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Categories: communications and media; information; MHiMA project news

Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (MHiMA) has joined forces with some of Australia’s leading businesses, sporting bodies and NGO’s to support the “Racism. It stops with me” campaign.

Our organisation has committed to preventing racism by pledging to undertake activities in support of the campaign.

“The Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (MHiMA) project is pleased to be part of, and to support, this important campaign. Racism is never acceptable and we need to do all we can to eliminate it from our society” Harry Minas, MHiMA Chair.

Research from 2011 shows that one in seven Australians say they have experienced discrimination because of their colour or background. This figure appears to have been increasing in recent years.

Research has also shown that 70 percent of people agree that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous people are prejudiced against each other.  

The national “Racism. It stops with me” campaign, which is being led by the Australian Human Rights Commission, has been developed by a partnership of government and non-government agencies and will run until 2015.

For more information about the campaign go to: http://itstopswithme.humanrights.gov.au/

Or follow the campaign on Twitter @ItStopsWithMe. 

Categories: blog; communications and media; community engagement; MHiMA project news; news; partnerships.

MHiMA CaLD Carer and Consumer Participation - Raising Our Voices Bridging the Divide to Culturally Appropriate Mental Health Care, multicultural mental health and wellbeing conference by Ãine Tierney 

Launch of ‘Our Voices’ – Stories of carers from migrant and refugee backgrounds by Ãine Tierney 

I was invited to attend the launch of this wonderful initiative on Friday the 31^st in Melbourne.  I was joined by two members of the MHiMA National CaLD Consumer and Carer Working Groups who had been involved in the project.

I was very moved by the five short films that make up Our Voices.  These stories capture the unique experiences and lives of five carers from migrant and refugee backgrounds who come from Afghani, Egyptian, Somali, Turkish and Vietnamese communities.  The short films in original languages and with subtitles in English, document the day-to-day caring experience of caring for a family member with a mental illness which the carers tell in their own words.  The film footage includes exquisite charcoal drawings used as a pictorial account - evolving as each carer’s story progresses.  I was struck by how each of the carers sought and found support for their family member and themselves and spoke openly about their feelings and concerns.

The project was a collaboration involving nine organisations in Victoria, the carers, and their communities.  Our Voices is an incredible resource for carers, their families and anyone working in multicultural, migrant and refugee health and mental health.