The M Incubator program is a Settlement, Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) Community Capacity Building program targets and support community leaders, new and emerging community groups and organisations to support their specific communities towards collectively increasing the social participation, economic and personal well-being of community members, to ensure that positive settlement outcomes are sustained in the long term. Support may include development of leadership and governance skills, linkages to the broader community, interaction with local stakeholders, and access to resources and facilities.

Under the program, AWECC has provided leadership training to community leaders and supported various community groups. Some of the community leaders identified needs within their communities and AWECC has supported them to develop long-term solutions.

AWECC appreciates the support received from the Commonwealth Government in running this program.

The Turning Point Driver Support Program aims to support migrants to obtain their driving license and address to overcome barriers to obtaining a driving license. In regional towns like Albury -Wodonga, private transport is essential to engage in most social and economic activities. The inability to drive results in social isolation and inability to get employment, which in turn delays social integration.

Under this program, AWECC has supported some members of a humanitarian background to obtain their Driver Instructor licences. This has enabled community members who could not access driving lessons due to language barriers to obtain their driving licenses.

The program helping refugees learn to drive in regional Australia >>

The OMMRAP grant aims to use a strategic partnership approach, drawing upon community strengths and resources, to address the needs of the multicultural, refugee and asylum seeker communities in Victoria by building their capacity including strengthening education, employment or volunteering pathways and outcomes; increasing their participation and inclusion in community life; improving access to government services; and promoting community harmony.

Partners For Change is a partnership project between the Victorian Department of Health and AWECC to support the health needs of newly arrived migrants. The project links the Ovens Murray Public Health Unit and the CALD communities and provides engagement of cultural awareness to the local Public Health Units.

The program which is supported by the Victorian Department of Health seeks to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of the multicultural communities in our region by:

• Enhancing mental health literacy of the multicultural communities in our region;
• Seeking ways to overcome the stigma associated with mental health in some communities;
• Increasing help seeking behaviours among the multicultural communities in our region; and
• Raising cultural awareness among the mental health service providers.

AWECC, with the support of the Victorian State Government, collaborated with Albury Wodonga Health and other CALD Community groups to deliver a very successful CALD Vaccination program in Albury Wodonga during the height of the Pandemic and Cross Border Closures.

Through the program, many community members from more than 10 multicultural backgrounds got vaccinated. We also assisted community members to get access to their COVID Certificates. Additionally, we provided education and support to many volunteers and community leaders from the Bhutanese and Congolese Communities.

How a special vaccine program connected with this region's multicultural residents >>

AWECC collaborates with Palliative Care Victoria to improve knowledge and access to Palliative Care program in Albury Wodonga. Connections were made with AWH Palliative Care team and information was provided to both the CALD community leaders and the palliative service providers.

Delivering sensitive palliative care in Wodonga >>

AWECC runs emergency management programs to support the multicultural communities. The programs amin to build the awareness and resilience of the multicultural communities to prepare for emergencies. We partner with:

• Community Fire Authority (CFA)
• Ambulance Victoria
• Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria
• Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)
• Local Government Authorities
• Victorian Council of Social Services – see report Communities at the Centre: Insight from the Multicultural Resilience Project
• La Trobe University

Resources

• see report Communities at the Centre: Insight from the Multicultural Resilience Project 
• (First 72 Hours)

AWECC works with the local schools and tertiary institutions to support students and parents/carers to understand and navigate the education system. Thought on-going engagement sessions, AWECC encourages on-going engagement of parents in their children’s education. By creating an understanding of the education system, students and their carers can explore the most appropriate options to exploit their full potential.

AWECC partners with Wodonga TAFE to provide awareness session with students studying English as the second language on a variety of topics on a monthly basis. Through this collaboration, AWECC has delivered various topics on health, online safety, home fire safety, and understanding various Australian systems.

Working with other agencies, AWECC supports members of the CALD community to get engage in gainful employment. For instance, the Turning Point Driving support project is geared towards establishing a driving school so that the instructors could have more time to serve the growing demand for in language driving support.

AWECC in partnership with SisterWorks support sisters, mainly for the humanitarian background to learn sewing. After acquiring the skills, the sisters will be supported to run income generating activities as a way of economic participation.

Congolese refugees new sewing skills >>

AWECC in partnership with the local sporting clubs encourages the participation of members of the CALD community in community sport as a way of social integration.

AWECC collaborates with Palliative Care Victoria to improve knowledge and access to Palliative Care program in Albury Wodonga. Connections were made with AWH Palliative Care team and information was provided to both the CALD community leaders and the palliative service providers.

Delivering sensitive palliative care in Wodonga >>

AWECC addresses issues of family safety by providing information sessions to community members on the expected standard of behaviour and to avoid any unacceptable behaviour.

AWECC participates in various committees to provide the cultural perspective to proposed initiatives. The committee include:

• Albury Wodonga Health’s Primary Care & Population Health Engagement Subcommittee
• City of Wodonga Local Safety Committee
• Inland Waterway Drowning Prevention Strategy Working Group
• Hume Emergency Management Committee