Multicultural Health
& Support Service
We aim to prevent HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in refugee and migrant communities, asylum seekers and mobile populations
What we offer
For Community
& Young People:
Join the Multicultural Community Action Network (M-CAN)
Are you from a refugee or migrant background and want to lead changes to improve the health of your community?
Learn More
Are you from a refugee or migrant background and want to lead changes to improve the health of your community? We want to develop long term partnerships with people from the community like you to help guide our actions and our work. The Multicultural Community Action Network (M-CAN) is also a space for you to meet people from your community as well as people from other communities to share ideas and learn from one another. There are three meetings held each year, which also include guest speakers who will present about useful topics to help develop your skills to advocate for your community needs. For example, one topic included information about how to contact the media to promote issues that are important to your community. To join the network, please just click on the button below and fill out the form. Membership is free. For more information about the network, please contact Kanwal Saleem
Become a Youth Ambassador
Are you a young person (15-25 years old) from a refugee or migrant background, and passionate about improving the health of young people?
Learn More
Are you a young person (15-25 years old) from a refugee or migrant background, and passionate about sexual health issues?
We work with young and passionate people like you to reach out to other young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to improve the health.
We provide training and support to take action around the issues of blood-borne viruses, sexually transmissible infections and healthy relationships.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Be a voice for change
- Support young people’s right to participate
- Help us develop and share resources for other young people
- Be part of the Multicultural Community Action Network
- Lead the conversation on youth sexual health issues
- Take action on different and interesting community development health projects
This is a volunteer position.
Please contact CEH if you are interested.
Book a community education session
We provide free community education sessions to people from refugee, migrant, asylum seekers backgrounds, and international students at selected institutions.
As we are not funded to work with the broad international students population at this time, we need to charge a small fee to universities.
Our education sessions focus on healthy and respectful relationships, consent, gender equity, sexual health, contraception, cultural understanding, sexually transmissible infections (STIs), and blood borne viruses (BBVs).
We work with communities to understand and reduce the harms associated with drug use.
We deliver information in a culturally responsive way that aims to decrease stigma and discrimination.
Our standard sessions are 1.5 to 3 hours long:
- Living well with hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C prevention and cure
- Managing and preventing HIV
- Sexual health and contraception
- Healthy relationships and consent
- Body changes and hygiene
- Alcohol and other drugs
- Stigma and discrimination
The sessions are in sequential order as they each build on previous knowledge.
We are able to be flexible in our presentations as well as explore other related topics.
Please contact us to discuss what sessions you would like delivered and how.
Otherwise, please complete this form to request an education session.
For Professionals
working with
refugees & migrants:
Book training session for professionals
We offer training and resources to health and welfare service providers about Blood Borne Viruses (BBVs) and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and assist agencies to become more culturally competent in their service delivery.
Learn More
We provide training and presentations to support your work with people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, asylum seekers and mobile populations.
We work directly with communities in partnership to address issues such as healthy and respectful relationships, gender equity, sexual consent, sexual health, contraception, STIs, BBVs, cultural understanding, and harm reduction approaches to drug taking.
We deliver information in a culturally responsive way that aims to decrease stigma and discrimination.
We collaborate with agencies from multiple sectors to consider and practice cultural competency in the sexual health and support services they provide to multicultural communities.
If you have any further questions, please contact CEH. Training which is specifically tailored to needs may incur a cost and we will be happy to provide you a quote.
Join the Multicultural Sexual Health Network
We bring together people who work across sectors to share information, enhance service coordination and explore ways to improve sexual health for people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
We run three forums a year to discuss emerging blood borne virus and sexual health issues and how they may effect people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
HBV Made Easy – hepatitis B workshops
This introductory half-day workshop is for health and support workers who wish to learn the basics about hepatitis B and effective strategies for working with affected communities.
Nearly two-thirds of people who live with chronic hepatitis B in Australia come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds or from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Nearly half of the people who have hepatitis B do not know they have it. Without treatment, up to 25 per cent will die from liver failure or liver cancer. What you will learn:
- Understand the basic facts about Hepatitis B testing, transmission and treatment
- Explore strategies that meet the needs of affected communities
- Learn about resources, supports and websites that assist health workers and the affected communities to seek help.
This introductory half-day workshop is for health and support workers who wish to learn the basics about hepatitis B and effective strategies for working with affected communities. The training module has been developed in partnership with St Vincent’s Melbourne and the Multicultural Health and Support Service at the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health.
HBV Made Easy – hepatitis B workshops
Who we work with
- Newly arrived refugees, asylum seekers, temporary protection visa holders and migrants
- Young people from migrant and refugee populations
- Adult men and women
- Injecting drug users
- People in custodial settings
- Same-sex attracted people
- International students from high prevalence countries
- Mobile populations
Why we work with refugee and migrant communities
Refugees and migrants experience poorer health outcomes compared to the broader Australian population.
Stressors such as the migration experience, exposure to new sexual cultures and loss of social networks are some of the factors that can make refugee and migrants more vulnerable to blood borne viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmissible infections (STIs).
We aim to address these health inequalities.
Projects
CEH Celebrates Refugee Day with winners of 2018 Community Grants Program.
It was announced today, two community groups will work with CEH to improve the health of refugee and migrant communities as winners of CEH’s Community grants program. The recipients were two of five finalists for the program which is designed to encourage health promotion through education. Applications were drawn from a range of newly arrived refugee and migrant community groups.
read more
CEH to announce Community Grant winners as part of Refugee week
This Wednesday, on World refugee day 20 June, the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH) looks forward to announcing the winners of our first community grants program.
read more
Responding to diversity: meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of international students
With rapid growth in Victoria’s international student (IS) population, service providers have registered alarm about unplanned pregnancy in heterosexual students and HIV infection in same-sex attracted international students.
read moreInformation about Sexual health, Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections
We want you to have control of your body and health. This information will help you make informed choices.
What is a blood borne virus?
Blood borne viruses (BBVs) are types of germs that live and reproduce within people’s blood. These can affect many people in the family if not prevented. Some people with blood borne viruses may feel well for many years before the virus affects their health, but they can still pass on the virus to other people, even if they feel well. Some examples are HIV and hepatitis B & C…
What is a sexually transmissible infection?
Sexually transmissible infections (STIs) can be caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites and can be passed on from one person to another during sex. STIs are most common in young people aged 15-29 years and can be easily prevented. However many STIs do not show symptoms can cause infertility if left untreated…
What to expect when testing for a BBV/STI
If you’ve never had a sexual health test you might be nervous and don’t know what to expect. The tests are very quick and simple. Did you know that you should be testing at least once a year if you are having sex? Find out more about the types of tests and questions you may be asked…
Find more health information
Looking for testing or treatment for Blood Borne Viruses or Sexually Transmissible Infections?
Where can I get tested?
You can visit your local doctor or one of your nearest sexual health or family planning clinic. Learn More
Where can I find more support?
Good sexual health is more than just the absence of disease. Find out more about other support services.
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