We’re absolutely delighted to have been named a winner at the 2018 Queensland Multicultural Awards (Community category) yesterday!! The award acknowledges our work promoting democratic participation among new and emerging communities through our Active Citizenship program.
While we are undeniably chuffed to have seen our work celebrated at such an exciting event, this would not have been possible without the support and trust of many partners and friends.
We are blessed to enjoy the support of some amazing political leaders on the Southside of Brisbane who hold the values of democracy and social inclusion very dearly – in particular, we would like to thank Peter Russo MP (Toohey), Graham Perrett MP (Moreton) and Leeanne Enoch MP (Algester) who have each made significant contributions to the program to date – THANK YOU!
These three were joined by a number of other community leaders and supporters who each shared with us generously their time and wisdom as members of the program’s Steering Committee, as program ambassadors, and through participation in events. Thank you SO MUCH to the following:
Rose Kahlo (African Australian Women’s Association); Akua Afriyie Ahenkorah; Ali Karimi (Queensland Hazara Community); Ben Driscoll (office of Graham Perrett MP); Faiza Aadan (African Australian Women’s Association); Honey Binny (Radio 4EB and Federation of Filipino Communities in Queensland Inc.); John Deng (South Sudanese community); John Prescott (office of Peter Russo MP); Lida Daliri (Persian Community); Umesh Chandra (Brisbane Indian Times); and Preeti Parekh (Gujarati community). Many of these same people directly supported our award nomination through offering letters of support – again, thank you!
The award is also a big credit to the management committee, staff and volunteers right across Belong, but especially to Trish Cattermole and Damian West who have worked together on developing, delivering, and coordinating this program – CONGRATULATIONS!
But finally, the award belongs foremost to the many community members who have taken up the opportunity to register to vote and to learn about our democracy through participating in the program’s events and activities. Sometimes this has involved considerable personal sacrifice. An example was the story of an 80 year old woman who earlier migrated to Australia as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She came to an event in Acacia Ridge all the way from Petrie(!) accompanied by her young grandson who drove her. She had forgotten to bring documentation needed to support her online registration. They drove back to Petrie, then again back to Acacia Ridge with the necessary documents in hand!!
This was a touching example of the tremendous appetite shared among new citizens to cast their votes and help steer vital areas of public policy.
Belong works at the coal face of the community and witnesses social issues in urgent need of fresh thinking if effective solutions are to be reached. Issues such as poverty, hunger, job insecurity, and intergenerational unemployment.
Meaningful reforms will only be achieved with active engagement from all corners of the community, placing pressure on our politicians to take their lead from the ground up. We believe that the inclusion of wider circles of Southside residents in the political process takes us all a step closer towards achieving these ends.
We look forward to reactivating this program once a date for the next Federal election is announced – Watch this space!
#QMA2018 #QMM2018 #ChangeTheRules #ActiveCitizenship