Monday, 17 December 2012

Singing Together - A concert of Song & Joy




Come and join us for a wonderful family friendly FREE event being hosted by the Multicultural Women's Advocacy Inc.

Where: Garema Place, Civic Canberra 

When:  Wednesday, 19th of December 

Time:   6:00pm to 7:00pm 


Celebrate the end of the year with us and enjoy the beautiful voices of the performers and groups with us!

The MWA Team x

Tuesday, 27 November 2012

Parliament Day - 215 Million Reasons to Support Migrant Workers Rights!



We are singing tomorrow with 200 Migrant Women Workers as part of Parliament Day - 215 Million Reasons to Support Migrant Workers Rights ... WE ARE WOMEN!
Tomorrow we are singing with 200 Migrant Women "WE ARE WOMEN"

We are women we are strong
We are here where we belong
What we learn today
Will go a long, long way
We say no to unjust work practices
No bullying in workplaces
More jobs and training
Health at work needs more protecting

Oh yes, that's right
No more exploitation in our lives
We're tough, we have the power
If we always work together
And if we have to
We can do anything
Yes we're strong
Yes we're invincible
We are women

We are women, unashamed
To speak out loud, speak unafraid
We want our voices heard
It's time to go ahead
Stand up against nasty bosses
Lobby politicians in high places
Link arms with unions
Speak out loud in various places.

Oh yes, that's right
Empowered women let us rise
We're tough, we have the power
If we always work together
And if we have to
We can do anything
Yes we're strong
Yes we're invincible
We are women

The MWA Team x

Friday, 9 November 2012

ACT Government Ministerial Portfolios

After the ACT elections, the new Ministerial Portfolios have been announced:


Katy Gallagher

    Chief Minister
    Minister for Health
    Minister for Regional Development
    Minister for Higher Education

Andrew Barr

    Deputy Chief Minister
    Treasurer
    Minister for Economic Development
    Minister for Community Services
    Minister for Sport and Recreation
    Minister for Tourism and Events

Simon Corbell

    Attorney General
    Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development
    Minister for Police and Emergency Services
    Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations

Joy Burch

    Minister for Education and Training
    Minister for Disability, Children and Young People
    Minister for Arts
    Minister for Women
    Minister for Multicultural Affairs
    Minister for Racing and Gaming

Shane Rattenbury

    Minister for Territory and Municipal Services
    Minister for Corrections
    Minister for Housing
    Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
    Minister for Ageing


The MWA Team x

Sunday, 28 October 2012

Art, Not Apart

On Saturday our team went off to explore Art, Not Apart that was held in New Acton ... what a wonderful mix of art, music, colour and vibrancy!

Nicola from the Intercultural Hands - Art & Hearts program

The program view ... 

Artists setting up near the Crow & Clock sculpture 
The MWA Team x

Friday, 26 October 2012

Save the Date/s!





We have so many exciting things happening and are already well into planning and organising things for 2013 ... here's a quick snippet of a few things

Things that are coming up:

  • Art, Not Apart Festival in New Acton, Saturday 27 October 1pm -7pm
  • Intercultural Hands - Arts and Hearts information session, Saturday 10 November 10am - 4pm 
  • MEPP 4th intake in early 2013
  • Launch of the Children
    's Sanctuary, January 2013
  • Launch of "Celebrating Women in Canberra", January 2013
  • National Multicultural Festival, February 8th - 10th
  • National Multicultural Festival ~ Children's Sanctuary, Saturday 9 February 10am - 3:30pm

We are so excited about the things we are working on and planning, so stay tuned as we have a few more things to share very shortly!





The MWA Team x

Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Chinese Women's Delegation Visit


Our Vice-Chair, Ms Chin Wong attending the Overseas Chinese Women's Delegation visits to China. Chin is standing just behind the Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), Ms Meng Xiaosi.

Congratulations to Chin for being part of this first visit!

The MWA Team x


Tuesday, 2 October 2012

Afternoon Tea to Celebrate Women in Political Life


ACT Multicultural Women’s Advocacy (MWA) Inc in partnership with their national office the Australian Migrant and Refugee Women’s Alliance (AMaRWA) wish to celebrate women’s contribution to political and public life, as part of our commitment under the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women article numbers 27 and 37.

We are hosting the women candidates standing in the 2012 ACT Legislative Assembly election, acknowledging and paying tribute to their contribution to the wider ACT community.

Venue: Mocan & Green Grout, 19 Marcus Clarke Street, New Acton
Date: Friday, 12 October 2012
Time: 2.00pm -4.00pm
RSVP: Call (02) 62571002 or email office.admin@amarwa.org by C.O.B Friday 5 October 2012.
Please note: RSVP is a must for this event
Dress: Business Attire or Smart Casual

For any questions or enquires, please contact our office on 6257 1002 or via email: pm@multiculturalwomensadvocacy.org or office.admin@amarwa.org


The MWA Team x

Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Board Diversity Scholarship Program

Apply Now for the Board Diversity Scholarship Program - closing date for Applications is 5pm AEST on Thursday, 11 October 2012

The Board Diversity Scholarships are jointly funded by the Australian Government's Office for Women and the Aust
ralian Institute of Company Directors.

Seventy full fee scholarships for women will be offered, providing the opportunity to attend the Company Directors Course or Mastering the Boardroom program. Scholarship recipients also receive complimentary twelve months membership.

Only highly experienced women who are looking to develop or further extend their directorship career will be considered.

Applications will close on 5pm AEST Thursday 11 October 2012.

http://www.companydirectors.com.au/Director-Resource-Centre/Governance-and-Director-Issues/Board-Diversity/Scholarship-Program?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=+120919+Scholarships+Open+EOI+List

Wednesday, 22 August 2012

For the Love of Reading ....



We LOVE reading here at MWA and always enjoy our Book Club get togethers held each month so we were quite excited to share the upcoming Canberra Readers' Festival being held in September 2012 with you... 

So if you LOVE reading and want to get involved with the National Year of Reading, then have a look at the information and details below!

Happy Reading,

The MWA Team x

Canberra Readers’ Festival 2012

For the love of reading…

Kate Grenville - Frank Moorhouse - Anita Heiss - Hazel Edwards
Kel Robertson - Melina Marchetta

The inaugural Canberra Readers Festival will be a perfect day out for the many Canberrans and Australians who love to read, for aspiring authors, and,
especially, for the many passionate people who are members of book clubs in
our community.

Celebrate the National Year of Reading this Spring with this special event to
inspire and entertain, and to get people excited about books and the power
of reading.

Hear from notable Australian authors and discuss and share your views with authors and with the community.

Early bird day passes (for all sessions) start at $32 ($25 concession).
Individual session tickets also available.

More information: www.library.act.gov.au

Bookings:  6275 2700 or visit www.canberratheatrecentre.com.
au

Friday, 3 August 2012

Breast Screening Reminders for Senior Women in the ACT

On June, 14th 2012 together with CMCF we co-hosted an Afternoon Tea Q&A Session Ms Amanda Bresnan MLA, ACT Greens Member for Brindabella, ACT Greens Whip as part of our Seasonal Seminar Series.

Amanda is the ACT Greens Spokesperson for Health, Transport, Disability and Housing, Ageing, Multicultural Affairs, Industrial Relations, and Corrections.

The Q&A Session covered various topics and questions relating to issues that face our Community on a daily basis.  These questions were put forward by Community members along with an open floor session at the end of the submitted question time.

The questions covered areas such as Childcare, Transport, Women's Health and Ageing just to mention a few.

One of the questions raised during the open floor session was in relation to Breast Screening reminders for Seniors and Elderly Women over 70 years of age.

During the discussions, Amanda was asked by a member of our audience to follow up on this as it is a major concern for Senior Women.

Amanda has followed this through with the Health Minister and has provided us with an response from the Health Minister in reply to the question raised, if you would like a copy of this response please contact our office.

The MWA Team x


Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Food Buffs ... Join us!

Calling all food buffs ... 


We are looking for some yummy winter inspired recipes to be included in our Winter Newsletter!




Winter Comfort Food Image Via: ifood.tv




Yes we do love our food here at MWA HQ and yes, we do seem to talk about food quite a bit, which is one of the reasons that we'd love to find some great recipes from you!

All you have to do is:

  • Write the recipe down so that we can share it with everyone
  • Explain a little bit about the dish 
  • Where it comes from (it's origin)
  • And if possible have a photo of the finished dish so that everyone at home can see what it looks like 


We are going to make this a regular feature on our blog and newsletter so put your thinking caps on for a Spring inspired dish to share!


Please leave a comment below if you'd like to take part.


The MWA Team x 

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Do



"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror. 
I can take the next thing that comes along." 
You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

Eleanor Roosevelt


How are your 'doing' steps going?   

The MWA Team x

Saturday, 30 June 2012

Unlimited Possibilities


"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards;
they try to have more things, or more money, in order
to do more of what they want so that they will be 
happier.

The way it actually works is the reverse.

You must first be who you really are, then do what you
need to do in order to have what you want."

~ Margaret Young

Impossible ~ Image via: The Love Shop


Take some time this weekend to think about 'what you' actually want from your life ...

Write down "Your" wish list of 5 things you would like to achieve - these may be big or small, it doesn't matter what they are as long as they mean something to you.


  • You may wish to read that book that has been sitting on your bedside table
  • You may wish to join a social group so that you get out of the house a little bit more
  • You may wish to enrol in that course at CIT/Tafe/Uni/Online that you keep putting off because you don't think you can do it
  • You may wish to go for a walk with the kids or with friends .... 
and the list can go on and on .... 

The important thing is that you start with your list and then you can start to think about the steps that you need to take in order to achieve these things.

Chose one thing off your list and start doing something about this weekend ...

Let's go - no more waiting!

The MWA Team x


Friday, 22 June 2012

Aung San Suu Kyi & the British Parliament





http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=763529&vId=3336842&cId=Top%20Stories&play=true

'Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has addressed both houses of British Parliament, an honour usually only given to heads of state.


Burma's pro-democracy leader talked of the years she spent living in Burma and in Oxford during her speech at Westminster Hall in London.

The 67-year-old Nobel Laurete recieved a standing ovation on arrival and was heralded for her bravery and guidance to humanity.

Suu Kyi is in Britain as part of a 17-day tour of Europe. This included a return trip to Oxford, where she once lived to recieve an honourary doctorate.

The Burma opposition leader warned the country is entering its most difficult period.

'We have an opportunity to reestablish true democracy in Burma. It is an opportunity for which we have waited decades,' she said.

'If we do not get things right this time right round, it may be several decades more before a similar opportunity arises again.'

Article and Link via Sky News http://www.skynews.com.au

The MWA Team x

Friday, 15 June 2012

Campaign Launch "215 Million Reasons Why..."


Multicultural Women’s Advocacy (MWA)
Invite you to join us for
The Launch of
215 Million Reasons... The Rights of Migrant Workers & their Families
Campaign for Australian Ratification of the Migrant Workers Convention



The Multicultural Women’s Advocacy (MWA) in partnership with The Network of Immigrant and Refugee Women Australia Inc. (NIRWA) are working together to ratify The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrants Workers and Members of Their Families also referred to as the UN Migrant Workers Convention, to support 215 million migrant workers’ rights and their families  (2009 United Nations International Migration Report)

We are asking the community to sign the postcard and share their voice, or just provide a name and signature, to support the ‘215 Million Reasons … The Rights of Migrant Workers & their Families’.

MWA and NIRWA are reinforcing the 215 million reasons to support the rights of Migrant Workers and their families, as each and every migrants’ rights deserves to be acknowledged as human rights.

On October 1 2011, a coalition of civil society groups (including NIRWA and The Human Rights Council of Australia) and global groups launched a renewed call for Australia to ratify the International Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of  their Families ("the Migrant Workers Convention").

The ACT launch will be held on Sunday 17 June 2012 from 10.30am–12pm:

VenueJohn Dunmore Lang Place (opposite Questacon) 

Map Link: 

Join us for the Launch followed by a BBQ and Morning Tea and a performance from the ACT Chinese Australian Association EverGreen Dance Group at 11:00am

This is a Family Friendly FREE Event!

For any questions or enquires, please contact our office on 6257 1002 or via email: programmanagermwa@gmail.com

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Inspire


Looking through a range of different images, articles and the like trying to find something that jumped out and 'Inspired' me.

Everyone needs a bit of inspiration sometimes, you know that little nudge to move you out of your 'stuck' place to make a phone call, study, complete an assignment or project, send an email, visit someone, go for a walk, cook something healthy, go for a job that you think you'd like .... lots of little things that we just need to do but put off 'just because' well maybe you're not INSPIRED enough!



So today we share these gorgeous images and hope that they help INSPIRE you in some way shape or form!



Enjoy, The MWA Team x

Monday, 11 June 2012

Afternoon Tea with Ms Amanda Bresnan, ACT Greens MLA

We wish to extend an invitation to join us for Afternoon Tea with Amanda Bresnan, MLA

Please join us:

Multicultural Women’s Advocacy (MWA)
and
Canberra Multicultural Community Forum (CMCF)
Invite you to join us for:

Afternoon Tea with Amanda Bresnan MLA 

Ms Bresnan is the Brindabella electorate for the ACT Greens, She is the Greens Spokesperson for:

Health
Transport
Disability and Housing
Multicultural Affairs
Industrial Relations
Corrections
Ageing

This is an opportunity for you to talk with Ms Bresnan about issues concerning your community and organisation.

       Date: Thursday 14th June 2012

                                  
           Time: 2- 3.30pm

         Venue:  Canberra Museum and Gallery, Theatrette room


       Ticket price: $15 per person






All payments MUST be made in full at the time of booking.
Payments can be made via Cheque payable to: Multicultural Women’s Advocacy Inc or via credit card / PayPal.

Numbers are strictly limited.
For further enquiries or to RSVP please call the MWA office on
 6257 1002 or email programmanagermwa@gmail.com

Friday, 25 May 2012

Our Week in Review ...

It has been a busy few weeks for the MWA Team as we come into the final weeks of current MEPP Program, organising the ACT Convention Launch of "215 Million Reasons Why ... The Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families" and hosting "An Evening of Conversation with Minister Joy Burch, MLA this week.

On the MEPP Program front, we have been working closely with 5 women and their families and are proud to share the news that one of our participants has secured a new full time position in her chosen area of expertise.



The ACT Convention Launch of "215 Million Reasons Why ... The Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families" will take place on Sunday, 17 June at 10:30am.  We'd love to have you join us for the Launch followed by a Morning Tea.

215 Million Reasons Why 


On Tuesday night we co-hosted a Dinner "An Evening with Minister Joy Burch, MLA" along with a Q&A Session where members of our community joined us for the evening asking the Minister questions surrounding areas of concern and raising issues that impact on their communities.

Minister Joy Burch, MLA and Guests 
It was a great evening enjoyed by all who attended.


The MWA Team x

Monday, 14 May 2012

Happy Mother's Day



Wishing all Mums a very Happy Mother's Day!

The MWA Team x

Monday, 7 May 2012

An Evening of Conversation with Minister Joy Burch, MLA


Multicultural Women’s Advocacy (MWA)
and
Canberra Multicultural Community Forum (CMCF)
Invite you to join us for
An Evening of Conversation with Minister Joy Burch, MLA

Special Guest

We are honoured to have Minister Joy Burch MLA as our Special Guest for the evening.

Our Chairs for the evening

The evening will be chaired by Mr Sam Wong, AM and Mr John Kalokerinos, JP

Conversations with Minister Burch, MLA ~ Q & A Session

Date:  Tuesday, 22 May 2012
               

Time:  6:00pm for 6:30pm

Dress:  After 5 ~ Cocktail
              
 (Not Formal) or National Dress

Venue:

The Hellenic Club of Canberra
The Apollo Room
Woden,  ACT  2606

RSVP:

email: programmanagermwa@gmail.com
or
ph:  6230 4632

ph:  6257 1002



The evening will be a sit down dinner along with a Q&A Session where each table will be allowed 2 questions to ask Minister Burch.

An opportunity to talk with the Minister about issues facing the community.

All Questions MUST be sent in at the time of booking (via email: programmanagermwa@gmail.com)

Dinner will include:

A two-course set menu with Tea & Coffee served afterwards. All meals will be Halal and Vegetarian options are also available. Should you have any specific dietary requirements, we ask that you provide this information at the time of your booking. Thank you.

This is a First in First Served event as numbers are limited to 100 people / 10 Tables of Ten

Pricing:                                  $50.00   per person
Table pricing:                        $450.00 per table

All payments MUST be made in full at the time of booking.
Payments can be made via Cheque payable to:  Multicultural Women’s Advocacy Inc or via credit card / PayPal.

For any questions or enquires, please contact our office on 6230 4632 or via email: programmanagermwa@gmail.com

Monday, 30 April 2012

Smile & Sunshine

Beautiful Sunshine via bombybo

Just a little something to bring to a smile and brighten up your day ...

The MWA Team x

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Being part of the same flower ... and an update!


It has been so busy here at the MWA / MEPP Office!  Moving the office around, letting the gorgeous Autumn light in and re-energizing ourselves before the cold of Winter kicks in!!

We have made a few 'Housekeeping' changes with the first being a name change for our blog... Due to the success of MEPP and the ongoing growth of MWA Inc, we have changed the name to the MWA Inc Blog as we are all part of the same beautiful flower!

And... drum roll please ... our new MWA Inc website is up and running * YAY* ~  we really did do a little happy dance to celebrate :)

We've just started our second program for MEPP and we are working with 5 amazing women and their families.

Inspiring just isn't a strong enough word to capture the true essence of these women and their families, who for the first time since arriving in Australia and Canberra have been asked "what they would like to do with their lives" as well as having someone actually take time out of their day to talk to them and then work with them so that they can find the confidence within to be empowered and be part of the community .... someone to at least care ....

How hard is it to talk to someone?  To ask them how they are and mean it ... not just 'spin' the line for the sake of it without really caring what the answer is from the person you've asked?

Food for thought and a very necessary discussion ...

We will keep you updated on the progress of these amazing women along with lots of news and updates on how the MWA Team is progressing with all the other projects that we are working on .... we can share now that we do have some very exciting things happening ...

Enjoy your day!

The MWA Team x




Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Eating Disorders amongst Migrants and Refugees

SBS Podcasts : Podcasts: Radionews

A recent article from SBS on eating disorders amongst Migrants details the increase.

Click the link to go to the article and download the radio podcast.

The MEPP Team

Friday, 30 March 2012

Violence affects everyone



This is such an inspiring video and well worth taking some time out to have a look at!

It was made by the members of the Fiji Association of the Deaf and they share their thoughts on the subject of violence and abuse against women and girls in their society.

The video was produced by UNICEF Pacific Youth Facebook Facilitators.

The MEPP Team x



Thursday, 29 March 2012

ANCORW Call for Applications for Geneva 2012


Join the Australian National Committee on Refugee Women’s Advocacy team at UNHCR, Geneva in 2012.

A fully funded position is available for one young woman from a refugee background.  Please see the detailed selection criteria on page two.

Each year in partnership with the Centre for Refugee Research at UNSW, ANCORW sends a team to participate in the UNHCR Standing Committee  and the UNHCR Annual Consultations with Non- Government organizations. These meetings provide an important opportunity to understand more about the risks faced by refugees around the world and the efforts of UNHCR and the international community to respond. They also provide a critical opportunity to influence global refugee policy and practice. This year the meetings are being held in the last week of June and the first week of July. Successful applicants will need to be in Geneva from Sunday 24th June through to the 7th July 2012.
The successful applicant will work with the ANCORW and CRR team to lobby and advocate on issues of concern faced by refugee and asylum seeker youth and their communities in Australia and those still displaced in camps and urban areas in countries of first asylum.

The applicant will be provided with intensive advocacy training prior to departure and on the ground in Geneva and will be supported by an experienced advocacy team and by a team of Master level student interns.




Selection Criteria for ANCORW youth representative for Geneva

·         A demonstrated understanding of key issues impacting on refugee and asylum seeker youth and their families and communities across your geographic region and upon settlement in Australia.

·         A demonstrated involvement in community based work or advocacy with refugee communities and evidence of strong networking skills.

·         A clear statement of the key issues for refugee and asylum seeker youth from your Region on which you would like to advocate on at the UNHCR meetings.

·         A willingness to research and advocate on issues for all refugee and asylum seeker groups across your region.

·         A demonstrated understanding of the international human rights and refugee law and policy systems and in particular, the role of UNHCR.

·         A willingness to produce position papers on behalf of ANCORW and your own organisation for Geneva, and on return to Australia to follow up on the work done in Geneva.

·         A willingness to attend training sessions in Sydney in preparation for Geneva

·    Aged between 18-25 years.  As a representative of ANCORW, the successful applicant will need to be a woman.

In order to ensure regional mix in the ANCORW delegation, this year’s selection will give preference to those applicants from a Middle Eastern or African background. Applications should address the selection criteria in no more than two pages and include a CV. 
Successful applicants will need to be available to be in Geneva from Sunday 24th June to Saturday 7th July inclusive.  Airfares, single room in youth hostel and food and local allowance for transport will be provided.
A successful Sydney applicant will need to attend compulsory evening training sessions at University of NSW on the 30th April, 4th June (& day time) and 18th June 2012.  If the successful applicant is from interstate however, return airfares would be provided, for a whole day/evening training session instead on the 4th June.
Applicants will be short-listed and asked to participate in a short telephone interview with two or three members of the ANCORW selection panel on either the 3rd or 4th of April.

Applications to be emailed to:
Dr Linda Bartolomei
Secretary, ANCORW
Ph: 02 9385 1859
Applications close on Monday 2nd April 2012