News

Nominations Open for the 2024 Community Champion Award

R U OK? in Hindi Supporting Your Community

The R U OK? mission is to inspire and empower people to meaningfully connect with those in their world and lend support when they are struggling with life’s up and downs. R U OK? are seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from individuals and organisations in the Hindi speaking community who may be interested to host a workshop. Workshops will run for approximately 75 minutes for a maximum number of 20 participants.
For more information and to express your interest visit ruok.org.au/hindi

Multicultural Health Week 2 - 8 September 2024

Multicultural Health Week (MHW) is being celebrated from 2- 8 September this year. The theme for 2024, which aims to promote healthy eating, is ‘Celebrate culture through food with multicultural family lunchboxes’.
A healthy lunch can help you and your family have plenty of energy to work, learn and play during the day. Packing your family's lunchbox with healthy foods including vegetables and fruits can lower your risk of cancer and chronic illnesses like heart disease.
This year, chef Adam Liaw is joining the Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS) to help promote healthy eating with his multicultural family lunchbox recipes for school, work, or a day out. You can see Adam’s recipes for healthy lunches here. 
Visit the Multicultural Health Week website to find out about events happening across the week and to download multilingual resources to share with your communities

Carer & Consumer Community of Practice: Intermediate Advocacy Skills for Lived Experience Advocates

Mental Health Carers NSW (MHCN) and Lived Experience Australia have launched a new training program designed to further enhance the skills of advocates in mental health. The course is free and is aimed at non-paid mental health carers, consumers and community representatives. The training will consist of six 2-hour online sessions and explore crucial advocacy topics such as identifying core values, self-care strategies, effective communication, writing, and presentation skills. Beyond monthly training, this Community of Practice will provide a rich online learning environment with videos, readings, interactive activities, and a certificate of completion for each participant.
Expressions of Interest are invited from eligible carers, consumers and community representatives. Express your interest here by Monday 19 August at 5:00pm.

Review of the Mental Health Commission 2024

Register for the Webinar here.

Mental Health Awareness for the Vietnamese Community

One Door Mental Health, NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service and South Western Sydney Local Health District have collaborated to develop new videos in English and Vietnamese to promote mental health awareness. Join us in promoting mental health awareness! Watch a new video featuring Lianne Ngo, a Vietnamese-speaking Mental Health Carer Advocate. Learn how you can support your loved ones and your community.

View the videos in English and Vietnamese here. 

NSW Suicide Prevention Legislation

The NSW Government is seeking your feedback on the NSW Suicide Prevention Legislation. Every suicide is a tragedy that deeply affects individuals, families, and communities, leaving a lasting impact on those left behind. Legislation is one of many tools the NSW government is using to strengthen its approach to suicide prevention.  If you have lived or living experience of suicide, your voice is important in helping shape this legislation.

Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA) is undertaking consultation on behalf of the NSW Government, to make sure your experience is considered in the development of this legislation. SPA is inviting you to participate in the consultation by submitting an expression of interest.

Click here for more information about the process and to submit an expression of interest. 

Factors affecting Community Treatment Orders Research Study

Australia has among the highest rates of forced community treatment for mental illness in the world however some groups of people are subjected to forced treatment more than others. You are invited to participate in an online survey that will investigate the perspectives of people who have direct experience of being placed on community treatment orders (CTOs) for their mental health, and also the perspectives of families or carers.  The study is supported by La Trobe University, Flinders University, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and Lived Experience Australia. Participation will involve completing an anonymous 30 minute online survey.
Survey for individuals under a Community Treatment Order
Survey for family/friends/supporters

Australian Mental Health Prize 2024 - Applications Now Open

We would like to encourage you to nominate someone you work with or believe has had a positive impact in mental health. There are four categories for the Awards in 2024: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander,  Lived experience, Professional and Community hero.

The winners of the Prize will be announced at a gala event on the 23 September 2024. To nominate someone you need to submit the CV of the person you are nominating, along with 200 words outlining the work they do and how it is making an impact. Submit your entry at australianmentalhealthprize.org.au. Nominations close on Monday 8 July 2024.

2024 National Carer Survey

Every two years, Carers NSW and the State and Territory Carer Organisations conduct the National Carer Survey, a comprehensive survey to better understand what Australia’s carers want and need. The survey informs research, advocacy, and service design for carers across Australia. The 2024 survey is now open. You can view the participant information and consent form here or complete the survey at  www.research.net/r/2024NationalCarerSurvey
Participants can enter a draw to win one of 24 gift vouchers valued at $200 (3 vouchers per state/territory)!
The survey closes 31 July 2024.

Do you/have you worked in mental health?

As part of a study into Culturally Responsive Psychotherapy with Second-Generation Arab Australians, researchers at Western Sydney University are looking at the type of cultural training received by mental health therapists. The study involves a 15-minute, anonymous survey about your education and training.
To be eligible, you must currently or have previously worked as a mental health therapist and have undertaken all, or part, of your education/training in Australia.
Click on the link to participate or find out more. https://surveyswesternsydney.aul.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ezkGNJxGcyjRzuu 

National Guidelines for including mental health and wellbeing in Early Childhood Health Checks

The National Mental Health Commission has been tasked by the Department of Health and Aging with developing National Guidelines to include mental health and wellbeing in Early Childhood Health Checks (for children 0-5 years). As part of this process the Commission is calling for feedback on the Draft Guidelines via submissions. Feedback will help the Commission to refine the final version of the National Guidelines. In your submission you may want to consider:

• language used throughout the draft
• whether the structure and narrative of the draft is logical and clear
• anything not included that you think should be.

For more information and to make a submission visit the Commission website here

R U OK? Resources in Arabic

R U OK? is a national organisation that aims to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life.
R U OK has worked with communities to produce a range of resources in Arabic, including videos, brochures and social media tiles that encourage everyone to ask those around them R U OK?
View the Arabic resources here

Applications for Mental Health Month Grants and Mental Health Matters Awards Now Open!

Way Ahead has announced that applications for the Mental Health Month Grants and the Mental Health Matters Awards 2024 are now officially open. 

The Mental Health Month Grants range from $500 to $1000 to support community groups and organisations in implementing Mental Health Month projects or events aligned with this year's theme, 'Let's Talk About It'.  These grants aim to facilitate conversations surrounding mental health, ultimately breaking down stigma and empowering individuals to seek help when needed. Community groups targeting culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply for the CALD grants. The deadline for grant applications is Friday 7 June 2024. Click here for more information and to apply for a grant. 

The Mental Health Matters Awards aim to celebrate individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to promoting mental health awareness and support. The deadline for award nominations is Friday 7 July 2024. Click here for more information and to submit a nomination for the Awards.

Refugee Camp in my Neighbourhood - tours for health professionals

The Refugee Camp in My Neighbourhood Project is a simulated refugee journey delivered in the Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University from 29 July - 15 August 2024. It aims to raise awareness about human rights and celebrate the contributions refugees make in our local community.

Take a health specific tour through a simulated refugee camp experience. You’ll experience the journey of a refugee and gain a better understanding of the challenges they face as they arrive in Australia. Tours are delivered by guides from a range of refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds, and NSW Refugee Health staff.

Find out more about the program and register here

Witness to War Hotline 1800 845 198

Witness to War is a national multilingual telephone hotline for people affected by overseas conflicts. The hotline providers have over 30 years of experience assisting survivors of war and refugee trauma. Witness to War is available to listen to your concerns and provide information about available support. Witness to War can also help you connect to services that can assist you and your family.
Witness to War is available across Australia. NSW operating hours are Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. 
The service is provided in Arabic, Hebrew, Dari, Ukrainian, English and in other languages using an interpreter. 

Download a flyer about Witness to War in English here (PDF 447.3KB) and in Arabic here (PDF 401.6KB)

Happy Easter

TMHC would like to wish you and your family a happy and safe Easter. We encourage you to take care over the Easter weekend and to stay home if you are sick. You can download social media tiles from  the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service in the following languages Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Bosnian, Burmese, Chinese, Croatian, Greek, Farsi, Filipino, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Kinyarwanda, Macedonian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil and Vietnamese.

Ramadan Mubarak

TMHC wishes you and your family a peaceful and holy month.
Remember encourage family and friends to stay home if they are sick and stay connected with family and friends online if you are sick. 
Download social media tiles in the following languages Arabic, Bengali, Bosnian, Burmese, Dari, Farsi, Hazaragi, Indonesian, Somali, Swahili, Turkish and Urdu.

Are you a refugee and interested in improving the settlement experience for other refugees in NSW?

Multicultural NSW and the Department of Customer Service want to make the experience of arriving and living in NSW better for refugees. To do so they would like to speak to refugees who arrived in NSW since 2014 to find out what is working well and what needs to be improved. Any information you provide will be confidential and your personal information will not be shared. You can participate in English or your own language. 

There are two ways you can participate:

• Option One: 1 -2 hour conversation taking place in March 2024, where you will talk to researchers about your experience arriving and living in NSW. Payment: $150 gift card or
• Option Two: Keep a diary over 6 weeks in March & April 2024, where you will keep an online diary about your experience settling in NSW. Payment $600 gift card. 

Apply to participate here or email [email protected] for a translated version of the form.

Frontline workers directly involved in assisting refugees are also invited to take part in a research interview of 90 minutes taking place between mid March and mid April 2024. Click here to express your interest in participating

Expression of Interest: ACON’s National Anti-Racism Framework Community Consultations

ACON, New South Wales’ leading HIV and LGBTQ+ health organisation in partnership with the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Council of Australia (FECCA) is running community consultations with multicultural and migrant LGBTQ+ community members to feed into the National Anti-Racism Framework being developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission. The National Anti-Racism Framework will be a long-term, central reference point to guide actions on anti-racism by government, NGOs, business, educators, health professionals, service providers and community. ACON is inviting LGBTQ+ people of colour, LGBTQ+ people from a multicultural or migrant backgrounds and service providers, who are over 19 years old to participate in the consultations. The Consultations will be running online via Zoom from 5 - 14 March 2024. Each participant will receive a $50 digital gift card in thanks. For more information and to express your interest vist the ACON website here. 

Happy Lunar New Year 2024

The Transcultural Mental Health Centre wishes you and your family and friends a Happy Lunar New Year, filled with good health and happiness This year is the Year of the Dragon. The dragon symbolises strength, courage and good fortune!

One Door Bilingual Hospital to Home

The Bilingual Hospital 2 Home program helps people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities living in Western Sydney to connect to mental health services, develop resilience, increase understanding around mental health and reduce hospital readmission. People living with mental illness, their families and carers who reside in Western Sydney can contact the service for support in finding the right services. One Door's bilingual mental health support workers speak common languages spoken by the community and understand a diversity of cultures, including Religion, Spirituality and Ethnicity. For more information download a brochure about the service here. (PDF 5.5MB) 
Call the Bilingual Hospital to Home service on 9199 6185 or email [email protected] 

The Rights Path Project: Improving quality in NDIS services and supports

If you or someone you know is using the NDIS and can speak Khmer, Vietnamese, Punjabi or Urdu, Settlement Services International (SSI) would love to work with you on improving the system for others in the same situation.

The Rights Path Project aims to strengthen NDIS participants' understanding of your rights, understand what to expect of services, and how to raise concerns. SSI will work closely with NDIS participants, carers and families from CALD backgrounds to develop digital tools and resources in Vietnamese, Khmer, Punjabi and Urdu which will assist people with disability to understand your rights and be able to raise concerns about supports and services.

SSI will be holding an online information session about the project on Tuesday 6 Feb 2024 from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm. Register here!

For more information visit the project website here or download a flyer about the project in English (PDF 299.4KB), Vietnamese (PDF 175.3KB), Khmer (PDF 3.3MB), Punjabi (PDF 432.7KB) or Urdu (PDF 480.4KB). 

Real Carers, Real Stories

Ten carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have been featured in a digital photographic exhibition, Real Carers, Real Stories - In Their Own Words. Aakriti, Elaine, Faten, Josephine, Leanne, Monira, Nidhi, Robina, Sylvia, and Thuy share what a day in the life of a carer is like and how the Carer Gateway has supported them.

The exhibition powerfully depicts a day in the life of a carer and their unique stories. Research tells us that within CALD communities, caring is seen as a family and community responsibility. Many carers do not ask for help until they reach crisis point. By sharing carers’ personal stories, other carers may be inspired to reach out for support and help.

View the exhibition here

TheMHS Awards 2024 now open!

The Mental Health Services (TheMHS) Awards of Australian and New Zealand for 2024 are now open. These awards recognise innovation, research excellence, best practice and lived experience leadership in mental health services. They also aim to reduce stigma by acknowledging responsible media reporting of mental health issues and encourage others to promote the importance of mental health and wellbeing.
Award winners are honoured at a the TheMHS Annual Conference and also receive a three- day conference registration, financial support to attend an ‘in person’ conference, and recognition on TheMHS website and media materials.
For more information about the awards and to make a nomination visit the TheMHS website. Entries close 11 April 2024.

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