Our Vision Our Purposes Our Values: Integrity, Respect, Inclusion, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

• Our Vision Our Purposes
• Our Values: Integrity, Respect, Inclusion, Compassion,

Excellence

• Our Vision: A harmonious society in which everyone,

irrespective of age, gender, skills, abilities, ethnicity & religion, feels valued, is motivated & empowered to contribute.

• Our Mission:
• To help individuals and families
• Know their rights, responsibilities, options and opportunities
• Realise their full potential
• Improve their health, happiness and well being
• Our Purposes:
• To provide a framework for mainly Vietnamese women to collaborate and

learn to lead and operate a not‐for‐profit organisation to assist the settlement and harmonious integration of refugees and migrants of Vietnamese and other backgrounds in Victoria.

• To help Victorians, irrespective of age, gender, religion or ethnic

background, obtain the information they need, know their rights, responsibilities, options and opportunities, realise their full potential and improve their health, happiness and well‐being.

AVWA is a Public Benevolent Institution registered with the Hospitals and Charities Commission.

Service Overview

Gambling Prevention and Counselling team

Our partnership with the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation

In May this year we participated in “Responsible Gambling Week”. We organised an event at Maidstone Community Centre. Professor Singh gave a speech with 160 people attending. In July we received funding from the Victoria Responsible Gambling Foundation to provide both Counselling and Prevention services for the Vietnamese community in Eastern ‐ North‐ Western regions.

Gambling Prevention Program

Responsible Gambling Awareness Week – “Family Stays Together, Plays Together”

Don’t Bet Your Life

Don’t Bet Your Life” is a State‐wide preventative project which aims at increasing the awareness of the detrimental effects of gambling in the Vietnamese community in

• Victoria. This project will target all

generations using Vietnamese language with the first and the 1.5 generations and English language for the second and third generations.

Communication Strategy

• Gambling related information from Gambler's Help and others will be translated appropriately

and will be aired, published on most Vietnamese media outlets in Victoria together with interviews and community announcements.

• Mass community awareness/engagement at Vietnamese New Year Festivals in St Albans,

Footscray, Richmond and Sandown Park (Springvale).

• Information sessions will be delivered to Vietnamese groups including playgroups, men’s,

women’s, youth and senior groups.

• Family events or outings for extended families (three generations) on special occasions such as

Vietnamese New Year Celebration, International Women’s Day, Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, Full Moon Festival, etc…

• Website, youth camp, facebook and blog for young people

Healthy leisure activities ‐ Project workers will organise group activities and facilitate (organising and subsidising) healthy leisure activities that are appealing to the Vietnamese such as ballroom dancing, soccer, tennis, table tennis, badminton, swimming etc.

Gambling Counselling Program at AVWA

Vietnamese attitudes about Counselling

• Not familiar with the counselling service
• Don’t feel comfortable to talk to a stranger
• When having a problem, they prefer to ask for

advice from a relative whom they can trust.

• They only trust and ask advice from the

elderly, as in the saying “wisdom is in the white hair”.

• However, the elderly are those who are least

knowledgeable about the Australian context.

• The elderly do not trust the young, as they think,
• ne could not be an advisor, consultant or

counsellor without a great deal of life experience,

• vercome trials and failures, particularly in the

context of ethics, family and other relationships.

• People would prefer not have to go for advice or

counselling to a person of the opposite sex as they don’t feel comfortable, more ashamed and, afraid to lose face.

• People are also afraid that their problems will be

known in the community.

• Mental issues are still subject to stigma and

therefore hidden as they are seen as bad karma and low value of the family

How do Vietnamese people handle their problems

• Hide and deny
• Pretend to be OK in front of others.
• Isolate themselves as they feel low self esteem, anxiety

and depression.

• Try to forget their problems by means of turning to

alcohol, drugs or gambling.

• Suffer on their own without seeking help until their

problems become really serious.

• As a result of addictions and consequences in

behaviour or finances, some get involved in crimes and end up in prison.

• There are those who live without joy, peace and hope

leading to risk of self harm.

Gambling Counselling Program at AVWA

• Provide culturally appropriate individual gambling counselling in

the Vietnamese community.

• Operate a process of assessment about clients’ gambling issues,

clients’ background, situation and needs.

• Develop an individual treatment plan.
• Provide holistic support to clients with other needs and issues.
• Provide information and assist clients to access other services

relating to health, lifestyle, financial situation etc....

• Provide counselling on line.
• Out‐reach services are also offered to those who prefer face‐to‐

face counselling service but could not come to the indicated locations.

• Provide counselling and support to clients’ families.
• Provide community education about gambling

through media such as AVWA website, Newsletters and magazines, 3ZZZ & SBS and other radio stations, Vietnamese newspapers and community events and group meetings.

• Refer clients to financial counselling program and
• ther organisations re housing, food security etc....
• Collaborate with Gambling Prevention program to

engage clients in health and well‐being programs.

• Refer clients to other AVWA services such as training

program, activities groups for on‐going support.