Recognising health resources in languages other than English

Nominations are now open for the Multicultural Health Communication Awards 2015 which recognises outstanding resources targeting the health needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities.

Mr Peter Todaro, Director of the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS) said the Multicultural Health Communication Awards was established in 2003 to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of individuals, groups, government and non-government organisations in producing excellent multilingual resources.

The Award encourages good practice in multicultural health communication to ensure that health tools in language are recognised, promoted and distributed.

“I am very happy to announce that this is our 8th year in running the Awards and we look forward to continuing this great tradition in recognising the incredible work of organisations and workers who continue to dedicate their services to fulfil the needs of multicultural communities,” said Mr Todaro.

 

“The nominated resources from the Awards are all uploaded and featured on the MHCS website (www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au), a central point for the facilitation of information for health workers and organisations when targeting CALD groups. The website already hosts over 450 multilingual health resources which can be accessed free of charge, and the entries from the Awards prove to be invaluable to the users.”

Some examples of the exceptional winning resources from past Awards include a falls prevention DVD series available in 9 languages to assist health and community workers, who work with older people that highlights the strategy on how falls can be prevented; health fact sheets for refugees in Arabic, Burmese, French and Kirundi that recognises the complex health needs of many newly arrived refugees who have little understanding of health systems; and a booklet developed in Greek, Macedonian and Serbian which provides valuable information about ideas and beliefs surrounding organ and tissue donation.

For 2015, the Multicultural Health Communication Awards are being offered in the following categories:

PRINT
Awarded for sustainability and achievement in the development of printed resources that may include posters, brochures, fact sheets, booklets and tools.

AUDIO VISUAL
Awarded for distinguished and outstanding achievement in the development of audio and visual resources that may include documentaries, videos, audio presentations, radio ads, television ads and other presentation tools.

WEB BASED RESOURCE
Awarded for innovation and achievement in the development of web-based resources produced for online purposes on the website and social media platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and other communication and media avenues.

Awards for each category will be presented for the Best Resource produced on a low cost budget, (below $5,000) and the Best Resource produced from a budget of $5,000 or more.
Applications will be judged by industry experts on the effectiveness of each resource, the quality of the translation, and the potential benefits for non-English speakers in NSW.

Nominations close on Friday 29 May 2015. Presentation of Award winners will be held at the NSW Parliament House as part the key activities for Multicultural Health Week 2015 in September.

For more information visit here or email mhcs@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au.
_________________________________________________________________