Family Services for Vietnamese Residents living in the City of Yarra
“Empowering Men and Women to become better Parents and Community Members” Project (2009-2011)
Our Family Support Program which is funded by the City of Yarra, is in its 6th year of operation. It has become very well known for the holistic support it has been providing to many Vietnamese families in the city of Yarra undergoing hardship or crisis.
Our family support services include:
- Information, support and referrals
- Family counselling and mediation.
- Family violence support.
- Liaison with other services and agencies and advocacy for Vietnamese families.
- Outreach services (home visits) to families if needed.
In addition, various community building activities are carried out:
- Positive parenting training,
- Parents’ support groups,
- Volunteer participation,
- Family recreation and fitness
- Human rights education.
Every year the service provides on going services to around 60 families from counselling to crisis intervention and intensive support, and one-off support to 220 families. Most clients are single parents living in Commission flats in the City of Yarra.
Regarding activities, we have a group to support Vietnamese Parents and Grandparents which has operated successfully for nearly 4 years with varied activities and programs, such as low-cost outings, cooking classes, card making and make up learning. Yearly, we conduct 2 parenting education programs and various information sessions. We also celebrate events such as “Mother’s Day”, “International Women’s Day”, or Christmas & Full Moon festival for all 3 generations.
Contact: Nam Nguyen, Project coordinator
Phone: (03) 9428 9078
Email:
Richmond Tutoring Program 2011
Richmond Tutoring Program which has involved 3 organisations: AVWA, Australian Catholic University and The Smith Family, is in its second year of operation. The program runs every Tuesday afternoon during school terms to support primary school children (prep to year five) in learning, and guide parents who face linguistic challenges in supporting their children’s homework.
The program which is now operating from 106 Elizabeth St. Richmond, has been very successful with an ever increasing waiting list. Currently, we have 40 school children going to school in Richmond or living in the Richmond Housing Estate attending the program. It is important to cap the number of student enrolment in order to ensure the quality delivery to students and families participating in the program.
This year, the program is receiving generous support from the local Smiggle store for stationery and Melbourne Grammar School for providing around 10 students as tutors in each session.
Program Objectives:
- To provide a safe and enjoyable learning environment where children are supported by tutors to improve their literacy and numeracy skills
- To build the capacity of parents to support and encourage their children’s learning at home
- To bring together children, families, organisations, universities, and businesses to benefit the wider Richmond community
Nam Nguyen, Program coordinator
Trang Do, Tutoring Assistant
Indochinese Men's Support Groups
Phoenix Rising Youth Services
Phoenix Rising Youth Services have been funded by the Department of Planning and Community Development under the Engage Program, which aims to assist young people of CALD backgrounds between the ages of 12 and 25 to actively engage in their personal development.
Throughout the year, Phoenix Rising provides support for young people of Vietnamese background and their parents through mentoring, peer support, leadership development, sport and recreation activities. I regularly visit high schools in the Western suburbs, and have set up a youth steering committee to help organise the annual AVWA youth camp in September.
School visits allow me to develop strong relationships with teachers and young people, provide information and referrals to assist young people and increase awareness of the range of services offered by AVWA.
The Sport and Recreational Program give parents and young people the opportunity to engage in activities such as badminton and soccer. The activities bring many benefits, not only fitness and physical health – but also, emotional health and social connectedness – through relieving stress, meeting new people and strengthening relationships.
The annual youth camp by far was one of our most successful activities, with the involvement of Tran Hung Dao Scout Group and Victoria Police we were able to assist young people to develop skills such as leadership and teamwork. We had four leaders from Tran Hung Dao Scout Group and two Victoria Police staff, one of whom of Vietnamese background, attending the youth camp.
I would like to thank Badminton Victoria, The Victorian Table Tennis Association, Victoria Police, and Tran Hung Dao Scout Group, Braybrook College, Sunshine College, Copperfield College and my AVWA colleagues for their valuable support which has made possible the success of the program.
Youth Officer: Tania Huynh
Parallel Learning Playgroups
AVWA is running 10 extremely popular playgroups in Richmond, Collingwood, Footscray, Sunshine, St. Albans, Delahey and Springvale. Our Parallel Learning Playgroups, funded by the Department of Social Services and other funding bodies, present a bilingual program to strengthen family relationships while addressing educational disadvantages by supporting Vietnamese families in low socio-economic suburbs. Reading and speaking skills in both English & Vietnamese are fostered through participation in singing, reading, bilingual story telling, playing games, dancing and other structured activities in a playgroup setting. Australian and Vietnamese volunteers led by qualified staff help ensure children reach a high level of bilingualism and smoothly transition to kindergarten and primary schools while their mothers learn to socialise and practice their English language skills in a supportive setting.
Location and schedule:
1.St. Albans
- Mondays, 10:00am – 12:00pm St Albans Heights Primary School, Stradbroke Drive, St. Albans, VIC 3021, Ms. Thao Tran 0423 188 789
- Mondays, 10:00am – 12:00pm St Albans Meadow Primary School, 2 Laurel Street, St Albans, VIC 3021, Ms. Phuong Kim Chenh 0403325931
- Thursday, 10:00 am to 12:00pm Good Shepherd Community House, 168 Main Rd E, ST ALBANS, VIC 3021, Ms. Tien Pham 0469 410 595
2. Footscray: Tuesdays, 10:00am - 12:00pm, Community Hall, St. Andrews, Uniting Church 304 Barkly Street, Footscray, VIC 3011, Ms. Thuy Pham 0423 390 187
3. Collingwood: Mondays, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm,Collingwood Library Meeting Room at 11 Stanton Street, Abbotsford VIC 3066 , Ms. Thuy Pham 0423 390 187
4. Richmond: Thursdays: 10:00am - 12:00 pm, North Richmond Community Health Centre, 23 Lennox St, Nth Richmond, VIC 3121, Ms. Thuy Pham 0423 390 187
5. Sunshine: Fridays, 10:00 am - 12:00pm, Duke Street Community House, 27 Duke St, Sunshine, VIC 3020, Ms. Thuy Pham 0423 390 187
6. Delahey: Fridays, 10:00 am to 12:00pm, Delahey Community Centre, 80 Copperfield Drive, Delahey, VIC 3037, Ms. Tien Pham 0469 410 595
7. Springvale:
- Mondays, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Springvale Rise Primary School32-52 Wareham Street, Campus Springvale, VIC 3171, Ms. Tina Vo 9546 2699
- Wednesdays, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Springvale Service for Children at 23/28 Lightwood Road, Springvale VIC 3171, Ms. Tina Vo 9546 2699
Activities will not occur during school holidays