Do you live in the Brisbane City Council area?

Are you fluent in English?

Do you speak any of these languages:

• Cook Island Maori
• TSI Creole
• Kriol
• Nuer
• Dinka
• Swahili
• Kirundi
• PNG Pidgin
• Hmong
• Amharic
• Tigrinya
• Bislama
• Karen
• Wik Mungkan
• Fijian Pidgin
• Rohinga
• Nepalese Chin
• Juba Arabic

Would you like to work as an interpreter and help members of your community who don’t fully understand English?

Interpreter Training And Mentoring for Emerging Languages (ITAMEL) is a project sponsored by Brisbane City Council and organised by Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators Inc to assist you in becoming the bridge of understanding between your community and others.

It is at no cost to you and will be held in Brisbane. All you need to give is a small part of your precious time and your enthusiasm to serve your community.

Mentoring means you will be fully supported and guided throughout the course.

Run by professional trainers, sessions will cover issues such as health, ethics, culture and law. They will also provide practical guidance on how to conduct, maintain and evaluate interpreting work.

For further information about this project including how to register,
please contact sberner@arabic.com.au
or call (07) 5465 3893 and leave a message.

'Working with Young People from Refugee Backgrounds' in Brisbane North

Date: Wednesday 22nd July
Time: 10am- 12pm
Venue: Chermside Library
Cost: Free

QPASTT (Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma) will deliver one hour of training on:

• Working with Young People from Refugee Backgrounds
• Settlement experience
• The impact of trauma
• A model for assisting recovery

This will be followed by a roundtable discussion of key and emerging issues for Young People from Refugee Backgrounds and Service Provision in Brisbane North.

This is an opportunity to network, share ideas and make connections.
Lunch will be provided.

More information will be sent closer to the date but please keep this date free if you are interested in this event.

Volunteer Tutors Needed

QPASTT (Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma) is a not-for-profit, community organisation who works with people who have experienced refugee related trauma prior to migrating to Australia.

The Homework Club at QPASTT is seeking tutors to volunteer their time to assist high school and some tertiary students with their assignments and school work. The tutor’s role is to support young people to complete their homework themselves. Tutors will be required to volunteer two hours per week on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon (3:30 – 5:30pm).

Tutors must be at least 18 years old and be eligible for a Working with Children Blue Card. We are interested in hearing from people who feel able to tutor in a variety of subjects, however we urgently require maths and/or science tutors. No experience in tutoring is necessary as an induction and ongoing training will be provided.

The Homework Club is located in QPASTT’s office in Yeronga, near the Yeronga train station.

Please contact Elise Barton on 3120 1517 or elisebarton@qpastt.org.au for more information or to express your interest.

FREE information session for African Communities

Do you want more information on proposing relatives to come to Australia under the Humanitarian Program?

Presented by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship

Date: Sunday 12 July 2009
Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Venue: Multicultural Development Association, 512 Stanley Street, South Brisbane

RSVP: by 5 July 2009 to confirm your place
Email: multiculturalaffairs.brisbane@immi.gov.au; or
Phone: Katie on (07) 3136 7660

Please note: interpreters will not be provided.

Mural Launch - Zillmere Community Centre

Zillmere Community Centre received a grant to paint a mural, the theme being “JOURNEYS” – How People Came To Make Zillmere Their Home”.

The Public launch of the Mural will be held on:
11th July from 10.00 a.m. – 3.30 p.m - doors will open at 9.30 a.m. for a 10.00 a.m. start.

Free BBQ lunch
Free activities for the children
Entertainment provided by many of the local cultural groups.

Programs for the event will be available from the 1st July at the Zillmere Community Centre.

Further Information:
Zillmere Community Centre, Phone 3865 2880 Fax 3865 4077
E-mail - manager.zcc@bigpond.com

If you work with young people there is a great new website you should know about!

livesmart.net.au has been launched!! It’s a new multilingual living skills website for young people and their workers. The website provides living skills info in 6 languages (Arabic, Amharic, Dinka, Swahili, Karen and English) and features an interactive ‘make your own budget’ tool.

The website is a resource you can use in your work with young people as they learn about housing, managing mobile phone bills,getting legal advice and staying happy and healthy. Look out for recorded interviews with young people – they’ll be added to the site by the end of the month. Check out www.livesmart.net.au

Participatory Project Management Workshop

15 - 17 September 2009 (3 full days)
Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre
Brisbane, Australia

This workshop is for those who are:

• Involved in Community Development (CD) projects.
• NGO and International Development Consultancy Project Officers.
• Government or UN officials, returned volunteer or students who wants to learn more about CD/PM.

Further Information
For further information on modules, content and registration, please contact:

Chris Piper, TorqAid
Email: pipercm@iprimus.com.au Mobile: + 61 (0)412 497 317
Webiste: www.torqaid.com

Dr Vladimir Pacheco, The Foundation for Development Cooperation
Email: vladimirpacheco@fdc.org.au Ph +61 (0)7 3217 2924
Website: www.fdc.org.au

Time: 9am – 3pm
Day: Mondays and Thursdays   June 15 – Sept 30. 2009
Venue: Under Community Hall
Address: Bedford Park, Love Street,
Spring Hill.

Participants have the opportunity to construct stringed, percussion and wind instruments.
Also, to play music together in small and large groups.
No experience necessary.
Food Provided.
For further information contact;
Charles Neville
charles@cyberferal.com
0439 767 159

Become part of our large family of established community members that provides assistance and friendship to newly arrived families from refugee backgrounds.

Volunteer to Help Newly Arrived Refugee Families

Information Session

Monday 20 July, 6pm – 9pm

Become part of our large family of established community members that provides assistance and friendship to newly arrived families from refugee backgrounds.

As a MDA volunteer you could be helping with;

• Social support / companionship
• Orientation to their home, garden, the local neighbourhood
• Shopping assistance
• Accompany families to medical & other appointments
• Social / recreational activities / community involvement
• Conversation and language skills / helping with homework
• Project work / administrative activities
• Migration administration assistance

Minimum commitment for volunteers is 3 hours per week or assisting MDA and its clients for a period of 6 months after completion of the Volunteer Induction Program consisting of 4 workshops over 4 weeks. We look to match on geographic location if possible.

Mon 20 July Workshop 1. Volunteer Information Session

– Refugee Settlement Support & Volunteer Responsibilities

Mon 27 July Workshop 2. Cross Cultural Awareness

Mon 3 August Workshop 3. Supporting Survivors of Torture and Trauma

Mon 10 August Workshop 4. Practical Volunteering with MDA

All workshops will start 6pm and finish 8pm-9pm.

For volunteers who have other specific skills, we are happy to discuss other ways in which they can contribute.

Venue: Multicultural Development Agency Public transport recommended
512 Stanley Street, South Brisbane

Refreshments only provided

Please contact: MDA Volunteer Coordinator Kerrie Manning
Ph: 3337 5428 or email: kerriem@mdabne.org.au

Financial Management Workshop

When: 11 July 09, 10am to 1Pm
Venue:ECCQ House, ( Gumbaya Room – Downstairs), 253 Boundary Street, West End, Brisbane
Parking: Car park Behind ECCQ House on Granville Street or street parking

Enquiries and Booking:
Shilpa Banerjee, Acting Project Officer,Strengthening Ethnic Community Associations (SECA) Program
Email: seca1@eccq.com.au

Ph: 07- 3844 9166; Fax: 07-3846 4453

Booking Deadline: 15th June 2009

For more information: www.eccq.com.au

Optus Grants started in 2008 and grants are small $1k - $5K small projects for not-for-profits (NFP's) and Local govt eligible. What is great with this program is that NFP can ask for assistance to write grant application from the Optus people who offer Volunteer corporate time. Target is social inclusion and disconnected youth. Applications dont open until May - close in September. Worth sharing with community orgs.

Click here for Optus Community Grants Webpage

Ethnic Community Council of Queensland

Public Liability Insurance

Multicultural Summit 09

 Call for Abstracts

 The Multicultural Summit ’09 Steering Committee invites submissions for abstracts for Multicultural Summit ’09 which will be held at the State Library of Queensland on Monday, 26 October 2009 and Tuesday, 27 October 2009.

 Panel proposals and proposals for individual papers are invited on any aspect of multiculturalism, nationalism, and pluralism but particularly those addressing the following themes and streams:

• An Australian identity?

• Multiculturalism & Nationalism – competing or strengthening themes?

• Managing diversity or embracing diversity?

• Linked issue examples: employment, education, housing, government service delivery, cultural competencies, and migration.

Papers which present research outcomes, track trends or developments, describe case studies or works in progress, are of speculative projection, challenge existing paradigms or record a history, are all welcome.

Papers will be selected on the basis of quality, originality and relevance to the Summit theme and will be reviewed by the Multicultural Summit ’09 Steering Committee.

Please comply with the following and forward your abstract no later than June 30, 2009.

• Abstracts must be typed in Microsoft Word

• No more than 300 words

• Include your name, email address and phone number

• Submit by email as an attachment or on a CD posted to the address below.

 Please forward your abstracts to: summit@eccq.com.au

 Or post to: Erika Lamichhane Bhandari

Events Manager - Multicultural Summit ‘09

Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland

PO Box 5916, West End, Qld. 4101

Tel.: (07) 3844 9166 Fax: (07) 3846 4453

The 2009 FECCA Conference, Strengthening Mulculturalism and Building Social Inclusion, will be held at the East bank Centre, Shepparton, Victoria, on Thursday 29
and Friday 30, October, 2009.

Conference registration details, the conference program
and website will be announced in the near future.

FECCA is calling for papers for the conference breakout sessions, which will be further detailed on the forthcoming conference website.