Point Cook Coastal Park

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From 13^th March 2007 to the 16^th June 2007 John Argote participated in the inaugural Bilingual Parks Tour Leaders Course run at Northern Metropolitan Institute of Technology (NMIT) in Epping.  

The aim of the course was to develop bilingual park guides as a valuable community resource to assist with the orientation of refugee and newly arrived communities to develop connections, understanding and appreciation of their local open space, and flora and fauna.  

Participants of the course came from a variety of cultural backgrounds and provided a wealth of different perspectives, ideas and inspiration.  

During the course we specifically learnt about local flora and fauna, developed culturally appropriate tour commentaries, and developed skills to lead and co-ordinate a group.  

Personally, I found the course to be very enriching, as I met a lot of new people who were passionate about their cultures and their people, and who had a great love for the environment. Although I have done many park tours and presentations throughout my career, this course increased my self confidence by developing my oral communication skills in a group situation, particularly presenting to people with English as a second language. It was also an excellent opportunity to widen my networks and truly get involved in the community at the base level.  

Coming from a Spanish background, my family came to Australia in the early 1950’s. Due to language barriers they never got to explore the natural beauties of parks and reserves. I have seen this course as an opportunity to break down these barriers and help diverse communities to access our parks and reserves without obstruction.   

After the course work was completed by the participants, it was time to put the learning into practice. On the 9^th and 16^th June 2007, the participants went on field trips with groups organised by the class and Dimi Bouzalas, who was the lecturer of the Bilingual Parks Tour Leaders Course. Dimi is also the Community Engagement Environment Officer for the Merri Creek Management Committee Inc and has access to many community groups and networks.  

The group went to Farm Vigano, Plenty Gorge parklands and Toorourrong Reservoir Park. During the days the participants of the course explained features of the parklands to the community group attendees. The community group attendees were from Chile, Congo, Cyprus, El Salvador, Greece, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan and Turkey.  It was an opportunity for Park Tour Leader course participants to communicate to the community groups and also to learn from these community groups.  

Following on from this course, I would like to harness and celebrate multiculturalism in the parks. I am planning to hold several events at Point Cook Coastal Park. An upcoming event will be the 10^th year celebration of the Tower: A monument to migration and aspiration. The Tower tells a story of bird migration and people migration and a respect for the local Indigenous people. I am planning to hold community festivals during Harmony Week and then follow on by having community groups on a regular basis at Point Cook Coastal Park and Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary.  A special highlight for me will be to provide tours particularly to Hispanic and Spanish speaking visitors.  

This year was the first year of the Bilingual Parks Tour Leaders Course. It would be great for this course to continue across the rest of Melbourne and throughout the state of Victoria, as there is such a great need throughout the local community. It would be ideal if this course could lead to employment possibilities for newly arrived communities and is a valuable opportunity to bring ranger staff closer to the community.