[Edited extract from public address]
As someone who celebrates Easter, my family’s celebrations were different this year, but no less special. In some ways, it breathed fresh meaning into the occasion, reminding me that the Easter story is one of hardship and renewal.
This time of year marks several significant religious occasions – including Easter, Pesach, Vaisakhi, Ridvan and the beginning of Ramadan. It would normally be a time of coming together for group meals and community celebrations with friends and loved ones.
I commend Victoria's faith leaders for their innovative approaches to maintaining traditions and rituals and for staying connected to their communities. I’d also like to thank everyone who has followed the Stage 3 restrictions while still practising their faith.
The Commission has heard so many heartwarming stories of Victorians adapting to the changes while ensuring their sense of community stays strong. We’ve heard about neighbours putting together special kits filled with items for the Passover Seder for those unable to get out. We know there were virtual Vaisakhi celebrations earlier this week, with Sikh Victorians dressing in the traditional shades of orange and blue and posting pictures on social media in a show of solidarity. And we have learned of parishes collaborating to sew medical scrubs for healthcare workers on the coronavirus frontlines.
All of these wonderful stories remind us that our faiths and our sense of community are stronger than this pandemic and that our human connections go beyond physical proximity.
In this week's community update I also want to share a number of new translated resources available to support remote learning from the Department of Education & Training and acknowledge some of the positive announcements that have come from the Victorian Government on additional funding for mental health, homelessness and family violence support, as demand for these services spikes during the coronavirus crisis.
Please continue to reach out to us with your feedback and concerns, as well as your good news stories during this challenging time.
Take care of each other,
Viv Nguyen, Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission
This is a significant adjustment for parents and there are now translated resources available on the Department of Education and Training website to support parents with learning from home. The factsheet and letter to parents has been translated into 22 languages.
Find learning from home advice in your language
The Victorian Government have announced a $59.4 million funding boost to help meet demand for mental health services as Victorians reach out for help with stress, isolation and uncertainty.
Read the full announcement
The accommodation will provide a safe haven for women and children escaping family violence throughout the pandemic, and will include support to help them get back on their feet once it has passed.
Read the full announcement
The Victorian Government announced that they will repurpose aged-care sites to provide self-isolation facilities for Victorians experiencing homelessness – helping them recover from coronavirus, or avoid infection in the first place.
Read the full announcement
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Interpreting service: If you need an interpreter, call TIS National on 131 450.
Triple Zero: Please keep Triple Zero (000) for emergencies only.
MORE:
Victorian Multicultural Commission
Address: Level 9, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 7017 8171
Email: contact@vmc.vic.gov.au
Website: multicultural.vic.gov.au
New translated resources from the Victorian Government are available to support remote learning and announcements on additional funding for mental health, homelessness and family violence support, as demand for these services spikes during the coronavirus crisis.
Message from the Chairperson
I hope you all had a safe and happy long weekend and a special thanks to those who were working in our hospitals and essential services.As someone who celebrates Easter, my family’s celebrations were different this year, but no less special. In some ways, it breathed fresh meaning into the occasion, reminding me that the Easter story is one of hardship and renewal.
This time of year marks several significant religious occasions – including Easter, Pesach, Vaisakhi, Ridvan and the beginning of Ramadan. It would normally be a time of coming together for group meals and community celebrations with friends and loved ones.
I commend Victoria's faith leaders for their innovative approaches to maintaining traditions and rituals and for staying connected to their communities. I’d also like to thank everyone who has followed the Stage 3 restrictions while still practising their faith.
The Commission has heard so many heartwarming stories of Victorians adapting to the changes while ensuring their sense of community stays strong. We’ve heard about neighbours putting together special kits filled with items for the Passover Seder for those unable to get out. We know there were virtual Vaisakhi celebrations earlier this week, with Sikh Victorians dressing in the traditional shades of orange and blue and posting pictures on social media in a show of solidarity. And we have learned of parishes collaborating to sew medical scrubs for healthcare workers on the coronavirus frontlines.
All of these wonderful stories remind us that our faiths and our sense of community are stronger than this pandemic and that our human connections go beyond physical proximity.
In this week's community update I also want to share a number of new translated resources available to support remote learning from the Department of Education & Training and acknowledge some of the positive announcements that have come from the Victorian Government on additional funding for mental health, homelessness and family violence support, as demand for these services spikes during the coronavirus crisis.
Please continue to reach out to us with your feedback and concerns, as well as your good news stories during this challenging time.
Take care of each other,
Viv Nguyen, Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission
Learning from home advice in your language
Victorian school students will commence Term 2 via remote learning from 15 April 2020.This is a significant adjustment for parents and there are now translated resources available on the Department of Education and Training website to support parents with learning from home. The factsheet and letter to parents has been translated into 22 languages.
Find learning from home advice in your language
Surge funding for mental health system
While staying at home and limiting physical interaction is vital to slowing the spread of coronavirus, it can be difficult for people’s mental health and wellbeing – particularly for those already experiencing mental illness.The Victorian Government have announced a $59.4 million funding boost to help meet demand for mental health services as Victorians reach out for help with stress, isolation and uncertainty.
Read the full announcement
A safe place to escape family violence
The Victorian Government will invest $20 million in short-term accommodation for family violence victim survivors who do not feel safe isolating or recovering from coronavirus at home.The accommodation will provide a safe haven for women and children escaping family violence throughout the pandemic, and will include support to help them get back on their feet once it has passed.
Read the full announcement
Pop-up facilities for homeless to self-isolate
Victorians without secure accommodation are at greater risk of contracting coronavirus because they can’t self-isolate or quarantine.The Victorian Government announced that they will repurpose aged-care sites to provide self-isolation facilities for Victorians experiencing homelessness – helping them recover from coronavirus, or avoid infection in the first place.
Read the full announcement
Reminder to share campaign resources
Don't forget to download and share the Victorian Government multilingual campaign resources widely with your networks. These materials include social media, print and audio resources explaining the Stage 3 restrictions. Make sure you direct people to the Victorian Government’s coronavirus website for current information and updates: coronavirus.vic.gov.au/translationsAmharic
Arabic
Assyrian
Bengali
Burmese
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
Chin
Chinese
Croatian
Dari
Dinka
English
Farsi
French
Greek
Gujarati
Hazaraghi
Hindi
Indonesian
Khmer
Korean
MacedonianMaltese
Italian
Japanese
Karen
Nepali
Nuer
Oromo
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Russian
Serbian
Sinhalese
Somali
Spanish
Swahili
Tagalog
Tamil
Thai
Tigrinya
Turkish
Urdu
VietnameseZomi
Coronavirus hotline
Coronavirus hotline: If you are concerned, call the coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398 (24 Hours).Interpreting service: If you need an interpreter, call TIS National on 131 450.
Triple Zero: Please keep Triple Zero (000) for emergencies only.
MORE:
Victorian Multicultural Commission
Address: Level 9, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 7017 8171
Email: contact@vmc.vic.gov.au
Website: multicultural.vic.gov.au