¾ÞÈéÊÓƵ

Diversity Forum

23 March 2016

The Welcoming Diversity Forum was attended by our Interfaith Ambassadors and selected SRCs. It was held at the Whittlesea Council Offices on 21 March 2016 with a great line-up of speakers and performances.

The forum includes the following speakers and performers:

  • Mr Abdi Aden: Author of the "Shining: The Story of a lucky man", motivational speaker and a youth worker who survived war in Somalia.

  • Mr Abdul Hammoud: A spoken word poet. Abdul performed poems on the theme of harmony and a young person’s sense of belonging.

  • Maximus Po: Dancer, Model, Creative Director, Entertainment Presenter and Writer/Blogger. Maximus is a member of "Shout Out", an innovative public speaking group auspice by CMY that trains and nurtures young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds to share their experiences and views with a wider audience.

  • Mr Phillip ‘Yung Philly’ Pandogan: Workshop facilitator, MC, and artist. Yung Philly (as MC) helped facilitate the workshops and creatively brought together the themes of the day through a fantastic closing performance.

Students had the opportunity to choose between the following interactive workshops:

  • Engaging multicultural young people: How can Baseline for Young People help you get more involved in your community?

  • Identity, perception, and the media: How important is culture to you? How is your community perceived by others?

  • Harmony, ‘fair go’, and safety: What’s important to you, and how do we make it happen?

The Council had a number of signed copies of the "Shining: the Story of a lucky Man" by Abdi Aden to give away to lucky students on the day.

This was a great opportunity for our young leaders to express their views and provide feedback on a range of issues affecting their lives.

Well done to our Al ¾ÞÈéÊÓƵ student leaders and Interfaith Ambassadors for amazing input in this forum and celebrating Harmony Day with a meaning.