MCCI Multicultural Communities

Did you catch MCCI CEO Chris Lacey chatting to Lindsay McDougall on ABC Illawarra this afternoon?

MCCI has been selected to deliver The Welcome Experience in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region.

The Welcome Experience is a free service supporting essential workers and their families who are considering moving or have made the move to the regions.

Local Connectors can help you with the life stuff, everything from the practicalities of finding housing, choosing childcare, exploring job opportunities for partners, or even introducing you to your neighbours!

Find out how you can make the move today www.nsw.gov.au/welcomeexperience

Free online Skilled Migrant Employment Program! Register by email, [email protected], or phone (02) 7921 9400

If you live or work in NSW, you are eligible for this free program.

Follow TAFE on Facebook! TAFE NSW - Shellharbour, TAFE NSW - Wollongong, TAFE NSW - Hospitality Nowra, TAFE NSW - Nowra and TAFE NSW

Hundreds of people from fast growing communities in the region attended ONAM and Teej celebrations over the weekend. Check out our latest newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/mcci/news-september2024

Thanks for great celebrations! For more photos, go to MCCI members Illawarra Kerala Samajam Wollongong Illawarra Nepali Community - WINCand The Root - Australia

Join us for Multicultural Health Week at Let's Chat, this Friday 6 September at Wollongong City Libraries where you can learn about preparing health foods for your family.

No bookings required, just show up!

MCCI is proud to announce that we have been selected to deliver The Welcome Experience in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region.

The Welcome Experience is a free service supporting essential workers and their families who are considering moving or have made the move to the regions.

Local Connectors can help you with the life stuff, everything from the practicalities of finding housing, choosing childcare, exploring job opportunities for partners, or even introducing you to your neighbours!

"We are really excited to deliver The Welcome Experience to support essential workers and their families relocating to the Shoalhaven, Kiama and Shellharbour local government areas. MCCI has a proud history of supporting people to settle in the region and building new connections with local communities as they grow, thrive, and prosper," said CEO MCCI Chris Lacey.

Find out how you can make the move today www.nsw.gov.au/welcomeexperience



Photo: Tamara and Melissa who will be supporting the program from the MCCI Shoalhaven Hub.

Thank you Lake Illawarra High School NSW for hosting the MCCI Cook-Off.

Here are some photos from the intergenerational multicultural feast on Friday.

"The MCCI Cook-Off is an opportunity for young people to experience different cultures, increasing their understanding and appreciation of multiculturalism. It brings them together for a fully immersive experience, where they can cook, touch, and smell the food while engaging with seniors in the community who share their stories. This experience is a valuable part of Australian culture and promotes a positive, strengthening approach to achieving harmony and social cohesion which is what we all about at MCCI, said General Manager Refugee and Youth Support, Allyson Pazos.

Finding strength in unity! "I am proud to stand beside these incredible carers, providing the support, advice, and companionship they need to continue their vital work."

Read MCCI's Anica's wonderful blog about our free Carers group:
https://www.caresearch.com.au/About-Us/Newsroom/Palliative-Perspectives/Palliative-Perspectives-Blog-Details/ArtMID/17907/ArticleID/5268

The group meet on the third Tuesday of the month at the Fraternity Club, Fairy Meadow. Are you looking after somebody and would like to meet other carers with similar experiences? Phone 4229 7566 or email [email protected]

Thanks for a great expo today! We had a few good chats with people about our new multicultural MCCI Shoalhaven Hub, and how we support people through multicultural social groups, in-home care and other services. The Shoalhaven Aged Care Expo brought together service providers, seniors, care givers and others from the community with an interest in the latest innovations in aged care and support available to maintain an independent lifestyle at home. Get in touch if you didn’t make it to the expo and would like to know more or get involved through volunteering. Go to our website www.mcci.org.au, phone 4229 7566 or email [email protected]

Thanks for organising! Hearing from other organisations about their experiences and challenges is essential for the work we do with multicultural communities in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and ACT. The Ethnic Communities’ Council of NSW (ECCNSW) is the peak body for culturally and linguistically diverse communities in New South Wales. It was set up in 1975, the same year as MCCI.

Regional ECC/MCC Roundtable - ECCNSW The Regional ECC/MCC Roundtable that ECCNSW recently hosted at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sydney was a huge success. This inaugural event provided an opportunity for the Chairs and CEO’s of several regional Ethnic Communities Councils and Multicultural Community Councils from areas including Wagga,...

Spring is nearly here, and our multicultural groups are on the road. On the way to Macarthur Square in Campbelltown this week, the Croatian group stopped by the beautiful The Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan for coffee. Located on Dharawal Country, the botanic garden has been a meeting place for the Dharawal, Dharug and Gundungurra Nations since time immemorial. It covers an area of 416 hectares and is the home of 4,000 species of Australian native plants. Stop by and explore it next time you are South West Sydney!

Thanks to the Housing Trust for some good discussions yesterday! Culture is at the core of everything we do, and staff development days are perfect for cultural training because it makes them more inclusive. For more information about what training is suitable for your organisation, contact MCCI on 4229 7566 or email [email protected]

In the meantime, have a look at free online training coming up - https://www.mcci.org.au/whats-on/ - and free CALDWays courses you can do in your own time https://www.mcci.org.au/diversity-and-inclusion/caldways-courses/

Yesterday was a fantastic day for the HT Crew as we came together for our annual staff development day. It was a great opportunity to celebrate our achievements and look forward to the challenges ahead.

A big thank you to the team at MCCI for their insightful session on Culturally Inclusive Service Delivery. Understanding and embracing different cultures is crucial for meeting the diverse needs of those we serve.

Though it's rare for us all to be in the same room, when we do get together the energy and heartfelt connections are truly special.

It's a busy time of the year with many cultural events and festivals to choose from. The Wollongong Illawarra Nepali Community - WINC invite members and friends to join them for the annual Haritalika Teej(तीज) event - a festival filled with joy, tradition, and togetherness - on Saturday 31 August at the Asees Indian Restaurant, Crown Street, Wollongong.

Book at https://winc.org.au/upcoming-events/

Read more about WINC in our latest newsletter - go to https://mailchi.mp/mcci/news-august2024

A diverse workforce is vital for aged care providers to support older people. This newly released free guide on supporting inclusive workplaces helps you create a work environment where everybody feels they belong. Go to https://www.mcci.org.au/diversity-and-inclusion/resources/

“This guide was developed to provide aged care service providers with practical information to ensure the workplace is safe, inclusive, and free from racism and discrimination for all workers. It emphasises the importance of creating a welcoming environment where all employees feel valued and respected, thereby improving job satisfaction, retention, and the overall quality of care for older Australians,” said MCCI Training & Education Coordinator Gail Jugow.

Year 9 students from Lake Illawarra High School NSW and volunteers getting ready for the MCCI annual cook off, now in its 11th year!

They talked about their favourite ingredients and collaborated on their recipes in preparation for the cook off in two weeks. Stay tuned for the cook off recipe event and recipe this year!

Learning how to cook with Emily from our youth team at the after school program.

Last week we held a health and wellbeing session with Arabic language support at the park.

Thank you to Chiara from STARTTS who led the stretching class, and to Maha from Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District who facilitated discussion around health and wellbeing.

“Women are often at the centre of the family providing support to those around them and always giving to others. This stretching class and wellbeing session gave women time to focus on themselves with an emphasis on how they can take time out for self-care,” said Project Officer, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Debora Santos.

It's been a big week for young and more experienced athletes in Paris, Cringila, Figtree, Fyshwick, Farrer and Belconnen. MCCI's mini Olympics continues with intense competition and great sportsmanship. Congratulations to this week's medallists and participants. You are all champions!

How can digital improvements provide better care for older people? With the help of virtual reality goggles, our staff in the ACT tried to better understand the world of people living with dementia.

Thanks to Dementia Australia for a great Enabling EDIE workshop.

Yesterday we celebrated Aged Care Employee Day across teams at MCCI. Thank you to everyone working and supporting our aged care sector by providing quality, safe, compassionate, and professional care to our elders every day. This collage is a small glimpse into this week’s celebrations. You are amazing!

The MCCI Shoalhaven Hub continues to grow!

As our services grow, so does our staff base. Welcome to Mel (pictured left) who is our new senior project officer.

Lucy provides business support to our community and hub programs and is also the social support group facilitator.

Tamara and Lynn provide all rounder support to the hub and General Manager, Youth and Refugee Support, Ally (pictured right) will be leading the hub.

Every Tuesday morning the team meets at the Blak Cede Café who recently won the Caring for Country and Culture Award at the Local Government Regional NAIDOC Awards 2024.

Registrations are open for after-school cooking class with MCCI.

This will be a fun hands-on cooking class with a small group of young people at our kitchen in Corrimal Street. This class runs for three weeks – you can attend one or all of them!

Please remember to let us know if you have any dietary requirements or allergies and tell us what you would like to cook! We will have Halal and vegetarian/vegan options available for meals.

Registrations are essential: www.mcci.org.au/whats-on

This event is for people aged 12-24 from a multicultural background.

Congratulations to MCCI Olympic medallists from the Croatian social group! We are witnessing some great moments in sportsmanship these days as we are testing our social groups in shooting, archery, co****le (bean bag toss), mini golf and darts. The latter might be a sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics so we are well prepared. Group Facilitator Melissa was running the show, Chef Marie and Kitchen Hand Rita delivered world-class nutrition support to our senior athletes – a delicious Hungarian Goulash and patriotic flag cakes - and Bus Driver Kamal made sure everybody was transported safely. Well done everybody!

The latest from us at MCCI!

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All carers need support, advice and company, and now and then they also need a break from caring. MCCI’s three-day carers retreat at Sutton Forrest was an opportunity for carers to look after themselves and be pampered by MCCI staff.

“It gives me some outlet. I really want to express my grievances, looking after my husband is not easy and I know some people can also experience different hurdles,” said Betty from Hong Kong who recently joined the carers group and made some new friends at the retreat.

The carers went for bush walks, spent time in front of the fire, laughed, chatted, cooked, watched movies, visited the international chapels at Penrose Park and celebrated Christmas in July.

MCCI’s free monthly carers group meet on the third Tuesday of the month at the Fraternity Club, Fairy Meadow. Contact Anica at MCCI on 4229 7566 or email [email protected] for more information.