EVOCA

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Strengthening Ethnic Community Associations (SECA)
from Shilpa Banerjee
AFL Multicultural program for SECA
We were overjoyed and much relieved when the State Government announced late last
year that ECCQ would receive $274,230 over three years to continue the SECA program
which supports Queensland's ethnic community associations (please see article on
previous page)..
The SECA program works with ethnic community associations and leaders to build the
capacity of their management committees and members to effectively manage their associations and thus
achieve better outcomes for their associations, members and communities.
SECA has identified the need for ongoing professional support to establish and maintain ethnic community
associations in order to sustain them, to articulate their needs, to secure resources, and to participate generally
in Australian democracy. In the last three years, SECA through its training and information workshops has
ensured community associations and NGOs have organisational tools and resources to help them operate
effectively and encouraged sharing and collaboration between organisations and stakeholders in the
community.
SECA program will continue to support these associations to be effective, accountable and sustainable. Please
feel free to contact me for information about the SECA program or to discuss your or your association’s
organisational capacity building needs - email seca1@eccq.com.au.
We are also pleased to announce that ECCQ is now a project partner with Australia Football League
Queensland (AFLQ) on their multicultural project funded by the Department of Sports & Recreation.
The AFL Multicultural Program aims to assist and encourage young people from CALD communities to access
Australian Football.
We welcome Halimah Azein who will be working with ECCQ as the Project Officer on this project. She will be
involved in wide consultations to develop appropriate strategies to engage CALD youth into football coaching,
umpiring and playing. For more information contact Halimah on 3844 9166 or 0402 321 368 or email her on
seca3@eccq.com.au. See our flyers for ‘Come and Try’ day included in this issue.
SECA’s Evaluation Group
ECCQ’s community development program, the Strengthening Ethnic Community Associations (SECA) program,
recently engaged a group of senior University of Queensland students to undertake an evaluation of the
program. The SECA Evaluation Group feedback session in November was a great success. The students
effectively and efficiently summarised the evaluation process and recommendations. ECCQ will keep them in
perspective for the future development of the program. The photograph shows the group receiving their
Certificates of Appreciation for their work.
From left: Emma Heard, Lily Moult, Tess Reddel,
Shilpa Banerjee from ECCQ, UQ supervisor Nicole
George, Bethany Carey and Eadie Adams.
Shilpa Banerjee is ECCQ’s Program Manager for the
SECA program which is funded by the Department of Communities
Evoca: Issue 157 - February/March 2011