Welcome to the latest edition of ACL AMEP eNews.

We have some exciting news from inside ACL AMEP Consortium  Colleges.

• Students Meet the Mayor at Holroyd Council of Chambers
• Job Expo at Fairfield Community Centre
• Surf Culture at Manly for Youth Classes
• Harmony Day 2007
• 2007 Refugee Week Celebrations

Students Meet The Mayor at Holroyd Council of Chambers

Students from level 3 Employment Focus and Level 3 Community Access classes have just finished participating in the third weekly session of the Holroyd Community Education Program. During the program students from Parramatta College learned about road safety issues and regulations, and recycling.

In addition, Parramatta College students became more aware of their obligations and how they can help the Council by voicing their concerns, by helping with recycling regulations, and by obeying road safety regulations. A highlight of the program was also to teach students about Australia’s three tier government system and its responsibilities.

A very important aspect of the program in terms of using newly acquired language skills was a mock Council election where students got to elect a councillor and in the process they got acquainted with the Councillors’ meeting proceedings. Students of our college were very happy with the knowledge they gained about the Council’s range of services. They had hands-on experience about the way issues are presented to and voted on by the Councillors. Last but not least, our students were delighted to ‘brush shoulders’ with the VIPs and lunch with the mayor. All participants received an attendance certificate signed and presented by the Mayor.

We look forward to continuing to work with Holroyd Council in improving the Community Education Program, which supports our clients with their settlement needs in Australia.

Rodolfo Cares

Educational Manager , ACL Parramatta College

top

Job Expo at Fairfield Community Centre

The Jobs Expo at Fairfield Community Centre on June 7th was an excellent opportunity for refugees in the Fairfield area to source information and line up jobs. The event was organized by FECAP(Fairfield Emerging Communities Advisory Panel) working party, consisting of ACL, the FMRC, Centrelink, DEWR (Department of Workplace Relations) and Job Networks.
All organisers and other participants such as local Police came with jobs and pathways information and the FMRC (Fairfield Migrant Resource Centre) did a lot of preparation, including entry registration and a great lunch by Meals on Wheels.

Many classes attended from ACL Fairfield and students found job and study skills information. We also saw many old students there who had improved their English and now were looking for work. We are hoping that these Job Days can become a regular event for the community and give more information and encouragement to job seekers.

Helen Nowell

Teacher Coordinator, ACL Fairfield College.

top

Surf Culture at Manly for Youth Classes

Four ACL Classes from Auburn and Fairfield Colleges ventured across the harbour to North Steyne Surf Club and Manly to discover first hand the joys and rules of the surf and to get to know some local surf life savers, their jobs and their club.

Following the trip into Manly, on the way to the clubhouse, students never stopped saying, “Look, teacher, look, it’s beautiful!”

At the clubhouse, students watched a video showing the life of the club and its members over its 100 year history. This was followed by a demonstration of a rescue using a rescue tube, and a demonstration of CPR on a practice dummy. After that, they got a tour of the club, the boards, the Inflatable Rescue Boats and then got the opportunity to take them onto the sand.

For some of our students it was their first taste of the beach and definitely the first time speaking to local lifesavers and getting to see the inside of the club and its facilities. Similarly the local lifesavers were really enthusiastic about educating and getting to know the students and their backgrounds and stated they were happy for the opportunity to try to bridge the gap between ‘East’ and ‘West’.

Later in the day the students played frisbee, soccer and completed a “Race around Manly” collecting local information and trying out their English language skills on unsuspecting locals.

The following Thursday and Friday all classes had in-class presentations on surf safety as part of the ‘On the Same Wave’ project. They learnt about potential perils of the sea and its inhabitants and how to enjoy the beach safely.

Stay tuned – we may even see a few doing their Bronze Medallion in the not to distant future!

Mignon Butler (Auburn) and Sophie Choi (Fairfield)

top

Harmony Day 2007

More than 2,300 ACL students and their families enjoyed a celebration of harmony and diversity at Sydney Olympic Park to mark annual Harmony Day yesterday (Wednesday 21 March).

ACL, the largest provider of high quality English language education in Australia, hosted the country’s biggest Harmony Day event at Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park, recognising the successful integration of migrants and refugees.

ACL Group Managing Director Helen Zimmerman said the event was a huge success and reiterated the importance of encouraging Australians to say no to racism and to celebrate the achievements of our newest Australians.

The event supported the Federal Government’s initiative “Living in Harmony” and provided an opportunity for ACL students to celebrate their heritage, integrated with the Australian way of life and culture.

Speakers at the event included SBS Television World News Australia presenter Anton Enus, Blacktown MP Paul Gibson and Auburn Mayor Le Lam. NSW Cricket and NSW Fire Brigades also took part in the event. Entertainment included face painting, clowns, balloon artistry and a jumping castle for children. There were also performances by a Middle Eastern band, Vietnamese dancers and African drumming and dancing.

top

2007 Refugee Week Celebrations

Refugee Week Celebrations took place once again this year across ACL AMEP Consortium Colleges. This year’s Refugee Week featured the theme of “The Voices of Young Refugees”.

At ACL Auburn College, some 150 students celebrated at Auburn Town Hall with
• Cultural costume parades – students’ countries of origin include Afghanistan, Lebanon, China, Turkey, Burma and Iraq;

• Student performances – such as Burmese dancing, Turkish singing and Chinese singing;
• Student art exhibition – samples of students’ drawings and craftwork; and
• Afternoon tea.

Sudanese, South American, Cambodian, Punjabi and Assyrian dancing, drama pieces and singing by students were some of the activities featured at celebrations held by ACL Fairfield College.

ACL Fairfield College Educational Manager Alison Macleod said Refugee Week was an opportunity to acknowledge the amazing contributions that refugees make to Australian society, both past and present.

“This is a real acknowledgement of those students who entered the country as refugees and who contribute to our society on a daily basis,” Ms Macleod said.

top