MIGRANT WOMEN LEADING THE WAY

MULTICULTURAL CENTRE FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH

Migrant women leading the way

Migrant and refugee women make exceptional leaders. How do we know this? Over the last 11 years, nearly 200 women have participated in the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH) PACE (Participate, Advocate, Communicate, Engage) Leadership Program. MCWH has witnessed migrant women leading the way to improve their lives, families, workplaces and communities. They have become confident public speakers, panel members, advocates for migrant and refugee women’s issues, decision makers in their households, small business owners, community activists
and strong leaders in every shape and form.

MCWH is a national, community-based organisation that is led by and for women from migrant and refugee communities in Victoria. Established in 1978, their mission is to improve migrant women’s health and wellbeing through in-language health education sessions, multilingual health resources, research, and training, such as the PACE Leadership program.

Their PACE Leadership program is Australia’s first and only leadership program that is specifically tailored to migrant and refugee women’s leadership development needs. Established in 2010, the program strengthens migrant and refugee women’s skills to take on leadership roles by increasing their capacity to actively participate in their work, families or communities. The program’s guiding principles encourage women to:

• Participate in work or the community
• Advocate on migrant women’s issues
• Communicate leadership skills, and
• Engage with others to provide ongoing support.

“Leadership is more than just a public role. I didn’t know that this course would encourage us to be better advocates for people’s rights in our own community. I just learnt so much more about Aboriginal history than I ever did at school. Is there a way for us to continue working together?” – participant

Making a difference, one pace at a time

Migrant women are not afraid to take the lead, and want more opportunities to actively participate, advocate, communicate and engage. PACE Leadership is one of MCWH’s most popular programs, with each workshop welcoming lines of migrant women that stretch out from the door. Its current series of programs funded by the Victorian Government booked out in a matter of days and gained
an additional waitlist of over 60 women across Victoria.

“It is not just a leadership training course, but an open and supportive space where we can
share our stories and grow together.” – participant

Women have shared that the program uniquely centres the experiences, knowledge and skills of migrant and refugee women. It is an approach that is unfortunately uncommon. They know that they already have many leadership skills, yet they are often undervalued and unseen. Barriers such
as discrimination, visas status and cost, settlement issues, non-recognition of overseas qualifications, unequal caring and domestic duties, and expensive English language testing can lock migrant and refugee women out of leadership roles. The gap between demand and available opportunities is glaring.

“I believe women are capable and they can become great leaders if they are given the
opportunity.” – participant

In Australia, migrant women are greatly underrepresented in decision-making roles. Studies from the Australian Human Rights Commission show that the vast majority of people in formal leadership roles are men from Anglo-Celtic or European backgrounds.1 This certainly does not mean that migrant women do not make good leaders. In fact, diverse leadership can lead to increased productivity and better workplace practices.2

“By understanding women’s leadership, we can really learn more about the structural
barriers and then be able to advocate for our rights to achieve a better society.” – participant

By redefining leadership and moving away from the sole focus on individual skills, PACE Leadership focuses on addressing the structural barriers that stop migrant from being viewed as leaders. In the program, participants gain skills to advocate on issues relating to migrant women and their communities. So that pace by pace, other migrant women too can be leaders.

“MCWH is an organisation that teaches women to be more independent and gives us
information about our rights, what we are entitled.”
– participant

“This [program] has changed my life. I used to be scared of going to do things on my own.
Now I’m not afraid. My world is so much bigger now!”
-participant