Mensline Australia is aware that family and relationship problems can affect all Australian men across all cultures. As part of our commitment to responding appropriately to a broad range of cultural groups, including the Vietnamese community, we have developed a number of initiatives to improve our service delivery.

Between March 2007 and April 2008 through the implementation of the Cultural X Change Project we will be engaging with the Vietnamese community and relevant service providers from targeted locations around Australia with the aim of listening to the needs of the men in these communities as well as promoting the Mensline Australia service. The outcome of this process of engagement will be an increased level of community awareness of Mensline Australia, as well as an increased understanding among Mensline counsellors of the issues that impact upon Vietnamese men and their families.

Targeted activities that will support the development of the program include:

• Listening circles that provide an opportunity for Vietnamese men to identify and express their family and relationship needs and issues
• The delivery of training to the counselling staff at Mensline Australia on engaging cross culturally
• The development of culturally specific tip sheets
• The development of this website, dedicated to Vietnamese men and their families
• The production of digital stories that illustrate, through the use of multimedia, significant family and relationship stories from Vietnamese men
• A moderated online forum that provides opportunities for Vietnamese men to engage and discuss family and relationship issues specific to them, with the support of our Vietnamese Community Liaison Worker.

For more information on any aspect of this program please contact either:

Thanh Nguyen — Vietnamese Community Liaison Worker, Sydney 02 9781 3333

Jeremy Hearne — Project Coordinator 03 8371 2813