Building Links Between Refugees and the Community

Building Links Between Refugees and the Community Background The City of Greater Dandenong is a local government area in Victoria, it is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The city has an area of just about 129.42 square kilometres and a population of approximately 146,000 residents from over 150 nations by 2014. Suburbs and towns of the city Bangholme, Dandenong, Dandenong North, Dandenong South, Keysborough, Parts of  Lyndhurst, Noble Park, Noble Park North, Springvale, Springvale South. The city of Greater Dandenong is one of the most diverse communities in Victoria. The city has a long history of welcoming new and emerging communities, including migrants arriving through humanitarian programs. More than half of these residents were born overseas with 55% from non-English speaking countries. Many of those who have migrated to the area have origins in parts of the world with recent histories of conflict, violence and displacement (City of Greater Dandenong 2014b). The City of Greater Dandenong acknowledges the difficulty of the journey of refugees and asylum seekers who are often fleeing from conflict, human rights violations and persecutions. Refugees come to seek safety and protection in order to rebuild their lives. For these reasons the City has beena Refugee Welcome Zone since 2002 and the Council actively promotes and advocates for the rights of the forcibly displaced people. The city council believes that refugees bring resilience, hope, motivation and skills to contribute substantially to the community social, civic and economic life. In 2012/13, 2,240 recently-arrived migrants settled in Greater Dandenong, this is the highest number of settlers in any Victorian municipality. A third of these people were humanitarian immigrants from different countries such as: Afghanistan, Burma, Iran, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Pakistan and Thailand (Refugee Council of Australia, 2012). Main goal Our project is focused on 750 refugees recently arrived in 2012-2013 and living on the City of Greater Dandenong. Our project’s main goal is to create a social Connection between Refugees and Local Community in the City of Greater Dandenong. To achieve this goal our project is proposing the use of sports as tool to create this social connection. Objectives As we mentioned before, the main goal of the project is to create a social Connection between Refugees and Local Community through sports, and to achieve this outcome our project objectives are focused to: Alleviate the community isolation faced by refugees by raising awareness and knowledge about refugees within the local community. Promote an interaction between local community and refugees. Promote opportunities for refugees to participate in community life. Recognise the contribution of refugees, including their many cultures and faiths. Collaborate with partners, community groups and local agencies to strengthen this links. Refugee Situation Arefugeeis defined as â€Å" a person who is outside their home country because they have feared or suffered persecution on account of nationality, religion, race, political opinion, or because they are a member of a persecuted social category of persons or because they are escaping a war† (The Oxford English Dictionary 1989). Refugees of different nationalities arrive to Australia every year, bringing with them different expectations and goals that are often difficult to meet because of the social, cultural and language barriers that the new environment represents. These barriers of language, culture and communication are a great challenge not only for refugees but for local residents as well, these obstacles cause isolation, resentment, and a perception of social exclusion for the refugees to settle in the new communities. With approximately 60% of residents born overseas from over150 different counties and 55% from non-English speaking backgrounds, the city Council of greater Dandenong recognises that this broad mix of nationalities enriches the diversity of the community and for these reasons they have created some Diversity planning committees to support this diversity and foster community relationships (City of Greater Dandenong 2014a). These committees include: Ethnic Communities Council of the South East (ECCOSE) is an independently incorporated Council of leaders of the ethnic communities in the South Eastern Region of Melbourne. It provides a strong, independent voice for migrants and refugees to encourage and facilitate participation in every aspect of community life. Migrant Settlement Committee, is a consultative committee within the City of Greater Dandenong. Membership consists of agencies dealing with migrant and refugee settlement issues in the municipality as well as Council officers. However, refugees face numerous problems not only with language, but also in adaptation to the new culture and environment, accessibility to public services, discrimination, unemployment, affordable housing, family structures, acculturation, and many others inherent to the new settlement experience. Some researchers have found that immigrants with problems in adjustment and embracement of the new socio-cultural environment more often will develop a low self-esteem personality (Rogler, 1991). These difficulties have been reflected in numerous studies carried out by Australian institutions, and for this reason Local Governments have historically played an important role in assisting refugee settlement and promoting community harmony in Australia. Organizations involved Different organizations in Australia are working to improve the life of refugees, within these organizations there is AMES and The Refugee Council of Australia. AMES, is Australia’s largest provider of humanitarian settlement,education, training, and employment services for refugees and newly arriving migrants. The vision of AMES is: â€Å"Full Participation for all in a solid and diverse society.† To achieve this vision of full participation AMES is working with communities, Business, Government, and Social Enterprises providing jobs, training opportunities and spaces for groups to gather and share (AMES, 2014). AMES provides a broad range of settlement services for refugees and migrants. These include on-arrival settlement support, English language training, vocational training and employment services. These services are primarily delivered through federal and state contracts such as: Humanitarian Settlement Services, Adult Migrant English Program, Skills for Education and Employment Program, Victorian Training Guarantee and Job Services Australia (AMES, 2014). The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA), is the national umbrella body for refugees and for the organisations and individuals who support them. RCOA has more than 180 organisational and 700 individual members and promotes the adoption of flexible, humane and practical policies towards refugees and asylum seekers both within Australia and internationally through conducting research, advocacy, policy analysis and community education. The Refugee Welcome Zone is an initiative of the RCOA and currently involves 87 Councils around the country. A Refugee Welcome Zone is a Local Government Area which has made a commitment to welcoming refugees into the community, upholding their human rights, demonstrating compassion and enhancing cultural and religious diversity in the community. By these means, local Government Areas are encouraged in their continuing efforts to support the men, women and children who make the difficult journey to Australia to seek for protection; the city of greater Dandenong is one of the current refugee welcome zones. (Refugee Welcome Zones, 2013). References City of Greater Dandenong 2014a. Diversity planning committees [Online]. Available: http://www.greaterdandenong.com/document/2512/diversity. City of Greater Dandenong 2014b. Refugees and Asylum Seekers [Online]. Available: http://www.greaterdandenong.com/document/25321/refugees-and-asylum-seekers. The Oxford English Dictionary 1989. The Oxford English Dictionary. In: WEINER, J. S. A. E. (ed.) The Oxford English Dictionary. Second Edition ed.: Oxford University Press. AMES. 2014. About AMES [Online]. Available: http://www.ames.net.au/about-ames.html. REFUGEE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, S. C. I. G. D. 2012. Available: http://www.greaterdandenong.com/document/18464/statistical-data-for-victorian-communities. REFUGEE WELCOME ZONES, L. C. B. A. C. O. W. F. R. 2013. Available: https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/g/131219_RWZ.pdf. ROGLER, L. H., CORTES, D.E. AND MALAGADY, R.G. 1991. Acculturation and mental health status among Hispnics: Convergence and new directions for research. American Psychologist, 46(6): 585-597.

Being Successful in School

Max Pickel 2/19/10 Final Draft Being Successful in School With the help from your impressed teachers and the praise from your parents, all you need now is to get into a good college and continue your schooling into a career of your choice. So, when you try hard in school, and succeed, your grades will steadily improve which then affects the way a college will look at you. In case you don’t know, a college will look at your cumulative GPA in order to decide if you are acceptable for their college. So, this is where all that time and effort in high school pays off and gets noticed. In comparison, if you had taken high school lightly and not succeeded you would have had to go to community college, work harder than you ever have for two years, then transfer out to a university. That is a lot of work in the long run and in all reality, it would be significantly easier to just take high school as seriously as you can. When you put forth that much effort into high school a high-quality university has a better chance of noticing and accepting you because they can see how hard you are willing to work and your high school grades will display your work ethic in a very positive light. In conclusion, being successful in school is only going to benefit you in the end. You will make your parents proud, make your teachers happy, and colleges will take notice of your work ethic and grade point average. I may be only half way through my junior year in high school but I already know the effects of getting first-rate grades and reaping the benefits. It’s definitely not easy, but it’s achievable to anyone who sets their mind to it and works hard at it.

All Shave

All Shave in Saudi Arabia I. Problem Statement All Shave company sold a majority of interest of its company to Almin family in Saudi Arabia and from then, All Shave’s sales have dropped constantly. II. Underlying Issue Should Almin family accept the Mike Lacey’s aggressive promotional strategy or instead increase its products quality? III. Relevant Facts A. Company History: All Shave 1) Until three years ago, the company had been successfully exporting razors and blades to Saudi Arabia 2) The All Shave Company was sold to the Almin family due to possiblefuture import restrictions. ) The contract with Almin family was specified that the Almin family would â€Å"actively promote All Shave products†. 4) Mike Lacey, All Shave’s Middle Eastern Manager, believes that Shave’s previous success has made by strong promotion. B. Company History: Almin Family 1) The Almin family is a one of leading company in Saudi Arabia’s steel industry. 2) The Almin f amily acquired the All Shave Company to expand their market field. 3) Mustafa Almin, the head of Almin family, believes that a good product was its own best advertisement. ) The Almin family claimed that the company was still making reasonable profit. C. Marketing Mix: 1) The All Shave products were being sold from the Almin Warehouses.. 2)The advertisement was limited to a few newspaper and posters distributed by the industrial sales reps. 3)No additional salespeople had been added for All Shave promotion. D. Competitors: 1)Mike Lacey argues that the present results achieved by their competitions are made by strong promotion. 2)Mustafa Almin did not agree and claimed that the competitors’ achievement is made by high quality products. )Mustafa feels that to approach to the local market is the little advertising and long participation. IV. Strategic Alternatives A. The Almin family can accept Mike’s suggestion and increase promotional activity and advertisement to incre ase the sales. B. The All Shave Company can trust on local company, Almin family, and make higher quality products. C. The All Shave Company can take back the company and rule as they would do with their other company however, the restriction in import could be crisis. D.Do more research: The All Shave Company could do more extend researchabout the local’s business culture and the strategies in the same field competitors. E. Do Nothing V. Criteria As Mustafa Almin said, the Saudi Arabian market is all about the quality of the products. He argued that people will go for the best quality products not the best advertisement product. VI. Selected Alternative and Why Alternative Strategy B seems to be the most effective alternative choice. To become a big part of local market, localize is main point.The local’s favor will not change in short time therefore; the company needs to adjust their products’ aspect and the market strategy to the local market. The Almin famil y has been in local market with constant success. The Almin family understands the business culture and had proven before. After all the All Shave Company wants to make higher sales and maximize profit. In order to do that, the All Shave needs to accept the business culture in Saudi Arabia and product high quality products even though it might take longer period.

Pregnancy the Effects of Alcohol and Substance Abuse on...

Pregnancy: The Effects of Alcohol and Substance Abuse on Fetal Development Natalie Fontanella Liberty University Online Abstract This paper examined the effects of alcohol and substance abuse on fetal development in expecting mothers. The critical periods of fetal development during pregnancy are reviewed and discussed in order to determine the effects alcohol and substance can cause during certain stages. In order to gain a more efficient understanding of the effects different substances can have on fetal development the following substances were studied: (1) alcohol, (2) cocaine, (3) opioids, (4) nicotine (smoking), and (5) cannabis sativa (marijuana). Each substance (previously listed) examined was provided with supporting†¦show more content†¦environmental toxins and substances) during this period can cause major defects in the structure of developing organs (i.e. brain cellular structure, lungs, heart, kidney, and etc.), and other important structures (i.e. bones and muscles). This may result in the death of the fetus or cause severe physical malformations (i.e. congenital abnormalities) or men tal impairments (i.e. disorders) (Office of Children’s Health Protection, 2003). As the stages of prenatal development progress, exposure to environmental toxins and substances can result in the fetus developing an array of defects and deficiencies that can continue after birth and up through adulthood (i.e. physical, mental, and behavioral) (Office of Children’s Health Protection, 2003). It is clear that expecting mothers need to be conscious of what they expose their fetuses to in utero so they develop properly. It is imperative that expecting mothers avoid the use of any alcohol or other drug substances during their pregnancy. Each period of development for a fetus is critical and exposure to alcohol and substances can significantly reduce their chance of being born and living a healthy life (Office of Children’s Health Protection, 2003). The Effects of Different Substances on Fetal Development Expecting mothers need to be cautious of what they expose their growing fetus to throughout the entire pregnancy. Disruption of proper fetal development can cause severe deformities in the fetus physically, mentally, andShow MoreRelatedWhy Pregnant Substance Abuse Should Be Treated As A Major Issue1441 Words   |  6 PagesThere are many reasons why pregnant substance abuse should be treated as a major issue. The effects of substance abuse on the mother, fetus, and the overall pregnancy can range from none to extremely harmful. Women who use drugs during their pregnancy commonly give birth to â€Å"crack babies† or â€Å"drug babies†. These babies can have developmental disabilities or other birth defects. The mother may give birth to a premature infant, underweight infant, or even have a stillborn birth. The drug use of a pregnantRead MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay1727 Words   |  7 PagesFetal Alcohol Syndr ome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is an increasing problem in our world today. At least 5,000 infants are born each year with FAS, or about one out of every 750 live births, which is an alarming number. In the United States there has been a significant increase in the rate of infants born with FAS form 1 per 10,000 births in 1979 to 6.7 per 10,000 in 1993 (Chang, Wilikins-Haug, Berman, Goetz 1). In a report, Substance Abuse and the American Woman, sent out by the Center on AddictionRead MoreHumanity Has Always Yielded To The Pressure Of Different1128 Words   |  5 Pagesalways yielded to the pressure of different chemical substances that eventually caused it irreparable damage. Finding the â€Å"Cure† from the damage obtained was the next step. It seems that only now, when the number of the diseases caused by different substances has reached its peak, people have finally understood that the best â€Å"Cure† is the prevention of any forms of substance abuse. Alcohol is not th e last one on the list of theses destructive substances. It is the â€Å"companion† of any significant eventRead MoreThe Abuse Of Drugs And Alcohol1365 Words   |  6 PagesThe abuse of drugs and alcohol has been a known issue over past decades. The media paints the picture that alcohol and drug use is fun and the only way to have a good time. While alcohol in moderation is fine, many people find themselves going over board and abusing it. Elicit drugs like cocaine and heroin are highly addictive and have several adverse effects. People find themselves depressed and anxious so they ultimately try to use these drugs to mask the pain instead of getting help for theirRead MorePrenatal Development And Development Of A Fetus1591 Words   |  7 PagesPrenatal development, also known as antenatal development, is the process of the development of a human fetus during pregnancy, from fertilization of the egg until the birth of the child. There are many factors that can contribute to the development of the fetus and many threats that can impact it. Most prenatal development occurs in a normal manner, however; there are many things that can go wrong during this vulnerable time and usually are caused by genetic or environmental factors. While the hazardsRead MoreEssay on Prenatal Substance Abuse954 Words   |  4 Pages Substance abuse during pregnancy can have a negative force on the health and wellness of not only the fetus, but that of the mother. The harmful effects of medications, alcohol and illegal drugs on an unborn child can be devastating and can have significant consequences to its use. Sometimes the effects can be faced and treated, and other times the outcome is a lifelong challenge. During the prenatal period, it is important that new mothers are informed of the different types of abuse, howRead MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay1522 Words   |  7 PagesFetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a disorder that can happen to children whose mothers drank sufficient amounts of alcohol sometime throughout their pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a condition classified in a group called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and is the most known and severe of the group. FAS, depending on the factors such as location, population and race studied is considered one of the leading known causes of mental retardation and birth defects, with 0.2 – 1.5 out of every 1Read MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome And Its Effects1712 Words   |  7 Pages Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and its Effects On a Child’s Cognitive Development Dane D. Hrencher Kansas State University Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and its Effects On a Child’s Cognitive Development Alcohol is known as one the most dangerous teratogens. Every time a pregnant woman drinks, she allows alcohol to enter her blood stream and make its way into the placenta. Unlike the mother, the fetus is unable to break down alcohol that makes the blood alcohol level of the fetus the same orRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol Abuse During Pregnancy1552 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The Council on Recovery, plans to address the issue of alcohol abuse during pregnancy in Harris county, TX with behavioral and cognitive-based education interventions. According to the CDC, pregnant women with the highest prevalence of any alcohol use were those that are 35-44 years of age, college graduates, or not married with lifetime-care costs estimated at over $2 million. The CDC also reports the state of Texas has 45% of any alcohol use among women aged 18-44 and 14.8% of the same age groupRead MoreDepression And Anxiety786 Words   |  4 Pagesare common during pregnancy and greatly effect a women’s health behaviors. The impact of women’s mental health on alcohol use is very significant to examine as prenatal alcohol use, which is common and can have serious negative consequences for the evolving fetus. Elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety can increase risk for binge drinking during pregnancy. Alcohol use during pregnancy may be associated with extremely detrimental effects for the developing fetus. Prenatal alcohol exposure is one