Between July 19 and August 15, Advance Diversity Services (ADS) staff targeted more than 1500 COVID-19 health messages to ensure people in CALD communities were well-informed about the dangers of the coronavirus and the importance of vaccination.
Their work was part of a short term project funded by the Settlement Council of Australia (SCoA) aimed to increase vaccine uptake across Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Wollongong, in light of the current outbreak of COVID-19.
ADS staff across the Settlement and Community Services and Aged Care divisions were engaged in additional communications with clients via phone calls, social media applications including WeChat, LINE, Viber, WhatApp and Facebook. The additional communiques were intended to increase access to accurate and reliable information about the current COVID-19 vaccine, how to access the vaccine, and other health information regarding COVID-19.
As of August 15, ADS staff reported more than 500 calls with individual clients, over 500 emails sent as well as over 200 WhatsApp messages. Social media engagement included more than 300 Facebook posts. Overall, more than 25 language groups were provided with information across Greater Sydney.
Information shared included COVID-19 vaccination sessions, locations of vaccinations such as hubs and GPs, accessing support payments, stay at home orders and translated guidelines.
‘With the highly transmissible Delta variant gaining a foothold across Greater Sydney, it was a crucial time to be communicating with our CALD clients and others about how to protect themselves against the virus,’ said Anthony Scerri, ADS’s Manager for Settlement and Community Services.
‘The SCoA funding enabled us to be very focused; urging people to get vaccinated and to encourage others to play their part in stopping the spread.’
After the project ended, ADS staff continued to communicate with people in CALD communities to help keep them safe, Mr Scerri said.
For example, ADS’s Nepalese community worker Rishi Acharya and Arabic community worker Fatima Sayed were part of a recent in-language video project with Georges River Council to urge people to get vaccinated.
ADS’s Bangla community worker Tasneem Rashid also recently worked with the Public Health Unit and the Multicultural Health Service in South Eastern Sydney Local Health District to offer a session for the Bangla community to give up-to-date accurate medical information in Bangla about the vaccines.
‘Our staff are going the extra mile to assist the refugees, migrants and elderly people who use our services to protect themselves and their families,’ Mr Scerri said. ‘We’re also proud to be collaborating with health services, local councils and peak bodies like SCoA to ensure messages about the pandemic reach their intended audiences.’
Chinese traditional dancing sessions, meditation and mindfulness classes, and bilingual information forums are just some of the activities that will soon be enjoyed by socially isolated seniors from Chinese backgrounds in the Sutherland Shire thanks to Advance Diversity Services (ADS) following a successful application to ClubGRANTS.
Funded by Taren Point Bowling and Recreation Club, the ADS project aims to build social connections and reduce isolation. The new group will be coordinated by Chinese-speaking ADS staff member, Ronnie Wang, with the support of Chinese community volunteers.
Ms Wang said there was a significant representation of people from Chinese backgrounds living in the Sutherland Shire area, with 2016 Census data for the shire indicating Mandarin is the second largest language spoken outside of the English language, followed by Cantonese.
‘Our Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking staff, who work closely with Chinese clients and communities in the St George and Sutherland Shire areas, identified the need for a local social support group for older Chinese people in the Sutherland Shire.
‘The Chinese Community Reference Group and Chinese Services Network convened by ADS also highlighted the lack of culturally specific and language-accessible social support activities and engagement for Chinese people in the area.’
ADS’s new group would bridge this gap, Ms Wang said, enabling seniors to experience meaningful social connections with others in the group and to build a sense of belonging and engagement with their local communities.
Group sessions would involve recreational and health-based activities, including traditional dancing, wellbeing activities, and bilingual education sessions presented by health workers on subjects like falls prevention, healthy eating and elder abuse. Funds would be used to pay hall hire, group activity costs, catering, and staff time.
‘CALD seniors are particularly vulnerable to social isolation due to language and cultural barriers, stigma, social-economic disadvantage, and low rates of service access,’ Ms Wang said.
‘We also know isolation can have a negative impact on older people’s health – heightening their risk of cardiovascular, autoimmune, and neurocognitive illnesses, and increasing the likelihood of depression and anxiety.
‘We want our seniors to be happy and healthy and to find fun and friendship as they connect with and contribute to the community. This project will help us to achieve this.’
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown in NSW, group sessions will occur online until they can be held face-to-face. For more information, contact Ronnie Wang on (02) 9597 5455 or ronnie@advancediversity.org.au (working days are Wednesdays and Thursdays).
Caption: Seniors from Chinese backgrounds living in the Sutherland Shire will be able to enjoy dancing, meditation, educational seminars and more at a new group being established by ADS.
Advance Diversity Services (ADS) staff and volunteers dressed in PURPLE clothes and accessories to support Wear It Purple Day (WIPD) on August 27.
‘Despite being in lockdown in Sydney, we wanted to celebrate diversity and young people from the Rainbow community,’ said Corporate Services Manager, Michael Cheung. ‘We were keen to do this because we know 75 per cent of LGBTIQA+ youth experience some form of discrimination due to the lack of acceptance of their sexuality or gender identity.’
Staff and volunteers took selfies or got household members to snap them in their purple finery, he said, which was a public affirmation of WIPD’s aims and a sign they want Rainbow young people to feel safe and supported when using ADS services.
‘WIPD is also a great way to show we really mean what we say in our inclusivity statement – that all are welcome,’ said Mr Cheung.
Wear It Purple was founded in 2010 in response to young people taking their own lives after experiencing bullying and harassment. LGBTIQA+ people have the right to express themselves in public without fear.
In Australia, 11.2 per cent of young people identify as attracted to the same sex. However, when compared to the general population, LGBTIQA+ people are far more likely to have thoughts of suicide, or attempt suicide in their lifetime.
‘We wore purple for WIPD to send a strong message to young Rainbow people that we support them and that ADS is a safe place where they can find acceptance and belonging,’ Mr Cheung said.
‘Although many ADS staff are working from home, we are still available to talk with LGBTQ+ young people to help them find the support they need to handle any difficulties they’re facing.’
If you are an LGBTIQA+ young person who needs support please call 9597 5455. To find groups and services across Sydney see our LGBTIQA+ Support Directory.
Advance Diversity Services (ADS) joins its partner organisations and other humanitarian organisations, human rights groups and Afghan communities in Australia in urging the federal government to consider a special intake of Afghan refugees fleeing violence from the Taliban.
‘Our heartfelt sadness, solidarity and support goes out to the people of Afghanistan, and to our staff and clients who are deeply affected due to the devastating situation in their homeland,’ said CEO of ADS Antoinette Chow.
‘We urge the Australian government to grant refugee and humanitarian visas to people from Afghanistan and also to those who are already in Australia on temporary visas and/or in immigration and community detention centres.’
Ms Chow said she welcomed the recent announcement by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke confirming the extension of temporary visas for people from Afghanistan in Australia but Australia needed to step up its support and protection for people at grave risk.
She said ADS adds its voice to the calls of other refugee and humanitarian organisations for the Australian Government to offer urgent practical assistance, including, as the petition on Change.org says, to:
• Expedite bringing Afghan nationals who worked with the Australian mission in Afghanistan safely into Australia.
• Provide permanent visas to protection applicants already in Australia, particularly members of ethnic and religious minority groups.
• Desist from sending Afghan asylum seekers and refugees back to danger, as per Australia’s non-refoulment obligations.
• Create a temporary compelling emergency visa to provide temporary protection to at-risk groups (e.g., journalists, human rights workers, and women civil society activists), until the situation in Afghanistan improves.
• Increase humanitarian intake for Afghan refugees, particularly targeted groups including journalists, human rights activists, members of religious and ethnic minority groups and the LGBTI community.
Ms Chow emphasised urgency in extending humanitarian support to women and people from multiple marginalised communities including artists, artisans, scholars and writers, particularly from the Hazara minority group, LGBTQIA+ identities and people with disability whose lives and creative expression are at risk under an oppressive Taliban regime.
A joint letter signed by more than 300 organisations and sent to all Parliamentarians on August 18 called on the Australian Government to urgently take practical supportive steps, including offering additional refugee resettlement places for Afghan refugees immediately, as the Australian Government did in 2015 with 12,000 additional places for Syrian and Iraqi refugees and immediately increasing Australian aid to the region.
‘ADS supports these calls because we believe Australia has a moral duty toward the Afghan people. We believe Australia should commit to an additional humanitarian intake of at least 20,000 prioritising the most vulnerable persecuted Afghans.’
Ways you can help or be helped
Ms Chow said the Settlement Services International website provides myriad ways for people to help people in Afghanistan, including donating funds, signing petitions and volunteering time.
ADS offers settlement assistance and other services to migrants and refugees seeking support, and encourages any newly arrived person from Afghanistan clients in the St George and Sutherland Shire areas to contact its Settlement and Community Services team on 9597 5455.
‘We are here to give support to people from Afghanistan – both to individuals and families uprooted from their homes and to the diaspora living in Australia. Our thoughts and compassion are with you during this disturbing and difficult time,’ Ms Chow said.
Other help available
STARTTS offers counselling and community support services to people who have been affected by torture and trauma. Members of the Afghan community who would benefit from STARTTS support are encouraged to refer themselves or family members to STARTTS.
If you wish to support someone to apply for a humanitarian visa to Australia can call the Department of Home Affairs’ Global Service Centre – 131 881 or outside Australia +61 2 6196 0196 (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm local time).
For legal advice about supporting or sponsoring family in Afghanistan (or outside Afghanistan), contact Refugee Service by sending an email – refugeeservice@legalaid.nsw.gov.au or call 8713 6725.
(Due to high demand you may need to wait a week or so before Legal Aid can get back to you.)
If you’re living in Australia and impacted by the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan and feeling depressed and/or anxious, please contact the following support services:
Vulnerable temporary visa holders who are facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, can access greater support from Advance Diversity Services (ADS) thanks to a grant received from Multicultural NSW.
Temporary visa holders from St George, Sutherland or surrounding areas who are facing financial hardship can receive emergency food and supplies, medical support, transport and essential housing (i.e. crisis accommodation and rent payment) via ADS.
Those seeking emergency support must also make an appointment with ADS by phoning its office on (02) 9597 5455. Please also phone for further information, if required.
A colourful infographic designed by Advance Diversity Services (ADS) conveys easy-to-digest feedback from students who participated in cooking sessions ADS ran at the Kogarah Intensive English Centre (IEC) in 2020-21.
‘We ran the sessions to show young people who are new to Australia how simple and affordable it is here to cook and eat healthy food,’ said Anthony Scerri, ADS’s Manager for Settlement and Community Services.
‘The infographic captures what the students learned from taking part – and can easily be used by others to help them make healthier choices.’
South Eastern Sydney Local Health (SESLH) funded the cooking sessions as part of its YHunger project which supports youth services to work with vulnerable youth in:
providing and preparing healthy food and drinks
engaging youth in living skills related to healthy eating and physical activity, and
reviewing practices relating to healthy eating and physical activity.
ADS’s [then] Youth Worker, Salvin Kumar, ran 12 classes at the Kogarah IEC as part of the school’s pre-existing breakfast club and using recipes from the Yhunger cookbook. Students were also encouraged to provide and devise their own recipes. The classes built on Healthy Lunchbox Sessions run previously by ADS at the school and which used content from NSW Health.
Caption: Students who participated in cooking sessions run by ADS at the Kogarah Intensive English Centre (IEC) learned how to make healthy food as part of the YHunger Project.
Project feedback has been positive and ADS’s final report to SESLH notes: ‘Teachers said the students were really engaged when cooking. There was also lots of teamwork and networking. Since the program rolled out right after the Covid lockdowns, it was exactly what the students wanted.’
Mr Scerri said ADS’ Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) Program provides services to newly arrived migrants who live, work or study in St George and Sutherland Shire. He was therefore pleased the project had achieved its goals to:
Strengthen relationships and links ADS has with the community and the school.
Foster knowledge of the nutritional and dollar value of the types of food that Australia produces which are different to a client’s place of birth/background.
Enable students to share knowledge gained from the classes with their families, including showing them how to make easy, healthy breakfasts.
Survey gleans valuable feedback
ADS recently surveyed the students to find out what nutritional information and healthy habits they had retained since the end of the program.
The survey asked:
What did you most like about being involved in the cooking sessions at the Kogarah Intensive English Centre?
How often would you have prepared healthy breakfast food and drinks before you were involved in the cooking sessions?
What are two things you learned during the sessions about healthy eating generally and the importance of eating a healthy, nutritional breakfast?
What did you discover about the cost of food and which foods are better value for money?
How often have you made yourself and/or your families/friends healthier food and drinks since you were involved in the sessions?
How much more likely are you now to choose a healthy snack over a less healthy option?
What is your favourite healthy breakfast option?
What did you most like about being involved in the cooking sessions at the Kogarah Intensive English Centre?
How often would you have prepared healthy breakfast food and drinks before you were involved in the cooking sessions?
If you were asked to encourage a student who was reluctant to cook and eat healthy food about how affordable, easy and tasty it is, what would you say to them?
Answers received were distilled to form the following seven key points for the infographic.
Balance – I sometimes used to skip breakfast but my habits have improved and I now cook a healthy breakfast once or twice a week.
Variety– Healthy food can be delicious! Preparing and eating a diverse range of food is important.
Better breakfast – A cheaper, healthier, but still tasty option for breakfast is bread and milk.
Healthy habits – I now drink more milk and water than I do coke, and I also eat more vegetables.
Nutrition – To be really healthy and set yourself up for the day, it is better to eat nutritious cereals and to cook your own breakfast.
Healthy options – Yoghurt and fruit, and bread and avocado are now some of my favourite healthy breakfast options.
Eat at home – To get value for money, it is better to prepare and cook fresh food at home. Nuts are a great healthy snack.
Cooking – It was great to learn how to cook. Since these sessions, I’ve made myself and my family healthier food almost every day.
Mr Scerri said, ‘The infographic will help to ensure the nutritional learning lives on and is easily accessible to our clients as well as to other schools and their students.
‘It conveys the information simply enough for it to be understood by people for whom English is new and a second or third language.’
