PEACE stands for Personal Education And Community Empowerment and is a service that works with people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, regardless of their visa status.
PEACE provides services that help individuals, families and communities to overcome barriers and achieve happy and healthy relationships.
Currently, PEACE Multicultural Services has the following services:
- HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmissible Infection Program: For individuals and families affected by or at risk of HIV, hepatitis B and/or C, or by sexually transmissible infections (STIs). This can include migrants, refugees, sex workers and international students of all ages and genders.
- Indaba SA: For women affected by or at risk of HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We provide free counselling information and support services. Women can also ask for a worker who is also living with HIV.
- Multicultural Gambling Help Service: For people, families, and communities whose lives are being affected negatively by gambling or excessive gaming.
- Cambodian Gambling Help Service: For the local Cambodian community, to create awareness about gambling and gaming. We encourage seeking help early when gambling is a problem.
- Financial Counselling: For people who are struggling to manage their finances because of gambling.
- Ask PEACE: For men, women and children from diverse backgrounds who are experiencing life pressures, loneliness, sadness, depression, or related health issues.
- Group Support Services: Providing opportunities for people with common interests to meet in a supportive environment where it is safe to share their experiences and learn from each other.
- The Good Life Project: An African-specific program designed to assist African communities in the prevention of family violence
- Unidos: For same sex attracted (SSA) individuals from diverse backgrounds, and their families and friends.
- Workforce Development: Providing information and training sessions designed to improve the knowledge and skills of people delivering support services to people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. These sessions focus on addressing the cultural and language barriers experienced by CALD groups, and provide expert advice.
Please visit the Ask PEACE website for more information about our services.
PEACE Multicultural Services is a service of Relationships Australia SA. This means that all clients have access to a wide range of services.
- Other services at Relationships Australia SA
We are a team of highly qualified and professional counsellors and educators, who have exceptional knowledge and skills in how to respect cultures and incorporate them into the services we provide. The PEACE team understands what it is like settling into a new culture and the impact it can have on people and their families. Our staff will work with you to set your goals and a pathway to achieve them.
Our services are:
Free: We will not ask you to pay for any service you receive from us, nor will we charge your Medicare or health insurance accounts.
Confidential: We will never talk to anyone about your health status or other issues you are experiencing without your permission. We will also never gossip about you with anyone from your community or outside it.
Accessible: We use highly trained interpreters, either face-to-face or over the phone, to ensure that we fully understand your problems and circumstances. We also can provide our services at our centre, at a hospital/clinic or any other health service location, or even at your home.
Flexible: We tailor our services to suit your needs and circumstances, and we can work with other service providers to help you achieve the best outcomes possible.
We also work to promote cultural competency through the following activities:
- Diversity Training
- Accepting Students for Placement
Do you need to refer a client? Please use our client referral form HERE or download our referral brochure HERE.
Please visit our Ask PEACE website for more information.
Travel Safe
Enjoy your trip, but most importantly, stay safe!
Some overseas countries have high rates of viral infections such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. When travelling overseas there may be an increased risk of infection with these viruses if precautions are not always taken.
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Did you know that surveillance data show a link between HIV infection and travel? Over 20% of new HIV diagnoses in Australia are associated with people travelling to or from countries where HIV is more prevalent than in Australia.
When travelling overseas, it is important to plan for your safety. Be aware of the risk factors for infection so that you can prepare and protect yourself.
The ‘Travel Safe’ booklet provides information and tips on how to prepare to be safe before leaving the country, what to do during your travel, and also what to do when you come back.
If you have any further inquiries, please Contact PEACE – form at the bottom of page.
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U=U campaign
Undetectable = Untransmittable
There is solid global evidence that people living with HIV who are on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) have an undetectable viral-load, which means they will not transmit HIV to others. This is the new prevention campaign that everyone should know about ‘U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable)’.
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An undetectable viral-load does not mean ‘cured’ but it does mean there is not enough virus around to pass on to others. PEACE fully supports this global campaign as it should help to reduce the stigma found in many communities about people living with HIV. It means that people living with HIV can enjoy relationships without the fear of passing on the virus.
As part of this campaign we encourage people to:
Get Tested: Test regularly so that you know your status and can look after yourself.
Get Treated: Take medication on a regular basis and on time.
Live Longer: Having HIV is not a barrier to living your life the way you desire.
Learn about the many ways that you can improve your health and wellbeing and live a long life.
Get Tested, Get Treated, Live Longer Booklet
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Know your Hep B Status
The ‘Know Your Hepatitis B’ campaign was developed to assist and support people who come from high prevalence countries to have a better understanding of Hepatitis B and to know their Hepatitis B status.
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High prevalence countries are:
Africa (all countries except Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia)
Central and South America (interior Amazon basin and parts of the Caribbean)
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Central and Eastern Europe (including the independent states of the former Soviet Union) and the Middle East
Southeast Asia and the South and Western Pacific Islands
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We encourage everyone who comes from any of the above countries to take a simple blood test to check if they already have the virus or are immune. In either case there are ways to prevent serious illness.
The campaign uses several approaches to educate about prevalence, transmission, prevention, and the importance of testing, vaccination and creating a treatment management plan.
We know that providing information alone does not necessarily lead people to undergo testing. It also requires building relationships and trust and providing information in a context that is meaningful to our target group.
Through the campaign, we support individuals or groups to access testing clinics and vaccinations. We walk alongside people to ensure proper follow up with vaccination and treatment and other practical support can be offered if required.
Click HERE for our simple flowchart for understanding Hepatitis B testing
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Positive Change Movement
To create a positive change PEACE works flexibly with CALD communities to build their capacity and equip them with tools for addressing stigma and discrimination often associated with taboo topics such as HIV, viral hepatitis, problem gambling and family violence.
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Our focus is on adopting a collaborative approach in the fight against stigma and discrimination so that people living with or affected by any of these issues are able to participate fully in society. We believe every person has a role to play in creating a safe community for all.
Along with creating awareness, we improve access to relevant information and help communities and individuals to develop strategies to meet the collective goal of ending stigma and discrimination. When people are involved in addressing issues of concern to them, better outcomes are achieved.
There are multiple avenues through which we promote positive change:
- World AIDS Day events (WAD)
- Working with faith leaders
- Creating opportunities for peer support
- Community champions/ambassadors
- Voices of Women
- South Asian communities
- African communities
- International students.
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Stigma
Stigma is a culturally constructed idea; it is a learnt concept that influences what we do and how we do things. Our culture passes on certain ideas that shape our thinking and beliefs about what can or cannot be discussed in public. If our culture has taught us to avoid discussing an issue in public, this maintains the status quo and prevents us from being informed, analytical or even from learning how to think for ourselves.
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We live in an increasingly globalised world, where people of different backgrounds, cultures, religions, ethnicities, beliefs and values are more mobile and interact within what can seem like a ‘melting pot’. Yet everyone wants to keep their particular culture alive and their individuality intact. Behaviours learnt centuries ago, in the societal context of previous ages, do not always promote harmony and may lead to complications or social unrest. Without the flexibility to challenge our prejudices, we create barriers, stop growth, and most importantly, we sow disadvantage and discrimination.
Culture, of course, is very important but it is there to provide support and security to individuals and community. It is an evolving medium and can absorb challenges, changes and new practices. Allowing conversations on the topics that affect our life in a new country enables easier transition, understanding and adjustment into a new lifestyle. It allows individuals to talk about matters that are important, discuss issues that were not relevant before but now are, and provides an environment that tackles challenges and rewards resilience.
PEACE promotes conversation on issues that are not commonly discussed, and this happens in a culturally appropriate, confidential and welcoming environment. Stigma has been linked to most of the community matters PEACE deals with: e.g. gambling, blood-borne viruses, domestic violence etc. Hence stigma is something that we are equipped to deal with very confidently.
We believe that every person in the community can be a change agent to bring about a society where no-one faces discrimination because of their problems, diseases or choices in life. We believe in and promote equality and acceptance for everyone by everyone.
Have a chat with us if you would like us to come into your community and talk about a topic that concerns you, especially if it involves stigma and/or discrimination. We will find ways to start the conversation and you could learn to be a change agent in your community.
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Cultural Competency Training
Supporting the workforce to design and deliver culturally meaningful and relevant services
Australia is among the most culturally diverse of nations. The population is constantly growing through migration programs, including skilled migrants, refugees, international students and businesses. Migrants’ understanding of the Australian system and way of life varies depending on their year of arrival, reasons for migration and the effect of language or cultural barriers.
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Migrants have the right to access services they need, to have a positive experience when using them and to achieve positive outcomes. Therefore, it is paramount for workers in the health and community services sector to develop awareness, knowledge and skills of working effectively with clients as well as with interpreters.
To support excellence in workforce learning, PEACE Multicultural Services offers you:
- Intercultural training and workshop packages tailored to your needs
- Consultancy services to help you meet the needs of your clients
- Skills to manage a diverse team within your workplace
- Skills to work effectively with interpreters
- Support to design culturally appropriate translated resources.
- Strategies for effective policy development.
Workforce development services are provided free of charge for services within the sexual and blood-borne viruses sector and within the gambling help and industry sector. If you work outside those sectors, we are able to provide a quote for services.
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Contact
Locations Available
Cost
Free
Service Resources
- PEACE (Brochure)
- PEACE - Referral Information (Brochure)
- PEACE - Travel Safe (Booklet)
- PEACE - Information for Service Providers (Booklet)
- PEACE - Gambling Help
- Ambassador Information Booklet 2016
- PEP, PrEP and ART Medications. What are they?
Funding Acknowledgement
PEACE Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis C Services is provided by Relationships Australia SA and SA Health has contributed funds towards this Program.
PEACE Multicultural Gambling Help Service is provided by Relationships Australia SA and funded by funded by the Gamblers Rehabilitation Fund, a joint initiative of the Australian Hotels Association (SA Branch), Clubs SA, Adelaide Casino and the Government of South Australia.
Service Enquiry
Use this form to enquire about our services.