enliven’s flagship projects working amongst the rich cultural diversity of south east Melbourne wrapped up on 30 June. With funding from the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) and South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (SEMPHN), we embarked on a journey of co-design with members of our local Afghan and Tamil communities.
Picking up where South Eastern Melbourne Medicare Local (SEMML) left off, we established advisory groups comprised of leaders from the two communities, as well as the key local service providers working with them. Using co-design processes, the groups were given genuine governance and decision-making authorities.
With a flair for innovation, the community leaders and volunteers designed new ways of reaching their communities where they were at. These included running health literacy sessions in local settings across south east Melbourne, as well as through coverage in the local press and on SBS radio.
Volunteers and community leaders participated in radio interviews with SBS Tamil, SBS Dari and SBS Pashto spreading key health literacy messages to listeners all over Australia. Their rise to fame continued with interviews and photoshoots for the Dandenong Journal and South East Melbourne Leader.
We have taken as many opportunities as possible to show our community leaders and volunteers how much we appreciate their contribution. In August 2017, we hosted a volunteer celebration event at City of Greater Dandenong Council Chambers. Volunteers were awarded for their ongoing dedication and work by Gabrielle Williams (MP) in front of their families, community members and local stakeholders.
In recognition of this work, our Afghan and Tamil volunteers were awarded top prize in the Inclusion category of the Volunteering Victoria State Awards 2017 and were delighted to receive their award from Gabrielle Williams (MP) and Bruce Atkinson (MLC).
enliven are grateful to all that have contributed to the success that the projects have seen – our community leaders and volunteers, and our local partners that have supported both design and implementation.
Check out our project video or download a copy of our Final Evaluation Report to find out more!