作者： Kath SpencerKath Spencer
New drug and alcohol intervention to help hundreds
A new drug and alcohol intervention service is set to help hundreds of vulnerable people in the north.
Q Health will provide individual, couple and family counselling to anyone that identifies same-sex attracted and gender diverse, and is experiencing alcohol and drug issues.
The service will help people like 22-year-old Sasha who attends drummond street services.
“When I was stressed or fought with my family so they would accept me, I would take lots of drugs and it wasn’t good for me. All we needed was a safe space to get help. We’ve now been able to sort through our issues a lot better,” Sasha said.
Drummond street services chief executive Karen Field said partnering with Merri Health will help support a large group of at-risk people across the north.
“We know that there are minimal alcohol and drug specialist services for the queer community and yet, they are among the most disadvantaged groups. Discrimination, homophobia and transphobia all play a part and we’re here to address that. One size does not fit all when it comes to support; they face unique challenges – Q Health will look at the root causes of substance misuse,” Ms Field said.
Merri Health chief executive Nigel Fidgeon said the initiative would build on the many alcohol and drug services offered by Merri Health, including group education, early intervention for young people, counselling and drop-in support.
“Q Health will help us extend support to those most at-risk that have limited service access,” Mr Fidgeon said.
Q Health is a free and confidential service and will be available to anyone living in Brimbank, Darebin, Hume, Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Moreland, Wyndham and Yarra. Anyone can self-refer to the service by calling 1800LGBTIQ or emailing [email protected].
Q Health is a partnership approach to meeting emerging needs of marginalised groups, from Rainbow Tick accredited provider, Merri Health and founder of Queerspace, drummond street services.
彩虹戰士團結一致！
莫蘭舉辦了最大規模的彩虹活動之一，作為「國際反對恐同、恐雙、恐變性日」(IDAHOBIT) 的一部分。
The live art exhibition saw more than 500 Moreland students and locals take part in the large-scale filming which we’ve released today, in support of IDAHOBIT. Messages of support are projected via a choreographed exhibition using rainbow umbrellas and captured via a drone.
Merri Health的 YGLAM 項目負責人 Russ Pirie 表示，彩虹遊行顯示出 Moreland 致力於創造一個更安全、更具包容性的社區。
"Pirie 先生說：「這是社區團結的一個機會，顯示他們關心居住在 Moreland 的同性戀者的福祉，為所有人創造安全的空間。
Moreland 市長 Cr Helen Davidson 表示，此次活動的視訊發佈將確保 Moreland 在 IDAHOBIT 之後，繼續承認和接納我們的同性戀社群。
"我們不只是在 IDAHOBIT 時才聚集在一起，而是每天都聚集在一起，這是非常重要的。
"Cr Davidson 表示：「Moreland 的多樣性是該市最大的優勢之一，這是值得慶祝的。
IDAHOBIT 是一年一度的性別與性別多樣性慶祝活動，藉此提高人們對性別與性別多樣性所遭受的暴力與歧視的意識。
該活動由Merri Health的同性戀青年合奏團 YGLAM 領導，並得到 Moreland 市議會的支持。它標誌著 YGLAM 的社群媒體活動 This Campaign Is Queer 週年紀念，該活動透過社群媒體連結支持年輕的同性戀者。
我們都屬於自己：慶祝人們
認識Merri Health 背後的多元團隊。
3 月 20 日 (星期二) 是和諧日 (Harmony Day)，這是一個慶祝文化多樣性的日子 - 一個尊重每個以澳洲為家的人的文化日子。
感謝我們團隊中的優秀成員出現在這段影片中，並分享我們的訊息；我們互相學習、互相尊重，並慶祝我們的差異。我們都屬於這裡。
在我們的 Facebook 頁面上分享您自己支持「和諧日」的訊息，並讓我們知道您是如何慶祝的。
YGLAM officer recognised for his work with young queer people
Congratulations to Russ Pirie, who was awarded as one of the 20 finalists in the world for The Commonwealth Youth Worker Award 2016!
As the YGLAM Project Officer, he has led its theatre programme for young queer people, as a way of supporting them, and developing their drama skills and self-confidence.
Alongside of this year’s theatre production, YGLAM have been working on #ThisCampaignIsQueer, a social media campaign aimed to show young queer people that they are not alone.
Keep up the fabulous work, Russ!
Residents’ labour of love
Residents have had their artwork, a mosaic table, chosen by Minster Martin Foley to feature on his 2016 Christmas card!
The artwork creation was part of a garden transformation by The Queens Lodge art group, who set out to create a communal and relaxing space for residents of the lodge with the support of Merri Health and Arts Access.
The Queens Lodge is a supported residential service that offer accommodation and low level of care for people who need support in everyday life, such as people who are frail or have a disability.
After 18 months of hard work, the residents now have a space that they can enjoy! The project, named “Bringing Country Home,” had residents involved in the design, creation and helping in the manual labour of the garden.
The garden is an important space for the residents as it is where most of them meet and walk through on a daily basis. As such, different spaces were created so that there were quiet and social areas.
Not only has this been a busy time for the residents, it has been a journey that has empowered them to have ownership of the space in which they live. The residents said that it has been a rewarding and productive process.
The Queens Lodge art group has existed for a number of years and in this time has developed many projects. The first of these was “Connecting to Country,” which had the residents creating art to explore their relationship to Australia’s native landscape.
To find out more about how we support Supported Residential Services and its residents, go to mental health services.
Merri Health 推出新的性別分析工具
Merri Health 創造了一個新的性別分析工具，以協助工作人員將性別觀點應用於方案設計與執行。
團隊可在專案規劃、設計、審查和/或評估期間使用此工具，以確保專案具有包容性、性別響應性和無障礙性。
該工具借鑒了多個組織的不同工具，摒棄了二元語法，提供了更具包容性的性別定義。 它鼓勵工作人員考慮社區中人們在性別認同方面的各種需求和經驗。
Merri Health 的健康推廣主任 Cassie Zurek 表示，透過使用此工具，員工將能製作對所有人都更安全的專案，包括回應社區中性別不平等的專案。
"Cassie 表示：「這個專案源自於我們確定需要一個工具，可以幫助工作人員積極且有意地確保 Merri 的工作始終具有包容性，並能回應所有性別人士的需求。
"我們能找到的所有工具都使用非常二元化的性別定義，因此我們決定調整自己的定義。參與這個過程的團隊成員可以期待對性別和公平進行深入的討論。這是一個反思的過程，可以讓您一路學習"。
此專案將有助於我們加強對性別包容和安全的承諾，並使之正式化。我們期待著實施這項計畫。