2008 MRC Jurisdictional Community Partnership (JCP) Project
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Overview
Understanding how to respond to emergencies is very important for new arrivals to Australia. The JCP project helped Ethiopian, Congolese, Burundian, Afghan and Sudanese communities in Tasmania become familiar with Australia's emergency services through workshops involving police, fire and emergency services.
What were the aims of the project?
The project aims to help new arrivals prepare, respond to and recover from emergencies, through awareness and education.
What was involved?
The JCP project came about as a result of Emergency Management Australia's Inclusive Emergency Management with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities program funded through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's National Action Plan. This funding has been extended to 2009-10. The project was managed by MRC (Southern Tasmania).
A steering committee was made up of representatives from Tasmania’s Departments of Premier and Cabinet and Health and Human Services, and police, fire and emergency services. Twelve newly arrived communities were consulted and groups with the greatest needs were selected by the committee to participate in workshops in July 2008.
Who participated?
Workshops were attended by members of the Congolese, Burundian, Afghan and Sudanese communities. In total 54 people participated in the workshops.
What were the outcomes?
The project was successful and received positive television coverage. The workshops provided opportunities for interaction and cultural exchange for all in attendance.
Closer links continue to be built between the representative organisations in the promotion of inclusive emergency management practices for all newly arrived communities in Tasmania.
To continue awareness and education, the steering committee recommended that newly arrived community members volunteer with the emergency services to provide a link to communities.
The CALD Volunteering in Emergency Services project is currently being developed. It aims to identify, link and support newly arrived community members to volunteer in emergency management roles.
Where can I get more information?
Further information on this project is available.
Reception
Migrant Resource Centre (Southern Tasmania) Inc.
Email: reception@mrchobart.org.au
Telephone: 03 6221 0999