Series: How do we do ‘cultural safety’ in the time of COVID-19? 

Session: Community Voices

Panellists

Tigist Kebede (culturally-inclusive counsellor also known as ‘The Coloured Therapist’), Abdiqafar Ururshe (spokesperson for Australian Muslim Social Services Agency (AMSSA) and board member of AMSSA Youth Connect), Summayyah Sadiq-Ojibara (counsellor psychotherapist) and Ahmed Dini (co-founder Ubuntu project) with Shehani De Silva (VTMH).

What to expect in this session? 

This session will explore living in the times of Covid-19 and what this means for people’s mental health and wellbeing. We will hear directly from public housing residents in inner city Melbourne, and their friends, supporters and allies.

The session panellists are experienced and respected therapists, community volunteers and advocates, and leaders of innovative community projects.

They will share their understanding of the situations facing communities. We’ll discuss their views on how to connect the dots between creating healthy communities and addressing enduring patterns of inequality. We’ll also hear about the role these panel members are playing right now in communities. Finally, we’ll reflect on how communities are supporting themselves, and what action needs to be taken by government and services, on many levels, with communities as partners.

Resources and references related to this session 

Community-led initiatives  

Ubuntu Project https://www.facebook.com/UbuntuProjectAU/
 

Australian Muslim Social Services Agency (AMSSA) https://www.facebook.com/amssayouthconnect 

In the media June and July 2020 

Sabra Lane & Linda Mottram (29 June, 2020). Melbourne cases aren’t COVID-19 second wave  Radio National [Broadcast].  

Melissa Davey (6 July, 2020). Melbourne towers residents translated Covid-19 information sheet into 10 different languages in 24 hours. The Guardian Australia.

Victorian Ombudsman report released December 2020

Victorian Ombudsman. (December, 2020). Investigation into the detention and treatment of public housing residents arising from a COVID-19 ‘hard lockdown’ in July 2020. Session 2018-20 P.P. No. 192.