The Canberra Multicultural Community Forum (CMCF) was incorporated on Harmony Day in March 2006. Given this auspicious beginning, it is fitting that CMCF will be the host of Canberra’s major Harmony Day events in 2008. Thanks to funding from the Australian Government’s Living in Harmony program, CMCF will host events in March and May this year, highlighting the importance of cultural respect and understanding and showcasing Australia’s success in integrating migrants into our community.
On 29 March, CMCF will ask Canberrans to help it ‘paint Canberra orange’ – orange being the colour chosen to signify the promotion of harmony. During the day selected buses will tour key cultural and religious venues around the ACT and the region, celebrating both the diversity and the harmony of our local community. This multicultural journey will bring together members of different cultural groups and the broader ACT community. It will be a great opportunity for them to learn about the culture of others, while sharing details of their own journey.
A special focus of the day will be on newly arrived migrants, who often experience social isolation, and established communities who exemplify integration and social cohesion. The project will invite a range of multicultural community groups to participate, especially those organisations with members who are refugees and newly arrived migrants.
We will continue this focus on multicultural journeys during Reconciliation Week in late May 2008 and Australian Citizenship Day (17 September 2008), when further activities will be hosted by CMCF. CMCF welcomes this opportunity to celebrate living in harmony with all Canberrans and people of the surrounding region.
CMCF has employed a Living in Harmony Project Officer, Ms Mimi Zhang. Mimi has been actively working with different community groups for many years, completing her Masters degree in Communication at the University of Canberra in 2002. For the past four years, Mimi had been working as the Administration Officer at the ACT Ethnic Schools Association.
For more information about:
− the Living in Harmony program, visit www.harmony.gov.au
− CMCF, email secretary@cmcf.org.au , phone 0411 417 666, or visit www.cmcf.org.au
− For more information about the Paint Canberra Orange – Multicultural Journeys project please phone Mimi Zhang on 0421716814.
This project is proudly supported by the Australian Government’s Living in Harmony program.