The Council of Brazilian Citizens in Victoria (CCBV) is an informal and apolitical forum for the Brazilian community in Victoria. Founded in 2013, the CCBV is fully comprised of volunteers. Its main objective is establishing a communication channel between the Brazilian community and the Brazilian government, which is represented in Australia by the Brazilian Embassy in Canberra.
CCBV is based in Melbourne and partners with ABRISA (Brazilian Association for Social Development and Integration in Australia) and the honorary consulate of Brazil in Melbourne.
Members’ roles and responsibilities
- To work towards identifying the community’s needs and areas of interest within its scope.
- To discuss these needs and areas of interest with a view to finding suggestions and possibly, solutions.
- To suggest plans of action and/or government policies that could contribute to solving or at least minimising the impact of the issues raised by the community.
Requirements for representative members
- An interest and ability to act in their chosen area
- Consistent commitment and availability
- Involvement in the local Brazilian community
- Approval by at least two thirds of CCBV members.
What CCBV does for you
CCBV is present in various areas, always focusing on the needs of the Brazilian community in Victoria and Australia. Its main objectives are helping Brazilian citizens (and their families) who may be in a vulnerable situation in Victoria; supporting projects that benefit Brazilian migrants in Australia; facilitating communication between Brazilians in Victoria and the Brazilian government; and including the needs of the Brazilian community in Victoria in the agenda of the CRBE (Council of Brazilian Representatives Abroad) and (Brazilian) Foreign Affairs.
Examples of CCBV’s projects
- Research study “Brazilians in Victoria, Australia” to identify the community’s demographics and specific needs.
- Publishing the “Guide for Brazilians in Victoria” with helpful information for Brazilians looking to live in Victoria.
- Development and presentation of “First CCBV Seminar – Challenges Faced by Brazilian Immigrants in Victoria”, December 2017 in Melbourne.
- Participation in the production of the “LGBT Guide” organised by the CRBE and Foreign Affairs (Brazil), outlining information about the LGBT community in Australia, as well as relevant local laws.
- Participation in conferences organised by Foreign Affairs (Brazil), such as:
- IV e V “Brazilians in the World” conferences (2013 and 2016)
- I Conference on Gender Issues in Brazilian Immigration (2015)
- I Conference on Micro and Small Brazilian Business Entrepreneurship Abroad, representing the Brazilian community in Australia (2017)
- Project Little Language Brazil: looking to implement in Melbourne a project currently happening in Ballarat. Created by Meire de Mello, it seeks to promote Brazilian language and culture through activities among children up to five years old.
- Providing support to the Brazilian Embassy in Australia and the Honorary Brazilian Consulate in Melbourne, in cases where Brazilians find themselves in vulnerable situations in Victoria, such as homelessness, domestic violence, arrests and accidents.
Supporting charitable events organised by Brazilian institutions in Australia.