We attended the annual general meeting of the Resilience Together Association on 26th May 2024. This is a report on their participation in the organization's AGM.
The main purpose of Resilience Together Association (*1), based in Australia, is to embrace its community’s diversity by assisting multicultural/multilingual events happening. The meeting was held at Kirribilli neighborhood center (*2) , in a heritage building close to the north side of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
This meeting’s main topic was about domestic violence happening in the community.
There were 5 guest speakers this time, which were
Ms Barbara Ward, Councillor of Ku Ring Gai council
Mr. Peter Hack, The Author of The Art Deco Department Stores of Shanghai: The Chinese-Australian Connection
Dr. Sue Velovski
Dr. Alrubayi
A Medical Student from Western Sydney University
Ms. Barbara stated that a lot of women feel trapped in their households and emphasized that the community has to pay attention and support them. She contributes to providing educational programs for husbands to prevent or fix potential and ongoing domestic violence issues.
Dr Sue Velovski and Dr Alrubayi also discussed that they see patients regularly who suffer from domestic violence in the hospital, and highlighted the importance of the community’s awareness of issues.
Dr. Sue is of Macedonian descent, Dr Alrubayi is of Sri Lanka and Malaysian descent, raised in the UK which makes the team very diverse.
They also brought a medical student with them from Western University, she comes from an Iraq refugee family background, and due to that unique experience, she has a strong interest in contributing to improving healthcare systems in rural areas and enhancing more diversity in the community.
In the past, she had been working for refugees who do not hold Medicare, and interviewing women who come from similar backgrounds as well.
Mr. Peter Hack dedicates 33 years to the NSW Department of Education and is in charge of the funding for the Chinese Heritage sector, before departing from the Public Service in May 2016. Currently, he focuses on researching modern Chinese history and the overseas Chinese community in New South Wales.
As a life member of both the Chinese Museum in Melbourne and the Chinese Australian Historical Society, Peter is actively involved in these organizations. He frequently visits Shanghai and delivered a speech at the World Congress on Art Deco held there in 2015.
He discussed Australia's Engagement with China for a long time of period in the meeting.
Overall, it was really interesting to hear from people with different occupations, industries, and backgrounds.
They all have mentioned regarding any issues such as domestic violence or poverty, it is really hard to break that pattern since they usually are inherited problems. It is human nature that they just repeat what they used to.
They emphasized that is exactly why the community should provide more workshops or educational programs for people who need attention or knowledge to be aware of the issues and attempt to fix them.
This meeting also strongly reminded us that there are so many opportunities in this country regardless of where you come from. We believe that this community is going to support people as they have been who speak multiple languages and come from different backgrounds to shine in this country.
Women Can Fly also has a range of connections with local communities, and participates in different sorts of multicultural/multilingual events to provide great opportunities for not only students studying in Australia but also people looking for different types of networks, to ensure they can succeed in this country no matter where they come from.
(*1)The Resilience Together Association, based in Australia, focuses on enhancing various forms of resilience within individuals and communities. Their mission includes promoting mental and physical resilience, environmental sustainability, and social cohesion. They aim to support people in adapting to change, overcoming adversity, and recovering from physical and emotional stress. The association also emphasizes community resilience by encouraging collective efforts in facing challenges like natural disasters and fostering a strong sense of community support and connection (Resilience Together).
(*2) The neighborhood center is a place for the community to gather, socialize, take classes, and seek assistance or information. It also serves as a hub for community gatherings, socializing, classes, and access to assistance and information. It offers various free community services, information resources, and heritage room rentals. The center also hosts an array of courses, workshops, and clubs, ranging from yoga and meditation to bridge games, senior outings, and children's classes and parties.
(*3) Medicare is a national health insurance program consisting of taxes paid by the public. Eligible persons are Australian permanent residents, citizenship holders, and those who are applying for permanent residence. Basically, only public hospitals are free. For example, laboratory fees (blood tests, X-rays, etc.) and hospitalization costs. Medicare does not cover dental care, medicines, glasses, contact lenses, and physical therapy. On the other hand, if you want to have a medical examination or surgery at a private hospital, it is not covered by Medicare and you will need to purchase a separate insurance policy.
-Written by Momoko Noshimoto
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