Message from the Chairperson
I've been delighted in recent weeks to receive positive feedback on the content of these Community Updates. I hope the information we have been including has been relevant and useful to all readers. Please encourage your networks to subscribe if they haven't already - and we welcome any suggestions for what we can include in future newsletters!
We are proud to use this platform to provide you with important information but also to support advocacy efforts, community services and increase the recognition and visibility of the great work going on in multicultural communities.
I was excited to watch the 10 winning films and those receiving an honorary-mention in the 2022 Multicultural Film Festival premiere screening last week. Not only were the films of an exceptional professional standard, the stories were funny, heart-warming and heart-wrenching. Representation on screen is so important for our communities and being able to see this while showcasing multicultural talent was an honour.
On a solemn note, I would like to draw our collective attention to the devastating floods in Pakistan and the ongoing impact on Victoria's Pakistani community. On behalf of the VMC, our thoughts are with you during this extremely difficult time. Please seek out the support needed from our broader multicultural and multifaith community, who are always ready to come together during hardship.
Finally, I'd like to invite you to register for the VMC's Overseas Qualification Unit webinar Wednesday evening. This is an important information session for those who seek to have their overseas qualifications recognised in Australia. You can find more details about this in an item below.
Until we next meet, take care and stay well.
Viv Nguyen AM, Chairperson
VIC | VMC | ANNOUNCING | 2022 Multicultural Film Festival Winners
Last Wednesday, stories of multicultural Victoria were brought to ACMI cinemas in a celebration of diverse filmmakers at the 2022 Multicultural Film Festival (MFF).
Hosted by the VMC in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology, it was a glamorous evening complete with a red carpet and premiere screening of 11 shortlisted films!
The MFF showcases multicultural talent and offers different perspectives of lived experiences of multiculturalism through the lens of short film.
Award winners were announced under the categories of Fiction, Non-fiction, Emerging Filmmaker, Open Category and, for the first time in the main competition, Young Filmmaker (4-11 years).
The VMC is keen to hear from organisations interested in holding a screening of the films for their staff or broader communities – please get in touch via email
VMC | WEBINAR | RECOGNISING | Overseas qualifications online information session | Wednesday 31 August 2022 | from 7pm - 8:30pm
The VMC is partnering with Live in Melbourne's Overseas Qualification Unit to deliver an online information session tomorrow night,.
This session will outline the process for obtaining recognition for your overseas qualifications in Australia.
You must be living in Victoria to be eligible for these assessments, and they can be used for general employment purposes only.
VIC | GOV | ANNOUNCING | Annual Victorian Disability Awards Winners
The 2022 Winners of the Victorian Disability Awards were announced last Wednesday in an online ceremony hosted by comedian Alistair Baldwin.
The awards showcase the positive impact made by people who work to improve accessibility, advocate for the rights of people with disability and build more inclusive workplaces and communities.
The winners and inductees for the 2022 Victorian Disability Awards include:
- Excellence in employment outcomes – Where is My Coffee?, VMCH
- Excellence in promoting disability pride – I CAN Network Mentoring Team
- Lifetime achievement honour roll - Effie Meehan, Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities
VIC | VMC | INVITING | You to join VMConnect?
VMConnect is the Victorian Multicultural Commission's exciting online community!
It's a great way for Victoria’s multicultural communities to connect with each other, with service providers and with government.
There are already over 700 members of this free online community – and they all want to hear from you!
Join today to share programs, promote events, find grants and services, discuss topics or ask questions.
It’s all about multicultural Victoria, and it’s all about you!
MELB | CISC | TALKING | Dumplings against Depression | Thursday 8 September 2022 | 6-8.30pm
In honour of R U OK? Day, The Couch International Student Centre is hosting a free mental health workshop.
The evening will include a discussion of mental health and depression with a panel of experts, and a free dumpling dinner.
There will be also be an opportunity to meet other attendees, chat with the experts, and to participate in a Bollywood dance lesson to finish off the event!
Registrations are essential.
MELB | MWiB | SHOWCASING | Migrant Women in Business | Thursday 22 September 2022 | 5-9pm AEST
Migrant Women in Business Showcase (MWiB) is an event curated and hosted by Migrant Women in partnership with LCI Melbourne.
MWiB Showcase allows nano and micro-businesses to connect and showcase their products on professional models while sharing their cultural stories.
If you are a migrant woman or a designer of all things beautiful, don't miss this opportunity to showcase your collections to potential partners, buyers, and retailers and to network with other migrant businesswomen.
AUST | ABC NEWS | SEEKING | Diverse Voices for 'Experts' Database
The ABC News 50:50 project is focused on improving gender diversity across their news coverage. In 2019, a callout was made asking women with expertise in any subject to self-nominate as expert sources/talent for ABC stories.
More than 4,000 women from all kinds of industries and backgrounds responded to the call and many of those women are now used frequently as experts across all kinds of programming!
The ABC is now seeking additional experts for their database, and especially encourage women with multicultural backgrounds to register.
An 'expert' is considered to be anyone with subject matter expertise, a professional qualification, and/or lived experience in any area. No previous media experience is required, and the ABC is seeking representation from both capital cities and regional areas.
MELB | ECLC | SUPPORTING | Anti-racism leadership in Melbourne's East
The Eastern Community Legal Centre (ECLC) is supporting culturally and linguistically diverse community leaders to become Anti-racism Ambassadors in partnership with IndianCare, the Centre for Holistic Health and the Communities’ Council on Ethnic Issues.
The Amplifying Community Voices in the East project has supported community leaders to participate in workshops which focus on challenging racism and sharing their voices and experiences of racial discrimination.
These sessions provided community leaders with knowledge on Australia’s Human Rights Framework, advocacy techniques and using their knowledge and lived experiences to speak out against racism
Coronavirus hotline
- Coronavirus hotline: 1800 675 398 (24 Hours).
- Interpreting service: If you need an interpreter, call TIS National on 131 450.
- Testing locations: Find a testing location near you.
- Triple Zero: Please keep Triple Zero (000) for emergencies only.
- Coronavirus in-language information
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Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC)
Address: Level 3, 1 Macarthur Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9651 5901
Email: contact@vmc.vic.gov.au