Always looking to do what it can to support the community, ORISCON (Orana Residents of Indian Sub-Continental Heritage) has organised a free two-day conflict resolution workshop to be held in November especially for migrant women.

ORISCON spokesperson Gargi Ganguly said the culturally-sensitive "Women’s Business Two-Day Workshop – Making the Invisible Patterns of Conflict" is open to women from any migrant background.

"The workshops will be tailored to the migrant community, because we have felt that often they don't have the tools, knowledge and information that they need to make a decision that is best for them," Ms Ganguly told Dubbo Photo News.

To be delivered by Mary Davenport, a counsellor and family dispute practitioner with Dubbo-based Maggie's Legacy, the workshops will provide a safe space for migrant women to learn about conflict resolution and how to seek help when needed.

"Sometimes the cultural obligations [in migrant communities] don't necessarily equate with the social cultural expectations of the Australian community," Ms Davenport said.

Ms Ganguly said the local region is home to more than 1500 Nepalese families and a large cohort of Indian people speaking more than 30 languages, and the Australian service system does not have sufficient multi-lingual caseworkers to provide support.

It became apparent to ORISCON during the pandemic that migrants really needed assistance to navigate conflict resolution, she said.

"Volunteers within ORISCON were being contacted by women who were seeking help because they just didn't know how to navigate the system," she said.

"The impact of that still continues."

ORISCON's management committee has stepped up to provide support in this area to both male and female migrants, recognising conflict resolution skills were something everyone needed.

"It has certainly taught us that this is an area that we need to give more attention and support in a way that communities can benefit," Ms Ganguly explained.

"Both men and women are navigating this new world, which is Australia, with its new norms and ways of being that sometimes, as Mary said, clashes with the Australian way," she added.

ORISCON has already held a conflict resolution workshop for migrant men, and the new workshop in November is aimed at migrant women. The workshops embrace various types of conflicts that men and women may experience.

"That could mean the way they navigate the workplace, the way they navigate home relationships, the way they navigate their children, and so we want to give them the tools that will help them to navigate all relationships," Ms Ganguly said.

Ms Davenport said workshop participants will learn about a universal framework used by Maggie's Legacy that can be applied to any form of conflicting interaction.

"Not only do they get the framework, they get the inside of how it makes them feel and how it causes them to make decisions," she added.

"Maggie's framework is like a weather map of language. If the weather man says, hey, there's going to be a prediction of bad weather, we know we can then prepare to protect ourselves and bunker down," Ms Davenport explained.

"Maggie's legacy not only identifies the transactional language and helps people identify when there's toxic language, [but how] you then can speak another language that keeps you safe. So it's not only just the identification process, it's a strategy and a tool that helps you navigate your own safety."

Held over two days on November 8 and 15 at ORISCON's venue at 34 White Street, Dubbo, the free "Women’s Business 2-Day Workshop – Making the Invisible Patterns of Conflict" workshop is sponsored by ORISCON and Dubbo RSL Club Resort. Tickets to the free workshop are available on Eventbrite.