Interview with Hoi Sinh multicultural LDAT
The Hoi Sinh Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) runs culturally appropriate alcohol and other drug information sessions for young people and parents in north Adelaide’s Vietnamese and Afghan communities.
My Phuong Sramek
My Phuong Sramek is the Practice Manager at Community Access and Services SA (CAaSSA), the lead organisation for the LDAT. My Phuong works closely with her colleague Nhung Huynh on the project.
We’ve spent many years now working with the Alcohol and Drug Foundation to build prevention and early intervention initiatives for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
We’re really grateful and happy to partner with ADF through the LDAT program and to be able to reach many local communities. That’s our mission at CAaSSA. The ADF team supports grassroots initiatives like ours and is very understanding. I really appreciate that – the open communication and partnership.
Ishra, our Relationship Manager, is very friendly. She’s open-minded. I listen to her input and to her guidance. She provides us with information – always sharing upcoming events, activities and tools, and guiding us through planning and evaluation.
In the CAaSSA team, we know that alcohol and other drug use can be well hidden and stigmatised in CALD communities, among new arrivals, refugees, and non-English speaking people. This is why I want to do this work. We want to reach out to people who are less fortunate.
We have many other programs at CAaSSA, which help make the project better. For example, we have programs around mental health, AOD, community connections and community education. It helps us reach the target group, making the program more successful.
Ishra Prasad
Ishra Prasad is the Senior Community Development Officer at the Alcohol and Drug Foundation and the dedicated Relationship Manager for the Hoi Sinh LDAT.
The Hoi Sinh LDAT is so well connected. The LDAT team is super open and happy to share their information and ideas.
Because CAaSSA do firsthand delivery of alcohol and other drug services, they see the real examples of people being affected. They understand the importance of prevention through the LDAT program. It’s eye opening.
In Adelaide, the Vietnamese and Afghan communities are quite established as they’ve been there for many years now. They’re strong groups. The LDAT targets these communities, but also the newer refugee and migrant groups. The reason it works so well is because they hire people directly from those groups. They really do work intimately with the community, the mindset is that the answers must come from them.
And it shows with the engagement for the alcohol and other drug education sessions that the LDAT has run for young people and families. All the attendance numbers were way over what was expected. They have a good reputation among the locals.
Working with My Phuong is really great. We started working together in October last year. One of the qualities I like in My Phuong is that she perseveres. She’s someone who is assertive and advocates for the communities she works for. I feel like she’s not fully recognised for all of the amazing things she does. And she always feeds me when I meet with her!
This story is an excerpt from the 2023 LDAT Highlights Report.
One of the qualities I like in My Phuong is that she perseveres.
