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.

Not a Problem :: Argumentative Internet Equal Access Essays

Not a Problem In today's hi-tech world, there are millions of people who are connected through the internet. Almost all of these users are living in industrialized nations, such as the United States. But there are many nations that lack the infrastructure necessary to support such forms of communication. Many of these nations are third world countries. In this essay, I am going to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of providing deprived regions of the world with such technology, and I will offer some better ways to spend our limited resources. I would have a difficult time arguing the case that no good could come from a world where everyone is connected to the internet. In fact, the world could benefit greatly if everyone was connected. The challenge lies in weighing the costs and the benefits. Is it worth the time and money needed to bring these people together? If general population of internet free individuals had the capabilities to connect to the rest of the world, would they utilize the technology? Do other issues need to be taken care of before we about giving everyone access to a computer? These are all things that need to be considered when addressing the topic of fair access. To get things started, how would giving people, who are currently without access to the internet, some form of connectivity help the rest of the world? I think that bringing the deprived people a tool as useful as the internet would do great things. Granting accessibility to the near endless expanse that we call cyberspace would bring a wealth of information to the destitute and uninformed. People would be able to communicate and express themselves in ways that had never been possible. They would be able to make educated decisions about issues that they may have otherwise not known about. The internet would bring another dimension to millions of people's lives. But how useful would this information be when more than nine hundred million adults cannot read, and millions more are considered functionally illiterate (Mooney 366). I will admit that bringing the internet to these people would bring them vast quantities of information, but that information is useless if they do not have the fundamental knowledge needed to decode the text that is the foundation of every webpage. Consider this for example: I could hand you a book containing all the secrets of the universe, but if the book was written in code, you would not be able to do anything with that knowledge.

Ethical Dilemmas in ‘The Dark Knight’

Upon viewing the movie â€Å"The Dark Knight’, audience can hardly distinguish ethical dilemmas raised as their intention in watching the movie was purely entertainment.   However, in order to find such ethical dilemma, one has to track down the movie part by part, scene by scene, or character by character.First and foremost, the way Bruce Wayne tried to hide in public his real identity behind the mask of Batman would suggest one of the ethical dilemma found in the movie.The conduct he exhibited implied dishonesty over sincere intention, which was to help bring out justice in the Gotham City.   Moreover, was it lying in his actions, and to whom it could benefit?   The mask of Batman was created to protect the real identity of Bruce Wayne, and therefore only benefited his own objective.Secondly, another moral dilemma displayed by Bruce Wayne was his view of putting the justice on his hand.   In real life, the existing law was the one to be on top of others as the one w ho wants to put himself on top of the law is prohibited and punishable.   Thus, the movie presented an ethically incorrect principle.Batman was a hero in the eyes of kids, and it was unquestionably demonstrated as he became a just and vigilant justice-giver.   Morally speaking, he ironically followed the ethical theory of Utilitarianism because his decision of sacrificing his own life was indeed a heroic act.   In this conduct, he offered a great benefit for a majority of the population.On the other hand, the degree of his action covered some negative points especially when Batman went wild and violent in public.   Although he neither killed anyone nor hurt any civilians, his reckless action was quite unethical.Damaging public and private property without showing any proper actions such as Batman being put in prison for civil case, created a scenario that kids might follow believing that destructive acts to other’s possessions are ethically correct irregardless of her oic motives and intentions.   Therefore, Batman or Bruce Wayne has to be penalized in the movie for such improper behavior as it could be the only way to balance the weight of Utilitarianism ethical theory.To the case of Alfred the Butler, it is much harder to locate and analyze the ethical dilemma in his behavior.   He always looked calm, reasonable and a friend to Bruce Wayne.   He never committed any unlawful acts perceptibly.   However, as Alfred the Butler knew the real identity of Batman ever since, and as we find the ethical dilemma behind Bruce Wayne’s masked heroism, the existence of Alfred the Butler in the movie made us believe that his connivance with Bruce Wayne or Batman was unethical from the start.

Youth Justice essays

Youth Justice essays Juvenile delinquency has become a major issue in modern society, causing our society to revisit the foundations of our current juvenile justice, system, and thereby search for a new understanding of the motivations behind juvenile crime. Today's juvenile court system was built on the assumption that juvenile offenders needed to be rehabilitated, helped and assisted in order to escape the life of crime that often encircles the inner city streets. Juvenile offenders were conceptualized as a special case of criminals for any of the following reasons, or more creatively put together by juvenile lawyers, a victim of all these societal Juvenile offenders are considered to not possess the moral capacity to understand the depth of their crimes. They are victims of the social conditions of the neighborhoods which They are likely to outgrow' their criminal behavior. If placed with the adult criminal population they would have little chance of developing into proactive members of society. Based on these assumptions, the juvenile justice system has focused on the care and rehabilitation of the child rather than on punishment and incapacitation. However, a system which treats criminal as victims looses much of its ability to deter crime. Consequently the juvenile justice system has lost much of its impact, and perceived effectiveness. The changing nature of juvenile crime has also placed challenges in front of a system which is struggling to redefine its role in the criminal justice This paradigm has its roots in the Child Saver movement which arose at the end of the 19th century. Self proclaimed humanists, and reformers, the child savers were "dedicated to rescuing those who were less fortunately placed in the social order. Their concern for purity', salvation,' innocence,' corruption,' and protection'...

Free Essays on Poes Life

Poe: The Darkness Edgar Allen Poe is the most well-known author of his time. Edgar Poe’s ancestors were agriculturists and artisans on one side, and actors on the other. Poe was born on Jan. 19, 1809, in Boston ( Encyclopedia Americana Pg. 274). Edgar’s future mother was performing in Virginia, where she was being observed by a young man by the name of David Poe. Soon Eliza Arnold, a young actress, fell in love with David, and he with her. Only six months after the death of her first husband, Eliza and David were married. Edgar’s father joined Eliza’s acting troupe and was greatly criticized by an 1806 notice. â€Å"The lady is young and pretty, and is blessed with both singing and acting talents. Her husband is literally nothing.† This was not the only time that David was badly criticized. (Soon enough, the same types of criticism would plague Edgar later during his first literary disputes) (Meyers Pg.3). Edgar was born in a humble lodging house near Carver Street, south of Boston Common, on January 19,1809. On the back of a watercolor sketch which Poe treasured, his mother wrote: â€Å"For my little son Edgar, who should ever love Boston, the place of his birth, and where his mother found her best, and most sympathetic friends.† Later in adulthood however, Poe had a strong dislike for the city. He hated its ruling literary class-their stuffy morality, vague transcendental philosophy, abolitionist movement, and sterile domination of the American literary scene. After becoming extremely poor, the Poe’s left five week old Edgar in Baltimore with his paternal grandparents, David and Elizabeth continued their theatrical jobs. David Poe made his last stage appearance in October 1809. By July 1811-when Edgar was two and a half years old, his dad deserted the family, and was neither seen nor heard from ever again. After being deserted, Eliza was left with overwhelming demands from her job, constantly having to move, taking car... Free Essays on Poes Life Free Essays on Poes Life Poe: The Darkness Edgar Allen Poe is the most well-known author of his time. Edgar Poe’s ancestors were agriculturists and artisans on one side, and actors on the other. Poe was born on Jan. 19, 1809, in Boston ( Encyclopedia Americana Pg. 274). Edgar’s future mother was performing in Virginia, where she was being observed by a young man by the name of David Poe. Soon Eliza Arnold, a young actress, fell in love with David, and he with her. Only six months after the death of her first husband, Eliza and David were married. Edgar’s father joined Eliza’s acting troupe and was greatly criticized by an 1806 notice. â€Å"The lady is young and pretty, and is blessed with both singing and acting talents. Her husband is literally nothing.† This was not the only time that David was badly criticized. (Soon enough, the same types of criticism would plague Edgar later during his first literary disputes) (Meyers Pg.3). Edgar was born in a humble lodging house near Carver Street, south of Boston Common, on January 19,1809. On the back of a watercolor sketch which Poe treasured, his mother wrote: â€Å"For my little son Edgar, who should ever love Boston, the place of his birth, and where his mother found her best, and most sympathetic friends.† Later in adulthood however, Poe had a strong dislike for the city. He hated its ruling literary class-their stuffy morality, vague transcendental philosophy, abolitionist movement, and sterile domination of the American literary scene. After becoming extremely poor, the Poe’s left five week old Edgar in Baltimore with his paternal grandparents, David and Elizabeth continued their theatrical jobs. David Poe made his last stage appearance in October 1809. By July 1811-when Edgar was two and a half years old, his dad deserted the family, and was neither seen nor heard from ever again. After being deserted, Eliza was left with overwhelming demands from her job, constantly having to move, taking car...

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

No topic - Essay Example They are all similarly Caucasian in appearance, but they have different cultural traditions, and it is this social difference that is called ethnicity. These ethnic differences have been a part of American history from the beginning, because people from many different countries came over as immigrants and formed communities which carried on these original traditions. The bigger American culture is made up of elements from all those other cultures. The English view of race was very positive about white people, seeing them as conquering heroes, who had taken over lands as rulers, just as English companies took over India and other colonies. They saw other races as inferior, however, and this was very extreme in the case of Africa. African people were viewed as savages and they were exploited because the British had superior weapons. This treatment shows that the British thought of Africans as something less than human and this kind of attitude was brought over to America in the early days, and transferred also to the view that white Americans had of other groups, including all the native tribes and nations who were on the land before the Europeans arrived. The system of slavery began with the establishment of various kinds of colonies in the American territories. There were not enough white people to tend the fields and so a system of plantations was created, bringing African Americans as slaves to work in them. These people were brought by force. There were also many poor white people who voluntarily became slaves for a fixed period of time, because this gave them a chance to make a new life in America when they had failed to prosper in their home country. White people saw themselves as superior, and this is a social cause of slavery. Slaves were not allowed to decide about family matters like getting married, and having children, and they could not own property, or invest in their own education, making this a

Advanced management accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advanced management accounting - Assignment Example The net present value method is usually used to calculate the economic viability of a project and it is used to determine if the project is economically viable or it is not. The advantage of using the NPV criteria in the valuation of a project is the fact that the method has a clear decision making process. In evaluating a project or product, if the net present value is positive, then the project should be accepted by the management because the product or project would benefit the company (Cadenhead, 1970, 80).If the net present value is a negative, then the project or product should be rejected. If the net present value is equal t zero, then the management would be at a break even and any decision taken would not be harmful to the profitability of the company (Barton, 1999, 234). In case the management of Smart electronics decides to talk up the proposed investment, it would be costly for the company because the company would be running at a loss as a result of the many costs that a re associated with the product. The only thing that would warrant the acceptance of the product would be the reduction of costs to the company. The many costs that are associated with the product are making it hard for the company to gain any profits (Bastable, 1995, 133). C) Return on investment is a rate of return that accrues to shareholders of a company as a result of investing in the company. The rate of investment would be the main determinant for an investor before making any decision. The rate of return is however determined by the risk factor that is associated with a project or company. A company that has a high rate of risk is usually associated with high returns while companies that have low risk levels are associated with low returns. In the case of Smart electronics, the return on investment will be viewed on the rate of return that will accrue to the company as a result of investing in the new product. The investment in a new product should be feasible in the sense th at the returns should be positive and that the returns would be in such a manner as to work in the favor of the company in terms of profitability. Profitability of a company will increase if the company gets high returns from the products that it sells. For smart electronic to maximize on its rate of return, it should try to cut on costs that are associated with a product and the level of efficiency should be improved so as to ensure that running costs are as low as possible. The level of efficiency is usually determined by the machinery that is in the company. That should be done in a manner that the process of a company are efficient and the people working in the various departments are also efficient enough. Efficiency of processes is done by the company improving on the machinery that is been used in a company and the company improving the level of technology that is required to make the production process easier and simpler (Anthony, 1997, 225). The efficiency can