'Migrant women step up for a new and confident way of life',
The Age, December 2001. Click on image to view in full.

Since 2001, Judith Miralles & Associates has been involved in a far-reaching, capacity building initiative, designed to bring about greater cultural diversity in the voluntary sector. The program, funded by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund, has reached out into communities throughout Victoria.

The program has two streams; accredited training for people wishing to become volunteers and skills development for volunteer coordinators.

Accredited training for prospective volunteers
The program addresses the objective of greater cultural diversity by providing training and placement into volunteer work. So far over 150 women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have taken part, going on to become volunteers.

Research has shown that people from a language other than English background are committed to making a contribution to Australian society but may hold back due to lack of confidence about their skills and lack of knowledge about how things are done. How is a volunteer expected to behave? What rights and responsibilities come with being a volunteer?

Step into voluntary work sets out to support people take their first step into the world of volunteers. And equally important, it sets out to promote the benefits of a culturally inclusive volunteer force.

Train the trainer workshops for volunteer coordinators
We have developed a very practical way of promoting the benefits of cultural diversity in the voluntary sector - a training program that identifies four areas of skills development. The four areas are promotion and recruitment; training; support and mentoring; and change management for cultural inclusion.

Professional Training Workshops on 'Effective Volunteer
Management towards Sustainable Volunteering',
Hong Kong June 2006.

The train the trainer component gives voluneer coordinators the skills and knowledge to break down the barriers that keep people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds from becoming involved in volunteer work within the broader community.

Key government and non-government organisations committed to organisational change have joined up to participate. We work with them in order to ensure that integrated policy and planning processes are instituted. It is only in this way that long-term increases in the cultural diversity of volunteers can be sustained.

Some of our partner organisations are:

(A joint initiative with the Australian Multicultural Foundation)

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Judith with Hong Kong workshop participants (left);
and the Hong Kong organising committee (right).
Click on images to view in full.

We are conducting cross-cultural training for International Medical Graduates (IMGS) in Victorian public hospitals. The training is funded by the Department of Human Services as part of measures to support the professional orientation of OTDs.

The cross-cultural training seeks to raise the awareness of OTDs about both the cultural context and norms of the public hospital system in Victoria and the wider context of a culturally diverse Australian community. It uses a problem-centred approach to encourage doctors to try out skills in real work situations.

The workshop content was developed after consultations wtih a number of Victorian hospitals. The training format has two elements:

1. A six hour group training session composed of 3 modules:

• The role of culture and how it impacts but does not over-determine personal behaviour; major cultural differences in values and ways of seeing the world; and some differences in communication that might have the potential to lead to miscommunication.
• How cultural values are translated into workplace policies and professional practices, e.g. equal opportunity, confidentiality, consent…
• Some strategies to minimise misunderstandings including role plays

2. An individual problem solving task (equivalent to four hours) that provides an opportunity to develop the practical skills covered in the training session, increase OTDs' awareness of how cultural factors may impact on their abilities to meet clinical goals, and practise how to adapt their communication to improve the effectiveness of a medical encounter.

The response from IMGs who have completed the training is positive. The problem solving tasks we have developed in the form of a number of 'real-life' situations are particularly valued as a way of applying the strategies and concepts discussed during the training session.

Ongoing evaluation of the training has found that the most popular aspect of the course is for the IMGs to come together to share their experiences and discuss possible solutions to difficulties.

In this respect, they have found the training very practical in meeting their needs and have been impressed with the facilitators' skills in encouraging open discussion.

The Culturally Competent Practice in the Australian Health System training manual (right) is available from JM&A.

To order copies, and for more information, please click here to contact JM&A via email. Or call +61 3 9671 4788.

DVD
Cultural Diagnoses: A communication based learning resource for international medical graduates.

Cost for individuals: $77.00
Cost for institutions: $385.00

Type of Entity

Institution $385.00 Individual $77.00

For international purchases of the DVD, or for more information, please click here to contact JM&A via email. Or call +61 3 9671 4788.

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