Advance Diversity Services (ADS) is partnering with the University of Wollongong (UOW) to enhance the ability of the settlement and community services sectors to serve the needs of CALD LGBTIQA+ communities.
The joint research project, funded by UOW’s Community Engagement Grants Scheme, aims to understand gaps in the knowledge and skills of diversity service workers when servicing culturally diverse LGBTIQ+ communities in the context of COVID-19.
‘This is a wonderful opportunity to pilot a collaborative approach to understanding the level of LGBTIQA+ acceptance, knowledge and skills of ADS’s service workers,’ said Anthony Scerri, ADS’s Manager for Settlement and Community Services.
‘Once we identify gaps, we can effectively target staff training. Our ultimate aim is to ensure people from CALD LGBTIQ+ communities receive the services they need and feel welcome and included.’
Dr Quah Ee Ling Sharon, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, is leading the research project. Dr Qua is a Singaporean-Chinese queer migrant woman academic whose work draws from decolonial, transnational and intersectional feminist perspectives and centres round community-based research, inequalities and social justice.
She said she was happy to be collaborating with ADS on the project to bring better outcomes for CALD LGBTIQA+ people.
Three innovative projects were chosen for UOW’s 2020 Community Engagement Grants Scheme launched at a virtual celebration on October 22.
Monique Harper-Richardson, Director of Advancement, UOW, and President of the UOW’s USA Foundation, said the quality of this year’s applications for grants was ‘at the highest level’ and all projects funded focused on resilience and recovery for communities affected by COVID-19.
‘These are extraordinary projects and I’m incredibly excited. I also extend my sincere congratulations to the three recipients.’
Special guest at the celebration Dr Belinda Kathlyn Gibbons, Senior Lecturer Faculty of Business, Sydney Business School, UOW, said the grants would help to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals ‘to care for all things and to leave no one behind’.
Mr Scerri said the pandemic had been hard on many in the community and especially marginalised people from diverse backgrounds.
‘This research will help to ensure LGBTIQA+ people from CALD backgrounds receive the best and most appropriate service possible.’
Caption 1: Dr Quah Ee Ling Sharon, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Wollongong (UOW) at the virtual launch of a new UOW-ADS research project.
An immense polar bear and her endearing little cub float across iceberg-filled Arctic waters under a sky lit by the aurora borealis: icons within icons, each elemental to the Canadian identity. Showcasing the artistry and technical talent of the Royal Canadian Mint, this rare 99.99% pure silver coin celebrates the beloved polar bear.
Item Number 149406
Composition 99.99% fine silver
Weight (g)* 31.39
Diameter (mm) 38
Face Value $20
Finish Proof: Edge Serrated
Artist: Julius Csotonyi
Packaging: Maroon clamshell with custom beauty box
- This is the first coin in the Royal Canadian Mint’s innovative new series featuring classic Canadian icons highlighted with cutting-edge design and technology.
- The Royal Canadian Mint’s world-class 99.99% pure silver is an ideal canvas for Julius Csotonyi’s captivating portrait of a mother polar bear and her cub in their Arctic habitat. A striking blue enamel stratum overlays selective portions of the image, lending depth to the work of Csotonyi and the Mint’s engravers.
- This highly exclusive piece has a very low mintage of only 4,000 coins.
The reverse design by Canadian artist Julius Csotonyi centres around a portrait of a mother polar bear and her tiny cub. The cub leans in against the mother’s right front leg, looking directly at the viewer as the mother gazes toward the right side of the image. The two bears stand on a small iceberg, floating amid other larger bergs in open water. Above them, the aurora borealis illuminates a starlit sky. The bottom half of the image presents the underwater view of this scene, with a school of Arctic cod swimming near the submerged section of the polar bears’ iceberg. The underwater portion of the image is overlaid with translucent blue enamel, lending depth and colour to the coin’s highly detailed engraving and shading. A polished outer band bears the word “CANADA”, the date “2016”, and the face value of “20 DOLLARS”. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
Please note, Masters Club members will have exclusive access to purchase this coin until June 17, 2016. Dealers cannot advertise or sell this coin until June 17, 2016. Please refer to your Dealer Terms and Conditions for further details.