Despite it being a chilly Melbourne evening on June 19, there was a buzz in the air as The Water Well Project held its first Induction Session for 2013 at the Multicultural Hub.
We are thrilled to have inducted another forty-nine volunteers! This time, we didn't just introduce our project to new doctors, but we welcomed the opportunity for allied health professionals and final year medical students.
After sushi and sandwiches, the formal part of the evening commenced with an overview of the Project from Chair, Dr Linny Phuong.
We were then very pleased to have 3 excellent speakers present.
May Maloney from the Victorian Refugee Health Network (VRHN) and Foundation House presented first – she has a wealth of knowledge about refugee health – introducing when and how to refer to Torture & Trauma services as well as the invaluable online resources available through VRHN.
Marta Kreiser from Brotherhood of St Laurence asked the audience “What things do you need to consider when working with a refugee/migrant community group” creating a forum with contributions from the group and current volunteers.
Finally, Dr Mark Timlin (GP and Southern Health Refugee Health Fellow) inspired with his personal story of working in Kabul, Afghanistan, highlighting the importance of developing trusting relationships with culturally and linguistically diverse individuals.
The last part of the evening was a favourite amongst inductees – a “How to facilitate” session hosted by Alessio (our Digital Manager) with each inductee having the opportunity to practice facilitating with a member of our team present to give advice and answer questions.
With overwhelmingly positive feedback it was a successful night indeed and we look forward to working with all our new volunteers!