Dear friends,
Cultura as an organisation exists to serve as a beacon of hope and support for culturally diverse communities within Geelong and surrounding areas.
Our thoughts today are with Turkish and Syrian communities who have been deeply affected by the recent devastating earthquake in their homeland, which has killed over 41,000 people.
We are also aware that Turkiye hosts millions of refugees already separated from their homeland, in particular people from Afghanistan and Iraq and our support and sympathy extends to their communities here in Geelong as well.
I know for certain, that the emotional toll and impact of this devastation is bound to be felt here on local soil with a large contingent of local families worried and concerned for their loved ones overseas.
As an organisation, we understand that recovery from such a disaster can be a long and difficult process, and we stand ready to support the affected communities as best we can. I am sure the broader Geelong community is also thinking of them at this difficult time.
We encourage members from the affected communities to reach out to us for support by contacting the Cultura Northern Community Hub on 03 5260 6000. We believe that by working together, we can provide the support necessary to help the affected individuals and communities heal and rebuild.
Kind regards,
Joy Leggo OAM
Moving to a new country can be an exciting but also frustrating experience. New job seekers often face hurdles such as language barriers, a competitive job market and a different cultural understanding of workplaces. Sarah, a client of Cultura’s Employment Team, was unsure of how to start looking for work. She was taking English language classes, but was keen to start earning money.
Sara is an artistically gifted person who had worked as a successful interior designer back home. But even with her impressive portfolio, finding meaningful employment in Australia was challenging. Sara needed to understand industry trends and Australian work culture.
Soon after Sara registered with Cultura, Jane Millett, General Manager of Back to Back Theatre called, offering a candidate a 6-week administration assistant traineeship. This award-winning theatre promotes diversity in its actors and employees, and the Employment team was happy to promote this talented artist. Sara herself was not sure if she could meet the challenge of answering people’s questions on the telephone, but she wanted to try.
After Jane met—and hired—Sara, she knew she had made the right choice. ‘Sara is obviously a very creative person. It impressed me how Sara used her creativity to communicate when she couldn’t speak English fluently,’ says Jane. ‘I will never forget how Sara brought an amazing culturally-inspired meal to our team for one of the events. The whole experience taught our company that hiring people from multiculturally diverse background can bring a wealth of knowledge, skills, and experiences to a workplace. I cannot wait to see Sara thrive and look forward to welcoming her back as an artist one day,’ she said.
Sara, too, has gained invaluable experience through her work at the theatre. ‘I became more confident and understand the workplace culture better now,’ she says.
Finding employment in Australia can be challenging, but with persistence, patience and a little help, new arrivals can successfully navigate the job market and start building a fulfilling career in their new home.
The school holiday program for culturally diverse communities is a fantastic initiative aimed at providing children and families from diverse backgrounds with a fun and educational experience during the school break.
With a focus on diversity and inclusiveness, the program provides an opportunity for participants to learn from each other, build new relationships and create memories that will last a lifetime. This program is a great way to foster a sense of community and promote social cohesion within our newly arrived and refugee communities.
The Community Development team organised a series of exciting activities during the summer school holidays, including a family picnic complete with lively games and competitions at the Northern Community Hub. Participants also had the chance to take part in the informative Water Safety Program, in partnership with Life Saving Victoria, where they learned about rips, how to avoid them, and how to help someone in danger of drowning. This program provided a great opportunity for families to bond, have fun, and learn valuable skills.
The summer holiday program culminated with a much-anticipated trip to Lorne. This activity is highly sought after among our clients, as many have never before seen the ocean or had the chance to swim. It was an exciting experience for both them and us to witness their genuine smiles and delight on the day.
Cultura Training has started to build the new branding as we work with the Department of Education to transfer current students to the new Cultura Training platform. Through this process, a lot of effort is being placed into the new look website and brochures. The team is doing an amazing job through this transition and are creating a solid foundation for future growth at the RTO.
The new training year commencing in 2023 has seen over half of the accredited training qualifications change in course content delivery. There have been changes to the Certificate III in Individual Support, which is now a starting point for both aging and disability specialisation, Certificate IV in Disability, which is the next step following the Certificate III. The Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance content has been updated and will continue to expand this important role of healthcare professionals. The Diploma of Community Services has also been updated to reflect changes in the industry, ensuring our content delivery remains aligned with practical and quality service for clients.
We are now taking expressions of interest for our next enrolment, which is planned for March 2023, with traineeships available where we can also provide connections to employment. For more information, please contact Cultura Training on (03) 4210 0000.
On behalf of all of us at Cultura, we would like to thank our amazing volunteers from ‘Job Club’ program at the Northern Community Hub. The profiles and soft skills of our job seekers are being developed by a group of generous individuals who want them to shine and be successful.
Their efforts led to numerous success stories and very positive outcomes for our clients:
Cultura is very lucky to have a small group of devoted volunteers who assist our clients.
Spread the word in your community among individuals who could benefit from participation in our ‘Job Club’. It is held on Wednesdays between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm at Cultura – Northern Community Hub.
Attention all job seekers! Are you looking for a new career opportunity? Then come and meet us at Pako Festa, Town Hall on the 25th of February from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, for an on-the-spot recruiting event!
Cultura is a community that supports, connects and inspires culturally diverse individuals throughout all stages of life. We are always happy to hear from motivated individuals who are passionate about working in the care industry.
Cultura is seeking motivated individuals eager to start their careers in residential aged care, home care and aged support services! We are on the lookout for:
Personal Carers (Residential Aged Care):
Support, care and assist the residents in our Aged Care facility to complete daily tasks and encourage to remain independent. Requirements include:
Wellbeing Workers (In-Home Care)
Help, support and care for clients who live within their own home. Requirements include:
Activity Workers (Aged Support)
Plan and implement quality, creative and stimulating activities based on individual and group interests for aged support clients. Requirements include:
All you need to bring is your CV, a positive attitude, and a smile!
Don’t miss this chance to start your new career, all you need to do is just show up at the event! We look forward to meeting you and helping you find the perfect career path!
Like many other aged people, Isobel was looking for a way to remain living independently in her own home. It was important for Isobel to stay in her home for as long as possible, flexibly and on her terms. Taking a step towards home care is always hard as you have to hand over part of your daily routine to someone else.
Isobel discovered that her decision to obtain a Home Care Package turned into a very positive experience that helped her maintain her independence.
Her Wellbeing Coordinator – Matthew explained that Isobel required some assistance with meal preparation. At first, Matthew was a bit hesitant to pair James, who is studying psychology and works at Cultura as a wellbeing worker, as he wasn’t sure this would be the right dynamic. ‘Would he be able to bond with the client and would he be able to cook delicious food?‘ Matt thought to himself.
‘James’ enthusiasm and dedication truly fascinated me. Not only did he build a positive and trusting relationship with Isobel in no time, he also cooks fantastic meals for Isobel fortnightly! This is quite outstanding considering he had to teach himself all the culinary skills for this job,‘ says Matthew.
‘It is truly a life-changing experience for me to receive such help. James is a lovely young man, and I look forward to when he comes to visit me, we share a lot of common interests and always have something to chat about,’ says Isobel.
When it comes to making a decision about home care services, the only given is that each circumstance is very different. At Cultura, we don’t assume to know what you want. Instead, we meet you where you are at and we are always listening to you.
ACFE classes had an amazing array of adventures in 2022 culminating in a colourful break-up party.
We had an incredible year and ran a variety of amazing programs, including: learning to sew; coffee making to a barista standard; financial well-being and money management; communication in the work place and in the community; learning to drive; cooking a wide variety of cuisine, volunteering in Aged Care; horticultural techniques; preserving food and making jam; literacy and numeracy including conversations in a variety of contexts; preparation for employment and interview skills; exploring our environment including water treatment and conservation to enhance awareness of nature and positively support healthy wellbeing. Confidence to engage with the wider community grows continuously, even to the extent of meeting and greeting Gabrielle Williams, Victorian Minister for Women, Prevention of Family Violence and Aboriginal Affairs.
At ACFE program, students actively engage in as many activities as possible, which builds up knowledge through language learning and develops employability skills to a high standard.
In 2023 we are looking forward to providing these courses and many more to meet the needs and wants of our clients. Anyone interested in this program, please contact the ACFE team at [email protected].
94.7 The Pulse is hitting the streets once again in the first Outside Broadcast series since pre-COVID with Loretta’s Front Page.
Loretta hosted her highly popular Wednesday morning program live from Kyosk Café in Ocean Grove in the first of many outside broadcasts to come for 2023.
True to The Pulse’s grassroots community style, Loretta interviewed local business owners, political figures, and community groups to highlight how unique and lively the Bellarine Peninsula and Greater Geelong region truly is.
The Pulse is involved in many Geelong community events and is excited to be back amongst the community discussing local issues, highlighting local businesses and areas, and giving a voice to the Geelong people through the power of radio.
The Pulse’s next big community event will be our revered Pako Festa live broadcast where listeners can tune in from 9am to 5pm to get the live action on the streets of Geelong West as Pako Festa makes its much anticipated return to Pakington Street for 2023.
Stay tuned for an exciting year!
Tell Touch is a user friendly computer software which gives residents and their representatives the opportunity to give feedback on the services and care they receive.
This feedback greatly enhances the quality of life for our wonderful residents. We’ve had it up and running for 2 years now, and we have 4 stations for easy access to computer tablets.
In addition, we have a facilitator who visits each resident for a warm and private talk to find out if they are having any problems. And the numbers reveal that quite a few of them find it helpful.
Some of our community members are great at taking an active role in having their voice through Tell Touch, while others are not. This is exactly why we want to get the family members used to using this platform.
You have the most personal knowledge about your loved one because you are the one who communicates with them frequently. When people are hesitant to speak up in person, posting a comment on Tell Touch gives you a fantastic opportunity to ‘break the ice’.
All we want to do is make our services better for you.
Please make the effort to learn how to use this user-friendly software. We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!
For additional details, or if you require assistance, please get in touch with Nina at 0403 547 783 or [email protected].
Cultural Pako Festa
Saturday 25th Feb, 2023
9.00am-5.00pm
The Cultura Pako Festa is around the corner, and we are excited to release the 2023 Stage Program over 40 acts and 500 performers across 5 outdoor stages offering a diversity of dance, music and song.
For kids the Children’s Entertainment precinct inside the West Town Hall from 12.30 pm will become an interactive dance, song and circus space and, most importantly, a seated area to rest up and rehydrate.
From 9:00 am Pakington Street is transformed into a global food eatery while the street parade commencing at 11:00 am. This year it will be back to its former glory, full of colour, sound and movement. Keep up to date with everything you need to know by following us on social media and visiting our website https://www.pakofesta.com.au/program-program-and-map/
US AND ALL OF THIS
BY LIESEL ZINK
A BETTY AMSDEN PARTICIPATION PROJECT
Geelong Arts Centre is seeking 100 local participants to take part in a large-scale, meditative, and sculptural public dance work.
Us And All Of This by Liesel Zink is an en-masse contemporary dance performance that gathers people of diverse ages and backgrounds to explore togetherness, community, and the gentle act of share creation.
Participants will take part in a series of four gentle yet rejuvenating dance workshop-style rehearsals, and will learn a range of choreographic and improvisational sequences that lead to the final performance.
No dance experience is required – just an openness and willingness to move.
Over 4 weekends, participants will take part in 3-hour rehearsals that are designed to be joyous and encouraging, before coming together for the final performance on Sunday 2 April.
Cultura is a proud supporter of this project and invites you to learn more or register your interest by following the link below.
Us And All Of This – Geelong Arts Centre
Cultura emerged as the vibrant new organisation from the merger of Diversitat and Multicultural Aged Care Services (MACS) in 2022.Â
ABN: 71 355 229 834
Multicultural Community Services Geelong Inc. trading as Cultura
Cultura acknowledges Aboriginal traditional owners of country throughout Victoria and pays respect to their cultures and elders past, present and emerging.
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