作者：凯斯-斯宾塞凯丝-斯宾塞
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.
彩虹勇士团结起来
作为 "反对仇视同性恋、双性恋和变性者国际日"（IDAHOBIT）的一部分，莫兰举办了规模最大的彩虹活动之一。
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 项目官员拉斯-皮里（Russ Pirie）说，彩虹游行表明莫兰致力于创建一个更安全、更具包容性的社区。
"Pirie 先生说："这是一个社区共聚一堂的机会，表明他们关心生活在莫兰的同性恋者的福祉，为所有人创造安全的空间。
莫兰市长海伦-戴维森（Cr Helen Davidson）表示，此次活动的视频发布将确保莫兰在 IDAHOBIT 之后继续承认和接纳我们的同性恋群体。
"我们不仅要在 IDAHOBIT 举办期间，而且每天都要聚集在一起，这一点非常重要。
"戴维森总领事说："莫兰的多样性是该市最大的优势之一，值得庆祝。
IDAHOBIT 是一年一度的性和性别多样性庆祝活动，旨在提高人们对这一群体所遭受的暴力和歧视的认识。
该活动由Merri Health的同性恋青年团体 YGLAM 领导，并得到莫兰市政府的支持。它标志着 YGLAM 的社交媒体活动 "This Campaign Is Queer "的周年纪念，该活动通过社交媒体联系为同性恋青年提供支持。
我们都有归属感：赞美人民
认识一下Merri Health 背后的多元化团队。
3 月 20 日星期二是 "和谐日"（Harmony Day），这是一个庆祝文化多样性的日子，也是一个尊重所有以澳大利亚为家的人的文化的日子。
感谢我们团队中出现在这段视频中的优秀成员，他们与我们分享了我们的信息：我们相互学习、相互尊重，并庆祝我们的差异。我们都属于这里。
在我们的 Facebook 页面上分享您支持 "和谐日 "的信息，并让我们知道您是如何庆祝的。
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 推出新的性别分析工具
Merri Health 创建了一个新的性别分析工具，以帮助员工将性别视角应用到计划的设计和实施中。
各小组可在规划、设计、审查和/或评估项目时使用该工具，以确保项目具有包容性、促进性别平等和无障碍。
该工具借鉴了多个组织的不同工具，摒弃了二元语言，提供了更具包容性的性别定义。 它鼓励工作人员考虑社区中人们在性别认同方面的各种需求和经历。
Merri Health 的健康促进官员 Cassie Zurek 说，通过使用这一工具，员工将能够制作出对所有人都更安全的项目，包括应对社区中性别不平等问题的项目。
"Cassie 说："这个项目源于对一种工具的明确需求，这种工具可以帮助员工积极、有意识地确保 Merri 的工作始终具有包容性，并能满足所有性别人士的需求。
"我们能找到的所有工具都使用了非常二元化的性别定义，因此我们决定调整自己的定义。参与这一过程的团队成员可以就性别和公平问题进行深入讨论。这是一个反思的过程，让你在过程中不断学习"。
该项目将帮助我们努力加强对性别包容和安全的承诺，并使之正规化。我们期待着实施该项目"。