WORKSHOPS (2021)
DAY 1: INEQUALITY
Mental Health Workshop
Mental health is an essential part of people’s wellbeing, however, it has been one of the greatest aspects of our lives to be negatively affected by the impacts of COVID-19. Delivered by Voice of Health (VOH), this workshop will look at how mental health has been impacted on a global scale during the pandemic and highlight the gaps in service and delivery within mental health. VOH will also highlight the importance of mental health as part of self-care and why it is more important than ever for us to prioritise our own mental wellbeings.
About Voice of Health:
VOH is a preventative mental health organisation that has developed a social platform in the form of a mobile app that provides a safe space where you can talk one-on-one with a trained Active Listener. Voice of Health aims to provide equitable access to mental health support by removing the barriers that exist, including the availability of healthcare professionals, location, time, financial restrictions, stigma concerns, preference to self-manage, physical challenge or disability.
Emergency Response Workshop
Imagine you are part of a team that is deploying to an operational context to conduct a rapid assessment and plan Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) emergency intervention. Do you know what information you need? How will you go about obtaining it? What resources do you need? Come along with two inspiring Médecins Sans Frontières’ team members, Paras Valeh, a medical doctor specialising in infectious diseases, and Emer McCarthy, a critical care nurse and infection control specialist, as they explore the development of an emergency response with you.
About Médecins Sans Frontières:
MSF is an international and independent medical humanitarian organisation delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters, and exclusion from healthcare. MSF operates in situations that call for rapid responses with specialised medical and logistical help, as well as longer-term projects that tackle health crises. First established in 1971, MSF is now active in around 70 countries with over 35,000 personnel.
Model UN Workshop
The Model UN workshop aims to give delegates an understanding of the interplay between disparate health resources and international diplomacy in the context of COVID-19 resource allocation. Developed by the Change x Unzipped Academic Committee and presented by the Monash International Affairs Society (MIAS), delegates will have the opportunity to participate in an abridged Model UN, working in small country groups to prepare and present a draft resolution for the problem of ‘globally equitable COVID-19 resource allocation.’
About MIAS:
Monash International Affairs Society (MIAS) is an apolitical student society at Monash
University that works towards establishing a network for students passionate about international affairs and relations.
Indigenous Australian Policy Workshop
Indigenous Australians are far more likely to disproportionately suffer from deleterious health effects in Australia’s justice system as it currently exists. This workshop delivered by Arts/Law student expert, Ms. Emma Hagan, will engage delegates in the discussion surrounding law
and inequality that Indigenous Australians face. The links between health and the criminal justice system, Indigenous Australian human rights, mental health, among other concepts, will be explored.
Delegates will engage in discussion of specific case studies and explore how to implement
solutions into the healthcare system. In addition, there will be an analysis of laws and policies which delve into the importance of acknowledging Indigenous Australian voices in striving for equality of health access. Inequality of health resources will be contextualised on a global stage.
DAY 2: INEQUITY
Advocacy Campaigns Workshop
In this workshop, participants will learn from community organisers at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) about effective organising and campaigning strategies. Participants will gain an understanding of how to be a more effective advocate through community organising and will have a chance to plan their own campaign. Through case studies, learning skills, and best practice tips and tricks, participants will be empowered to advocate in their own communities and win fair and just changes for people seeking asylum and refugees.
About Asylum Seeker Resource Centre:
Started in 2001 by a group of passionate students, ASRC has become Australia’s largest independent human rights organisation providing support to people seeking asylum. ASRC provides frontline services to people seeking asylum, as well as advocacy programs and community mobilisation to create lasting social and policy change for those who came here in search of safety and freedom.
Trans and Gender Diversity Workshop
Delivered by Transgender Victoria (TGV) trainer, Andrew Eklund, a man assigned female at birth, this workshop will explore what it is to be trans and gender-diverse accessing medical care in Victoria today. Marginalisation occurs by default when the services we engage with do not allow for our existence: our identities, bodies, relationships, including gendered test result ‘normal’ ranges. This workshop aims to take your knowledge to new levels, so bring the questions you have been wanting to ask!
About Transgender Victoria:
TGV is the leading body for trans and gender diverse advocacy, training, and resource development in Victoria. They work to achieve justice, equity and inclusive service provision for trans and gender diverse people, their partners, families and friends.
TGV work with and for the trans and gender diverse
community to create positive change in human rights and policy development by challenging discrimination and assisting in the empowerment of trans people.
Women’s Health Workshop
This workshop will be built on three key pillars: women's health, COVID-19, and inequity. Flourish_ed will be focusing on how the pandemic has negatively affected various concepts of women’s health, including busting some commonly upheld misconceptions related to women’s health. It will also include activities that look at different aspects of women’s health that have been most affected by the pandemic.
About Flourish_ed:
Flourish_ed aims to remove barriers and bridge gaps by connecting people to support and services they would need in order to achieve empowerment, independence, and financial autonomy. They also recognised a monumental contributor to gender inequality was due to poor to non-existing health and sex education, so strive to deliver accurate and representative health, sex, and reproductive knowledge.
Centre for Multicultural Youth Workshop
This workshop will discuss aspects of culture and introduce the National Youth Settlement Framework: a framework that looks at what is necessary for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to settle well into Australian Society and become Active Citizens.
About the Centre for Multicultural Youth:
The Centre for Multicultural Youth is a not-for-profit organisation based in Victoria supports young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Through a combination of support services and programs, sector capability building, advocacy, and knowledge sharing, CMY helps remove the barriers many young people face as they make Australia their home.