ARRCC | ADVOCACY | From a faith perspective for public policies which contribute to climate justice | October 2019

[Edited extract from public address]

Promoting ethical, sustainable, healthy and contented lifestyles which respect the Earth’s precious natural resources.

Started in 2007, ARRCC is a Multi-faith network committed to action on climate change.

Member based, both individuals and organisations

Download a PDF Report

MORE:
Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC)
Website: https://www.arrcc.org.au

SGV | ADVISORY | Surviving the Heat

[Edited extract from public address]

Heat kills more Australians than any natural disaster and can affect anybody.

Its important to know who is at risk and how you can prepare yourself and others.
To find out what to do to survive the heat, visit our Better Health Channel website.

Read this 2pp Fact Sheet.

With extreme heat the fire risk also increases, for up-to-date information on fire and heat warnings visit VicEmergency.

Looking for health or medical advice?
We recommend that you:

• talk to your doctor
• dial triple zero (000) in an emergency
• ring NURSE-ON-CALL Tel. 1300 60 60 24 for expert health advice from a registered nurse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (for the cost of a local call from anywhere in Victoria - calls from mobile phones may be charged at a higher rate).

MORE:
State Government of Victoria
Department of Health and Human Services
Address: 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia
Tel: 1300 650 172

Website: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/news/survive-heat

PPCR | CELEBRATING | Towards Meaningful Reconciliation and End of Year Barbecue | Tuesday 17 December 2019 | from 6pm

[Edited extract from public address]

Boon Wurrung Word of the Month: Weegabil nye-wilny – Old Man Sun, Summer

Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation Inc. (PPCfR) is a voluntary, not for profit community group. It began in 1997 at a public meeting, at St Kilda Town Hall, convened by Jacki Willox and attended by hundreds of people, including politicians, councillors, indigenous musicians and general public.

Objectives

• To maintain local awareness of the reconciliation agenda, recognising that information, understanding and community discussion are integral to the process.
• promoting an understanding of the history of Aboriginal people, particularly in our local area.

Mungo, our monthly newsletter, continues to be a good news source for events, circulating annually
to over 3,500 as well as members of other networks.

End of Year BBQ
BYO. Gasworks Arts Park, Richardson Street, South Melbourne. All Welcome.
If the weather’s poor, ring 0418 675 734 for alternative arrangements.

MORE:
Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation
Address: PO Box 1446, St Kilda South, VIC, 3182
Tel: 03 9699 8804
Email: rosemary.rule@gmail.com
Website: http://www.ppcfr.org

VMC | ANNOUNCING | Victorian Government’s Multicultural Community Infrastructure Fund

[Edited extract from public address]

For the 4th year in a row, the Commission is proud to support and promote the Victorian Government’s Multicultural Community Infrastructure Fund.

Under the fund, multicultural and interfaith community groups can apply for a grant between $10,000 and $100,000 to complete infrastructure projects.

This year, the Victorian Government is also offering a new dedicated grant round – the Indian Community Infrastructure Fund, supporting Victorian Indian community groups to upgrade and enhance their community facilities.

Multicultural Community Infrastructure Fund (MCIF)
Supporting Victoria’s diverse communities to feel connected with their traditional culture and identity by improving existing community facilities.
Find out more

Indian Community Infrastructure Fund (ICIF)
Supporting local community infrastructure projects that help maintain, upgrade, renovate and construct facilities used by Victoria’s Indian communities.
Find out more

MORE:

Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC)

Address: Level 16, 35 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Tel: (03) 7017 8171

Website: www.multicultural.vic.gov.au

ASRC | APPEALING | Festive Food Drive | Sunday 22 December 2019 | 10am-3pm

[Edited extract from public address]

For many of us, the festive season is a time for celebration and indulgence. Yet for many people seeking asylum living in the community, it's just another month of struggling to feed the family.

Help people seeking asylum by donating essential food items at our Festive Food Drive. This annual community event helps to fill our Foodbank shelves to ensure that people seeking asylum have food security during this holiday period.

The garage roller door will be open, so you can drive right into the garage with your donation.

Where: rear of the ASRC building (garage door is opposite 46 Albert St, Footscray)

Staff, volunteers, and our CEO Kon Karapanagiotidis will be here to greet you with a smile and help you unload your donations.

Bring the family! A food drive is a great way to introduce children to the idea of helping others in a tangible way.

We do please ask that you ONLY bring foods from the list below.

Essential food items are our priority, and sticking to the list ensures that our members' needs are met, and your donation isn't wasted.
We would love your donations of:

• Tuna in oil - all size
• Dishwashing liquid - 1L 
• Laundry detergent - 1L
• Basmati rice - all sizes
• Sweet & savoury biscuits
• UHT full cream milk – 1 litre
• Tinned vegetables
• Peas
• Carrots
• Corn kernels
• Honey – 375ml
• Coconut cream – 400g
• Tinned tomatoes – 400g
• Tomato paste  – all sizes
• Tinned legumes (no baked beans)
• Chickpeas
• Red kidney beans
• White beans
• Lentils
• Tinned fruit 
• Dry pasta

PLEASE NO TOYS: the children have just had a free toy shop at the ASRC
and
PLEASE NO CLOTHING OR HOUSEHOLD ITEMS: we don't have the capacity to accept donations of this kind. Our focus is on food!
Can’t make it on the day?

You can order for us online, with FREE delivery for orders over $50.

Prefer to make a monetary donation?

You’ll be helping protect people’s right to safety.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) is an independent not for profit whose programs support and empower over 4,000 people seeking asylum each year to maximise their physical, mental and social wellbeing. As a movement we mobilise and unite communities to create social and policy change for people seeking asylum and refugees in Australia.

MORE:
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
Address: 214-218 Nicholson Street, Footscray, Melbourne VIC 3011 Australia
Email: ASRC Food Network <food@asrc.org.au>
Website: www.asrc.org.au

WIKIPEDIA | THANKING | Donors, On behalf of a world of people seeking free knowledge

[Edited extract from public address]

What shape does your curiosity take? And how does Wikipedia fit?

I used to try and guess what motivated people to give, but the longer I do this work, the more I realize I can’t put individual donor's curiosity in a box. There is no one singular experience of Wikipedia.

Curiosity is as diverse as we all are, and it looks a little different for each of us.

When individuals use Wikipedia next, I hope they feel that it belongs to you. Because without you, and without the millions of people who come back to us every day, we would be nothing.

Thank you for giving Wikipedia shape, and purpose, and momentum. Thank you for fitting us into your life.

With immense gratitude,
Katherine Maher, Executive Director

MORE:
Wikimedia Foundation
Website: https://wikimediafoundation.org

Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects.

S2B | FESTIVE | Laneway Market | Sunday 1 December 2019 | 10am-2pm

[Edited extract from public address]

Shop for handmade and ethical gifts this December! Over 20 stalls of Australian designed products and beautiful gifts from local established and new migrant designers and artists.

Gifts, food and music. Come along, connect with vibrant artists, buy some beautiful products. Food from the Artlane Cafe, and music from local buskers.

Where: Space2b, Laneway - Rear 144 Chapel St, St Kilda

MORE:
Space2b
Address: 144 Chapel St, St Kilda Vic 3182
Website: https://space2b.com.au

A collaboration between Northside Projects (the creators of the much love Blenders Market in the City) in partnership with Space2b, 

JHC | SCREENING | The Last Suit | 1 December 2019 | Arrive 3.45pm for 4.00pm start

[Edited extract from public address]

Join JHC Flicks to view and discuss this film about the Holocaust, other genocides and human rights issues. Film screening will be followed by guest speaker and informal discussion. 

Guest Speaker: Frances Prince, JCCV Executive Member holding the Multicultural and Interfaith Portfolio.

Directed by Pablo Solarz, an octogenarian Jewish tailor, embarks on the adventure of a lifetime.
Escaping a family intent on confining him to a nursing home, Abraham leaves Buenos Aires in search of the man who, over 70 years ago, saved him from certain death. With assistance from a roll call of generous strangers, the sharply dressed suitmaker makes his way across Europe to Poland, undeterred by travel mishaps, family foibles and geographical obstacles. Heartfelt and charming, with a wonderful comedic flavour, The Last Suit reminds us of the enduring importance of family, friends and keeping your word.

Where: Jewish Holocaust Centre. 13-15 Selwyn St, Elsternwick 3185

Cost: $10.00

Bookings: online through Trybooking

MORE:
Jewish Holocaust Centre
Address: 13-15 Selwyn St, Elsternwick 3185
Tel: (03) 9528 1985
Email: admin@jhc.org.au
Website: www.jhc.org.au

JCV | TALKING | Preventing Violence Together - Community Breakfast | Tuesday 3 December 2019 | Arrive 7.15am for 7.30am-9.00am

[Edited extract from public address]

A Community Breakfast, held by Jewish Care, Unchain My Heart, and Glen Eira City Council in support of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

“This is not a Jewish problem.”

This was one of the most common responses that Guest Speaker Naomi Tucker received in the early 90s when she approached community leaders and organisations hoping to start a conversation about family violence.

Almost 30 years on, what began as a grassroots volunteer-led campaign is today the thriving Shalom Bayit, a Jewish family violence prevention agency and one of the first of its kind in the United States. With a breadth of activities from clergy training and youth education programs to the MenschUp! initiative, Shalom Bayit’s goal is community transformation: to improve the health and vitality of the Jewish community by ensuring everyone’s right to healthy, violence-free relationships.

As its founder and Executive Director, Naomi has worked in the field of family violence prevention for over 35 years. Previously a board member of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Naomi is an experienced speaker, author and educator and is a national consultant in the US on faith-based approaches to ending violence in the home.

In her keynote address, Naomi will describe the importance of a whole-of-community response to preventing violence, and how each and every one of us can play a part. Join us to learn more about what you can do to help create a healthy, happy and equal Jewish community.

The Preventing Violence Together breakfast brings community together to explore how each and every one of us – as leaders, teachers, parents, and community members - can play a role in helping to prevent violence against women.

Where: Glen Eira Town Hall Auditorium, Cnr Glen Eira and Hawthorn Roads, Caulfield

Inclusions: A kosher breakfast will be served.

Cost: $45 plus booking fee

Bookings: online through www.jewishcare.org.au/pvt

MORE:
Jewish Care (Victoria)
Website: https://www.jewishcare.org.au/

Held in association with Unchain My Heart and Glen Eira City Council in support of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

ASCB | FUNDRAISING | Asylum Seekers' Comedy Benefit 2019 | Saturday 7 December 2019 | Arrive 6pm for 7pm

[Edited extract from public address]

This sensational Asylum Seekers’ Comedy Benefit will be a cracker night for a worthy cause, hosted by your MC, the hilarious Monica Dullard.

If you love live comedy, don't miss JUDITH LUCY, DAVE O'NEIL, DAMIAN CALLINAN (The Merger) BRAD OAKES, BEV KILLICK, ADAM ROZENBACHS, KIRSTY WEBECK & more, in a jam-packed night of Comedy GOLD.

Held at the iconic St Kilda Town Hall, you can come by tram or train, but just get there, or you’ll miss out!

Bar & Hot Food available from 6pm

100% Profits to Brigadine Asylum Seeker Project (BASP) & Refugee Legal

Where: St Kilda Town Hall, 99A Carlisle St, St Kilda, VIC 3182

Cost: $0-$40

Bookings: online through Trybooking

MORE:
Asylum Seekers’ Comedy Benefit (ASCB)
Website: https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=560273

ECCV | LAUNCH | All One Together - Connect, Communicate. Celebrate | Monday 9 December 2019 | Arrive 5.45pm for 6-8pm

[Edited extract from public address]

Highlighting connections between all Victorians regardless of where we come from and what we look like. Supporting community conversations and celebrating actions contributing to addressing of racism. Effectively building an inclusive society for all. 

To mark the occasion and to celebrate International Human Rights Day, join with this panel conversation with imminent human rights lawyers and activists, who will discuss how racism continues to challenge communities, and suggest actions we can all take, as citizens and organisations, to ensure that we thrive together:

• Jennifer Huppert, President of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria and VEOHRC’s Board member
• Alan Dewis, Associate Director, Aboriginal Services, Victoria Legal Aid
• Diana Sayed, human rights lawyer and CEO of the Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights

The event will also include spoken word performance by Zaynab Farah.

Where: Glen Eira Town Hall (Theatrette) - Glen Eira City Council
420 Glen Eira Road

Bookings: online through Eventbrite

MORE:
Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria
Website: www.eccv.org.au

Strengthening Connections, Realising Human Rights. Launch made possible with support of Glen Eira City Council

MIFE | REVEALING | Midsumma Festival | 19 Jan - 9 Feb 2020

[Edited extract from public address]

Australia's premier queer arts and cultural festival, bringing together a diverse mix of LGBTQIA+ artists, performers, communities and audiences.

Every January, Midsumma Festival expands over 22-days of summer with an explosion of queer events that center around hidden and mainstream queer culture, locally and internationally.

Shariung the lived experiences of those voices at the margins, the expression of queer history, and the celebration of new ideas that come to life through world-class art and performance.

Festival program is made up of diverse art forms and genres, including visual arts, live music, theatre, spoken word, cabaret, film, parties, sport, social events, and public forums. Featuring over 175 events in 2020, with involvement by over 5000 culture-makers in over 80 different venues across Melbourne and wider Victoria - to anticipated audiences of over 284,000.

Although the primary three-week festival is held in summer each year, we work year-round to provide artists, social-changers, and culture-makers with support and tools to create, present and promote their work.

MORE:
Midsumma Festival (MIFE)
Website: https://www.midsumma.org.au

VMC | ANNOUNCES | Recipients of Victoria’s Multicultural Awards for Excellence 2019

[Edited extract from public address]

Victorian Multicultural Commission received more than 200 nominations, awarding a total of 61 people and organisations who have gone above and beyond to strengthen multiculturalism in Victoria.

Recipients have made our state a better place through their achievements across a wide range of areas, including community harmony, innovation, community service, media, business, government, education and policing.

Victoria’s newest diversity heroes were acknowledged at a special ceremony held at Government House on Tuesday 19 November 2019.

See the award recipients list
Find out all about the outstanding achievements of the 2019 diversity heroes at our website.
Stay tuned for our diversity heroes highlight series on

MORE:
Victorian Multicultural Commission
Address: Level 16, 35 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 7017 8171
Email: info@vmc.vic.gov.au
Website: www.multiculturalcommission.vic.gov.au
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at #DiversityHeroes and join the conversation at #MulticulturalAwards.

GEIFN | MEDIA | Mix | December 2019

Welcome

Best wishes for less Suffering, more Happiness with Good Health and Time to Enjoy it. Welcome to Assyrian calendar 6769 as we farewell the year that was and proceed into Gregorian New Year 2020.

Let’s begin by sharing a timely aspiration:
"The four contentments: mind at peace, body at rest, family in harmony,
all enterprise at ease." Chan Master Sheng Yen

Discuss with sincerity. Deny untruth. Dismiss unuseful. Accept useful. Adapt to change. Adopt least effort most benefit. Adept with sharing. Enjoy throughout. As each case may be. Round. And again. Or not.

---

Topics

• Media Words
• TED Talks
• Guest Sings
• Street Jives
• Wisdom Reconciles
• Challenge Reflects

---

Media Words

Approx 5 min reads

Intro
Maureen Matthews explores techniques for overcoming discontent fueled inertia, when “About Last Night: My life is fine but I'm stuck in a rut” via The Age

Brook Turner explores personal identity, belonging and inspiring leadership in public domain, the back story of “Aboriginal artist and provocateur Brook Andrew on shaking up the Sydney Biennale” via The Age

Julie Perrin explores origin stories, misappropriation and restoring of Faith, in “A new start: Finding Christ's message at the margins” via WA Today


Intra
Jim Bright explores interpersonal relationships, employees and workplaces, reasoning why “Sometimes we aspire to stand on the shoulders of giants” via The Brisbane Times

Jewel Topsfield explores a civic-minded social enterprise putting best foot forward, reporting “How Melbourne's Sneakerheads are helping the homeless this Christmas” via The Age

Julietta Jameson  explores the value of curiosity, opportunity and seeking out life-enriching activity, meet Carolyn Fraser and “What travel has taught me” via Traveller.com.au


Inter
Elspeth Callender explores a land less ravaged by time, sharing culture and Songlines in “Arnhem Land, Northern Territory travel guide and things to do: Australia's unique last frontier” via Traveller.com.au

Rachel Wells explores answering the call when “Jehovah’s Witnesses hit town for global convention” via The Sydney Morning Herald

Tim Boreham explores attractiveness of destination Australia for foreign students as “Australia's student accommodation tops global ranking” via The Sydney Morning Herald


Multi
Matty Silver explores in his book marriage, infidelity, shifting attitudes and interconnected causes and effects, asking “Can an affair save a marriage? As a sex therapist, I believe so” via WA Today

Anna Funder explores competing ideologies, oppositional governing structures and dangers of shredding the pages of history, recounting “Thirty years after the Berlin Wall came down, who really won?” via WA Today

Kerrie O'Brien explores Victoria’s history, through this very modern exhibition of pages, images, recounts and collections, reasons why in “The aisles of serendipity: libraries make unexpected connections” via The Age


All
Maureen Matthews explores marriage, commitment, uniting as a team, societal and official registration and inheritance in “About Last Night: Isn't it time to overhaul the concept of marriage?” via The Age

Jacinta Tynan explores dealing with inequitible relationships, overcoming obstacles and managing sustainable change, tips for “Keeping it together when it all seems to be falling apart” via WA Today

Simone Mitchell explores precious nature of existence, cherishing those loved in real time, reasoning “Before you die: the words we shouldn't wait to say” via The Age


Togather
Tony Wright explores a tale of oral traditions celebrating diversity when uniting “Voices on the desert air praise the unchaining of Australia’s heart” via The Sydney Morning Herald

Kerrie O'Brien explores collaborative approach to overcoming gendered inequity, revealing how “Queen Victoria Women's Centre harnesses the power of art” via The Age

Bridget McManus explores bringing origin stories and past nutritional secrets to a modern audience, reviewing “On Country Kitchen” via The Age


Nobly
Jewel Topsfield explores the time-tested transformative value of learning to play music while building links between newly arrived and local community, when and why ”Every music lover and their dog welcome at classic bar” via The Sydney Morning Herald

Cat Woods describes a spiritually based community driven sustainable social enterprise “Food for Good: there's a place at the Open Table for everyone” via Goodfood.com.au

Hannah Francis explores illuminating visibility, sharing experience and uniting voices when “Tapping young voices for future echoes” via The Brisbane Times

---

TED Talks

10-20min presentations

• Donald Hoffman: Do we see reality as it is? (21 mins)
• Chetan Bhatt: Dare to refuse the origin myths that claim who you are (19 mins)
• Samy Nour Younes: A short history of trans people's long fight for equality (6 mins)

---

Guest Sings

Approx 5 min presentation
Broome Primary School - I am, you are, we are Australian

---

Street Jives

Approx 2 min presentation
Sesame Street: Absorb

---

Wisdom Reconciles

Oprah Winfrey talks with Thich Nhat Hanh about wisdom, compassion and restoring peace in difficult times (22 mins)

---

Challenge Reflects

Approx 30 min presentation + reflection times

If desired, a short selection of publicly available material on a chosen theme for personal reflection.

For best results, sit comfortably with a straight back, have headphones in a shared space, after each clicked link, allow a little reflection with your personally-held view before clicking on the next link.

Get ready to Reflect!
Choose your playing level:
Be introduced at 1.
Be soothed at 2-4.
Be shocked at 5.
Be inspired at 6.
Fuller illumination 1-6.
You be the judge. Or not.

Cryptic Clue:
What is an Australian way of saying the totality is better than the sum of individual parts?

1. Inspire
2. Perspire
3. Collaborate
4. Engage: Test for personal circumstances, if useful keep, if unuseful discard, if exceeds needs, share mindfully
5. Endure: Adapt for present times without sacrificing intent
6. Endear: (Inspiring Others To Tend the Flame) live/ demonstrate/ inspire/ teach experience with others


Extreme
[ex'treem]
From late Middle English; via Old French from Latin extremus = outermost, utmost; superlative of exterus = outer.

1. reaching a high or the highest degree; very great. Ie, extreme cold. Ie, take an extreme course of action. Ie, do something to an extreme degree
2. not usual; exceptional. Ie, in extreme cases the soldier may be discharged. 
3. very severe or serious. Ie, expulsion is an extreme sanction. Ie, the extreme of applying for drought relief
4. (of a person or their opinions) far from moderate, especially politically. Ie, groups of more extreme supporters rioted in front of parliament. 
5. denoting or relating to a sport performed in a hazardous environment and involving great personal risk. Ie, extreme sports like rock climbing. 
6. [attributive] furthest from the centre or a given point. Ie, the extreme north-west of Scotland. Ie, the reasoning was convoluted in the extreme
7. either of two abstract things that are as different from each other as possible. Ie, we represented opposite extremes of college society - she a member of the Old Guard, I one of the radicals. 


Supreme 
[sue’preem]
From late 15th century (in the sense = highest): from Latin supremus, superlative of superus = that is above, from super = above.

1. highest in rank or authority. Ie, a unified force with a supreme commander. Ie, the Supreme Being (a name for God). 
2. most important or powerful. Ie, on the race track the horse reigned supreme. 
3. very great or the greatest. Ie, the tradies were nerving themselves for a supreme effort. 
4. very good at or well known for a specified activity. Ie, people expected the famous marathon runner to have a supreme win. 
5. (of a penalty or sacrifice) involving death. Ie, comrades dying in battle made the supreme sacrifice. 
6. French cooking: a rich cream sauce. A dish served in a supreme sauce. Ie, chicken supreme. [from French suprême.]


Most 
[moast]
From Old English māst, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch meest and German meist = greatest in amount or degree

1. quantifier of adjectives and adverbs. Ie, the most important event of my life. Ie, she was the most ambitious of all. 
2. to the greatest extent. Ie, the things she most enjoyed. Ie, what he wanted most of all. 
3. extremely; very. Ie, it was most kind of you. Ie, that is most probably correct. 
4. almost; the majority of; nearly all of; in most cases; usually. Ie, most everyone understood. Ie, the older members, for the most part, shun newcomers. Ie, the two-pin sockets found in most European countries
5. not more than. Ie, the walk took four minutes at the most. 
6. use to the best advantage. Ie, the manager was eager to make the most of the site visit. 
7. represent at its best. Ie, how to make the most of your features.

[Practice]

Optional
-- Chant Mantrastyle

Between extreme and supreme positions, is a middle way of wisdom, compassion and generosity. Get the most out of arising opportunities. Starting with the individual, grow surpluses and increase beneficiaries to a greater number until including all. And if at first success does not arrive, maybe there is time to reflect, adapt, adopt, evolve or change direction.
Or not.
As the case may be.

This is universal basis of re:lig:ion (again:uniting:energy). Here in this email, we'll hear it as countless sounds: of thoughts, words and actions wishing, causing and receiving less Suffering and more Happiness. For benefit initially of the individual increasing in beneficiaries until it includes all across all times and directions.

It is not personal, it just the way things are.