Pacific award

VICHEALTH has awarded a Greater Dandenong-funded festival with an outstanding achievement award.
The Pacifika Down Under Festival was a celebration of Pacific Island cultures held in Dandenong Park on 24 March last year.
It attracted more than 800 people and drew their attention towards health and wellbeing services available, while celebrating Pacific cultures.
Cultural attractions included art, music, food, clothing, fashion and crafts, with performance-focused events giving young people a chance to display local Pacifika music and traditional and contemporary dance styles.
The City of Greater Dandenong facilitated the event and was awarded by VicHealth with top honours in the category of projects with a budget of under $15,000.
Springvale North councillor Alan Gordon welcomed the award as recognition of the festival’s positive contribution to the Pacifika communities of Victoria.
“This is certainly well deserved,” Cr Gordon said.
“The festival encourages young people from more than 10 Pacific regions to celebrate their cultural identities.
“It also helps the Pacifika people to overcome feelings of dislocation by connecting isolated families with their own community and local support services.
“The festival has helped break down the negative perception that seeking help is in some way shameful. It gives Pacifika people the knowledge they need to connect with local support services, which in turn helps them integrate into the wider community.”
VicHealth CEO Todd Harper said the outstanding achievement award was given to a project which contributed to new health promotion knowledge and evidence, provided a model for changes in the way health promotion was conducted in the community, demonstrated solid partnerships and sustainable funding models, and made a “tangible difference”.
“This year’s awards for outstanding achievement in health promotion highlight the innovative and inspirational work being undertaken by VicHealth’s partners around the state,” he said.