Welcome to the Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing's February 2012 e-newsletter, bringing you the latest news, resources and examples of best practice. We thank you for subscribing and invite you to share your ideas and developments so that together we can improve the quality of life for older Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. You can also visit the news section of our website for regular updates from us.

The deadline for abstract submissions for the Cultural Diversity in Ageing 2012 Conference: Stories to Inspire has been extended to Friday 24 February.

The conference will explore themes associated with the design and delivery of culturally inclusive services, and showcase best practice and innovative service models in aged care in Australia. Those with an interest in presenting now have an extra week to prepare and submit an abstract.

Abstracts may cover a range of topics including, but not limited to, social inclusion, elder rights, person-centred care, residential care, community care, workforce diversity, clinical care, palliative care, research, dementia care and carer support.

The conference will be held on 7-8 June 2012 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Registrations are now open and industry representatives, producers, practitioners, educators, researchers and consumer advocates are encouraged to attend.

To submit an abstract, register for the conference or for more information, go to www.culturaldiversity.com.au or call 03 8823 7979.

Victoria's 10th Cultural Diversity Week will run from 17 to 25 March 2012. It is a unique annual event that has brought together Victorians from all walks of life for the past 10 years to support community harmony, celebrate our rich cultural diversity and to promote mutual understanding and respect.

Throughout the week a host of vibrant public events will showcase Victoria’s rich diversity through film, cuisine, sports, forums, cultural performances, arts and crafts, and many other cultural delights.

Read more about the events happening during the week, including the Viva Victoria Festival and the Gala Dinner on the Victorian Multicultual Commission website.

With one in four workers coming from overseas, there has never been a more important time to acknowledge and celebrate Australia's diverse workforce.

A Taste of Harmony is an annual event that provides Australian workplaces with the opportunity to celebrate the diversity in their workforce. This year A Taste of Harmony will take place in the week 19 – 25 March 2012.

Funded by the Scanlon Foundation, workplaces are asked to register and then organise a lunch or afternoon/morning tea and encourage staff to bring a dish that represents their cultural background or from a culture they might not have tried before. At the event workers are encouraged to share stories of their cultural background.

Visit A Taste of Harmony website to learn more and register your organisation to receive a free promotional pack.

Australian Multicultural Community Services (AMCS) has developed a website containing a range of multicultural resources as part of Multicultural Community Services Exchange Project.

You can find information about how to develop services and support for your activities, for example “What Not For Profit Organisations can get for free or a small annual membership fee”. The website also includes information on training, practical support, mentoring, venues, office space, buses and equipment. The website contains links to other websites and materials that will give you access to more detailed information and resources.

The AMCS request that If you have resources and information that you believe can be used by other groups and organisations and you would like to share these with them through the website, please contact them on 03 9689 9170 or info@amcservices.org.au.

Visit the Multicultural Resources Vic website.

Queen Victoria Market in association with Multicultural Arts Victoria present Suzuki Night Market, Wednesday nights until 29 February 2012, 5:30pm-10:00pm

Performances commence at 6:30pm at the Peel Street Stage and 6.30pm at the Main Stage, corner of Queen and Therry Streets Melbourne.

Warm evenings, delicious food, colourful market stalls plus a showcase of dynamic local musicians, dancers and circus performers every week. Attracting more than 20,000 people each night the market combines specialty stalls, cultural food and drinks and three stages of entertainment.

Check out the Multicultural Arts Victoria artists performing at Suzuki Night Market.

Pako Festa, now in its 30th year is Geelong’s much loved and award-winning annual multicultural community arts festival - the biggest of its kind in Australia. This year the free event will be held on the 25th February on Pakington Street, Geelong West from 9am-6pm.

Managed by Diversitat, it incorporates an extravagant street parade featuring around 90 floats and hundreds of performers representing 45 affiliated ethnic communities and around 60 other community groups and organisations.

The street is lined with stalls selling traditional foods and arts and crafts, and nine separate stages in the precinct offer performances of music and dance as well as interactive workshops and exhibitions.

Continue the 30th birthday celebrations with the Pako Festa After Party on Saturday 25th February from 6.30pm in the Geelong West Town Hall.

Find out more

Aged and Community Care Victoria (ACCV) will once again host the annual Tri-State Conference on 26-28 February 2012 in Albury, NSW.

The conference will bring together aged care professionals from New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, and will look at the future of aged care following the release of the Productivitiy Commisioner’s report into the industry. The Hon. Mark Butler MP, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, will speak at the event about the next steps for the government in reforming aged care.

Visit the ACCV website for more.

CAREX is a health and aged care expo which represents a unique opportunity for information, education, networking, review and investing.

Opportunities are available for exhibitors at this year's CAREX events which will be held in Melbourne on April 18 and 19 (Caulfield) and Sydney on August 8 and 9 (Rosehill).

CAREX provides a mix of product and service based exhibitors, free and fee-paying workshops/seminars and other activities.

CAREX is designed for sectors including acute care, home and community care, residential aged care, disability services and retirement living.

If you are interested in exhibiting at either of these expos, please visit the CAREX website for further details.

An ABC of Mental Health Care Forum, hosted by Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria will provide a comprehensive guide to mental health care of older people from migrant backgrounds. It will be held on Friday 23 March 2012 from 9:45 AM- 3:00 PM in Fitzroy, Victoria

The forum is suitable for aged care professionals and will assist in learning to:

• find out more about the mental health issues affecting older migrants.
• demystify the mental health service system
• understand how GPs, HACC, ACAS and mental health services fit together
• get expert ethnic sector input
• meet community based mental health service providers

This forum is presented as part of Cultural Diversity Week.

More information and registration

Follow us to keep up to date with our latest news and event announcements by pressing the ‘Like’ button on our Facebook page and ‘Follow’ on our Twitter page.

Click here to visit the Facebook page

Click here to visit the Twitter page

You may also wish to recommend our Facebook and Twitter pages to your colleagues, friends and family that may find the aged care and multilingual resources useful.

The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing is a Victorian-based organisation supporting the aged care sector to address the needs of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

We encourage you to contribute to our e-newsletter. Please submit your culturally-inclusive initiatives, projects, resources and upcoming events. We would love to hear from you.

Email us at: info@culturaldiversity.com.au