Volunteer at the Migrant
Information Centre (Eastern Melbourne)
The MIC has volunteer opportunties for people to assist
young refugee students with their homework. There are two homework
support groups, one in the City of Knox and one in the City of Maroondah.
If you would like more information please contact Sue Herbst at
the MIC on 9285 4888 or email sherbst@miceastmelb.com.au.
to download a brochure for people interested in volunteering for
the Croydon homework group please click here
and for the Knox homework group please click here.
This program is funded by CYMI.
There are a number of other volunteer opportunities
at the MIC including assisting refugee community groups to establish
office and office systems, working with refugee clients to assist
them with their studies or to better understand the labour market
and how to apply for jobs as well as assisting MIC staff with particular
projects or general administrative work. To download a brochure
on volunteer opportunities at the MIC please click
here. This program is funded by the Australian Government Department
of Immigration and Citizenship.
For further information please contact Mervat Dahadoule
on telephone 9285 4888 or email
mdahdoule@miceastmelb.com.au
Inviting
and Celebrating Cultural Diversity in Volunteering in the EMR 2011
The Department of Planning and Community Development,
Department of Health and Victorian Multicultural Commission are
providing funding in 2011 for the Inviting and Celebrating Cultural
Diversity in Volunteering in the EMR Project which will continue
to encourage volunteer involving organisations to recruit and support
volunteers from culturall and linguistically diverse backgrounds
in their programs, raise awareness about volunteering in Australia
with CALD communities and recognise and celebrate existing volunteers
from CALD backgrounds.
The key activities included:
* Providing information sessions about volunteering for recently
arrived and established CALD community groups;
* Developing and distributing promotional material in other languages
about formal volunteering in Australia for recently arrived and
established CALD communities;
* Runing a capacity building workshop for volunteer involving organisations
in the EMR to develop skills of key staff;
* Developing and distributing promotional materials targeted at
volunteer organisations to raise awareness about the benefits of
recruiting people from CALD
backgrounds as volunteers;
* Developing and launching a short DVD and exhibition to recognise
and celebrate CALD volunteering.
The Good Practice
Forum & Exhibition Launch was held
on Thursday 15 September 2011 at the Knox Civic Centre. This
provided an opportunity for volunteer-involving organisations to
learn about good practice examples of recruitment, support, management
and retention of volunteers from CALD backgrounds. An official launch
of the "Celebrating Cultural Diversity in Volunteering"
DVD and Exhibition was included in the program.
To watch the "Celebrating Cultural
Diversity in Volunteering" DVD click the play arrow below
Inviting Cultural
Diversity in Volunteering Project 2008
This HACC funded project encouraged organisations
to adopt welcoming and inclusive policies and procedures for CALD
volunteers; established mechanisms for organisations to share resources;
piloted a mentoring program for CALD volunteers; and highlighted
good practice in volunteering for people from CALD backgrounds at
a forum in May 2008.
Click
here to download a copy of the project report and evaluation
of the mentor program.
Inviting
cultural diversity in your organisation
If
you would like to learn more about inviting cultural diversity
in your volunteer organisation you can download information
sheets that outlines the steps you can take to ensure your policies
are welcoming and inclusive, how your organisation will benefit,
how you can improve communication with volunteers from other
cultures and where to look for more resources.
A
good practice forum regarding Inviting Cultural Diversity in Volunteering
was held on Thursday 29 May 2008 at Maroondah Federation Estate,
Ringwood. The forum highlighted examples of HACC organisations
inviting cultural diversity in volunteering with speakers from
Volunteering Australia, Monash Volunteer Resource Centre, Brimbank
City Council, Wesley Do Care, Clota Cottage and the Migrant Information
Centre.
Download copies of the presentations from the forum
below:
As
part of the Inviting Cultural Diversity in Volunteering Project
a mentor program was piloted with three HACC organisations. The
aim of the program was to assist people from culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds to participate in volunteering in HACC services
in the Eastern Metropolitan Region by providing a volunteer mentor
to guide and support them in their volunteer placement. An appropriate
mentor model was developed and included a handbook and training
for mentors, information for mentees, and other relevant forms.
The
program was piloted with Boroondara Volunteer Resource Centre,
Clota Cottage and Wavlink. An evaluation and project report was
completed in 2008 (see above for final project report). If you
want to know more about the pilot program you can download the
model, handbook and information for mentees below. For further
information contact Sharon Porteous at the Migrant Information
Centre on 9275 6905 or sporteous@miceastmelb.com.au.
To Invite Cultural Diversity in Volunteering, organisations
should consider providing information about volunteering to new
volunteers from other cultures in their own language.
*NEW* - TRANSLATED VOLUNTEERING
BROCHURE
As part of the 'Inviting and Celebrating Cultural Diversity in
Volunteering in the EMR' project, the VOLUNTEERING BROCHURE is
now available to download and print. The brochure includes general
information about Volunteering in the Australian context. The
brochure also provides instructions on how to find a volunteering
role using the Internet and includes contact information for the
local Volunteer Resource Services in the Eastern Metropolitan
Region.
* Gateways
Spotswood - good practice example of translated information
about volunteering
*What are the jobs for volunteers - a brief introduction
of the jobs for volunteers, handy for volunteer recruitment. Download
in English,
Arabic,
Chinese, Greek,
Italian,
Vietnamese.
Resources
To
find out more about making your volunteering organisation more
inclusive and welcoming for people from culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds click on the links below:
* Inviting & Celebrating CALD Volunteering
Poster - MIC
