Organisation: Camden Council
Project Name: Camden Local Government Area Community Harmony Strategy
Location: Camden, NSW
Amount: $192 000
Project Summary:
The Camden Local Government Area Community Harmony Strategy will conduct activities over a two year period to plan, develop and implement an integrated, whole of area community harmony strategy.  The strategy involves working with a variety of stakeholders to engage residents in old and new areas of the LGA in place based, inter-cultural activities and events. 

Activities will include: school community harmony projects; an inter-faith network; a mosaic public art; textile / quilting workshops and exhibitions for women from the new and old areas of Camden; living libraries; intergenerational, inter-cultural exchange through digital imaging workshops and exhibitions; and community workshops and a celebratory events for Harmony Weeks in 2009 and 2010.

Organisation: Multicultural Youth South Australia (MYSA)
Project Name: Multicultural Youth Connections Program
Location: Adelaide, SA
Amount: $200 500
Project Summary:
The Multicultural Youth Connections Program is a two year project to engage at risk youth aged between 12 and 28 years.  The activities include roundtable forums with African and mainstream youth; African community and mainstream leaders; youth initiated community capacity building projects; camps for youth; opportunities for youth to link with a mentor/role models and training workshops to provide participants with the information, knowledge and skills to respond to emerging issues affecting youth. 

The project will also produce a strategies paper, sharing the learnings from the project, and an e-media campaign aimed at the broader community in South Australia.

Organisation: Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)
Project Name: National Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network
Location: Nationwide
Amount: $285 000
Project Summary:
The National Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (NMYAN) will develop a national coordinated approach to advocacy on multicultural youth issues.

This project will support key objectives of the NMYAN by increasing collaboration and coordination between states and territories when advocating on behalf of multicultural youth in Australia and by building capacity in the youth sector.
Project activities include:

  • promotion of the NMYAN as a national body, including strengthening strategic partnerships and developing a dedicated website
  • delivering capacity building activities in each state and territory to develop the capacity of state/territory multicultural youth sector networks
  • development of a sustainability strategy to resource the network beyond 2011.

Organisation: Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth)
Project Name: Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD) Program
Location: Whittlesea, Shepparton, VIC
Amount: $200 000
Project Summary:
This project aims to improve health and social and economic outcomes by reducing race-based discrimination and promoting diversity through a whole-of-community approach. The LEAD Program will involve intensive and coordinated activities in the Whittlesea and Shepparton local government areas and an evaluation to inform future strategy development.

The LEAD Program focus is on whole of community and organisational responses to people from migrant, refugee, Indigenous, Muslim and other backgrounds and on settings which research has indicated are common sites of discrimination. These include education, employment, sporting and retail settings. The Program being undertaken in partnership with the two participating local governments, The University of Melbourne, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and Beyondblue, the national depression initiative.

Organisation: Victorian Arabic Social Services (VASS)
Project Name: We Are One project
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Amount: $160 000
Project Summary:
The We Are One project will engage both new and second generation migrant youth in eight secondary schools in the Hume, Moreland, Whittlesea and Hobson’s Bay local government areas to address the issues of disempowerment and alienation.

Specific activities include: community consultations with youth, schools and parents; work with parents’ associations; personal development and behaviour change programs and workshops for disengaged youth; policing information sessions; cultural training programs; peer mentoring and employment assistance. A cross-cultural manual will also be developed for schools and will be available via the VASS website. Overall, some 10 000 students, teachers, community mentors and parents will be engaged throughout the project.

Organisation: The African Think Tank
Project Name: Capacity Building for Australian African Community Organisations
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Amount: $15 000
Project Summary:
The Capacity Building for Australian African Community Organisations project will deliver a training program to build the capacity of African community leaders in Victoria. The project will target approximately 20 participants.