21 March 2017 marks Harmony Day (http://www.harmony.gov.au) – a celebration of cultural diversity in Australia with this year’s theme ‘everyone belongs’. The day also coincides with United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (http://www.un.org/en/events/racialdiscriminationday).
In conjunction with Harmony Day, Inala Community House’s Community Engagement Services co-organised a special Harmony Day Professional Development Event along with our wonderful partners: Multicultural Community Network, QPASTT and Brisbane City Council.
The Event was free and open to all, held from 9am to afternoon at Inala Hall (corner of Corsair Avenue and Wirraway Parade).
It also featured a mini expo of multicultural organisations providing information stalls and support to local refugee communities, such as Culture in Mind, St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland, Diversicare and more.
After registration, our Harmony Day Professional Development Event started with an exclusive screening of an inspiring film called ‘Constance on the Edge’ that was filmed over 10 years.
The film was followed by a well-rounded presentation by QPASTT staff regarding refugee experience, settlement and trauma recovery. We also had a Q&A session regarding how us service providers can continually reflect, adapt and deliver the best community support possible.
“We all react to trauma differently. My definition of trauma can be entirely different for another individual. We should never impose expectations but strive to be more open-minded, accessible and weloming to work with everyone in their unique ways. Events like today’s Harmony Day Professional Development are important for all services to gather, network and brainstorm on how we can serve our local community better,” said QPASST Manager of Community Relationships and Capacity Building Team Fernanda Torresi.
“As service providers, it’s important to understand and respect cultural differences from other countries. We need to keep engaging in productive conversations and strategies to remain relevant,” said QPASST Training Coordinator Elise Barton.
“Trauma can affect anyone – not just refugees. Today’s event has been a great success for vital networking especially in a multicultural community like Inala with amazing growth potential. At Inala Community House, we always endeavour to provide a more welcoming and positive service to all members of public,” said Community Engagement Services Manager Haley Kiata.
The event concluded with a free networking lunch for all attendees.
Thank you to our wonderful Inala Community House client Mulu Kbede from Ethiopia who volunteered to provide delicious Ethiopian coffee and food!
For more information about the wide range of services provided by Inala Community House, please contact us today (07) 3372 1711 | info@ich.org.au.