BCHS Annual Report 2025 - Report - Page 20
Refugee and Cultural Diversity
Karen Energy Literacy project
sparks behaviour change
Bendigo has become a destination of choice for
many newly arrived former refugee communities.
In response, Bendigo Community Health Services
has facilitated a wide range of programs to
support these communities in building selfreliance, improving health, services, English
literacy, and safe sustainable living.
The evaluation data showed that prior to the program,
participants did not know:
One area of critical need identi昀椀ed was a lack of an
understanding of climate, its impacts, understanding energy
sources and how to e昀昀ectively manage energy in the home.
• Increased con昀椀dence in reading and understanding energy
bills.
The Refugee and Cultural Diversity team co-designed a
culturally safe and accessible program tailored for the Karen
community around energy literacy. The pilot project aimed to:
• More awareness to pay before due date to avoid extra
charges.
• Where their energy came from;
• How to use the Energy Compare service; or
• How to read their bill.
The post-program evaluation showed the following
behaviour changes:
• Greater awareness of peak and o昀昀-peak electricity usage.
• Households reported turning o昀昀 appliances at the wall to
save power.
• Build foundational knowledge of climate change and
sustainability;
• Promote energy-e昀케cient practices in the home;
• Increased knowledge of the process it takes to receive
energy at home.
• Increase energy literacy to reduce household costs and
improve environmental outcomes; and
Three months post-program the evaluation program
showed:
• Empower participants to take meaningful climate action.
• Sustained improvements in energy bill understanding.
Nine sessions were delivered, using clear and culturally
relevant materials. These sessions were delivered in Karen and
helped participants understand the link between energy use,
climate change and health, and provided practical tools for
managing household energy use e昀昀ectively.
• Continued use of energy-saving practices at home.
The programs targeted both newly arrived and those who
have been settled in the community for 昀椀ve years or more.
Energy Literacy sessions reached 39 participants.
• Some households had switched to more a昀昀ordable energy
plans based on knowledge gained.
• Participants reported helping friends or family understand
their energy bills.
• Increased con昀椀dence in contacting energy providers to ask
questions or request support.
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