Cultural Diversity
Bendigo Community Health Services’ Cultural Diversity team works to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for people of refugee and migrant backgrounds in Bendigo.
How we help
We partner with other service providers, and content experts to build health and service literacy for safe and sustainable living.
Many of our team are multilingual, with a background of lived experience. We work closely with our community to identify needs, and co-design programs in simple English and community languages.
We build broader community and service provider understanding of pre and post settlement experiences, cultures, and faiths to enhance refugee and migrant sensitive practice.
Resources in languages
Explore our resources in Karen, Dari, Dinka and simple English on the following topics:
- Health
- Cancer
- Emergency Preparedness
- Families
- Fishing
- Alcohol and Drugs
- Transport
What we help with
Our team offers sessions to enhance refugee and migrant sensitive practice for businesses, schools, community groups, the health, justice and sporting sectors. Sessions can be tailored to meet different sector needs.
Understanding the refugee journey
Learn about the pre-and-post refugee settlement experience, programs and services offered to assist with settlement.
Cost: negotiable.
Understanding Islam and Muslims in Australia
Learn about Islam and Muslims in Australia. This session covers:
- The five pillars of Islam
- Islamic values
- Life events in Muslim families
- Women and Islam
- Islamic festivals and customs
- Strategies for working with Muslim families
Cost: negotiable.
Understanding Karen culture
Learn about the Karen community and their culture in Australia, including:
- Family structure
- Important festivals and events
- History of peoples of Burma
- The importance of using interpreters
Cost: negotiable.
For more information or to book a Community Harmony Program session contact or call 5406 1200.
Understanding Hazara culture
Learn about the Hazara community and their culture in Australia, including:
- Family structure
- Important festivals and events
- History of the Hazara people
- The importance of using interpreters
Cost: negotiable.
For more information or to book a Community Harmony Program session contact or call 5406 1200.
Building health literacy and access to programs and services is integral to settlement.
We provide a range of resources and information sessions in community languages to build community knowledge and confidence to better understand health and wellbeing, and service access.
We also work with health services to create service access/system improvements for better pathways that are easily accessible.
Our current health and wellbeing programs are:
- Refugee Health Navigator Project
- Refugee Cancer Project
- Refugee Carers Program
- Chronic Health and Infectious Disease
- Healthy Lifestyles
This program provides information sessions and translated resources to build capacity to understand, prepare, and manage severe weather events – fire, flood and heat.
The program also builds the cultural awareness of local emergency service staff.
We work with community to build understanding and capacity to prepare and manage for severe weather events, and sustainable living opportunities.
Our programs address the following:
- Emergency Preparedness: Fire, Flood, Heat
- Road Safety for new arrivals
- Pedestrian Safety
- Sports Inclusion
- Recreational Fishing
Our Refugee Health Clinic features GPs and a nurse who provide primary health care, information, resources, education sessions, and clinical support for former refugee communities on all aspects of health and wellbeing
The BCHS Refugee Health Clinic nurse also provides secondary consultation for service providers working with communities of refugee background.
