The COMPACT Story

The COMPACT (Community Partnership Action) Program was inspired by the way the people of NSW came together after the Martin Place siege in Sydney in December 2014. The message from our community was clear: We stand united. We – all of us together – will not let extremists divide us.

COMPACT has since grown to become a state-wide network of community partners and allies who are standing united against hate. COMPACT has inspired and empowered more than 50,000 young people as champions for community harmony.

  • COMPACT works across communities and sectors to inspire people to foster social cohesion, stand united against divisive forces and come together in times of need.
    At the program-level, our community partners work together to build Community Resilience across the four areas of community Preparedness, Prevention, Response and Recovery:

  • COMPACT looks to young people for solutions. More than 50,000 young people have participated in COMPACT’s youth engagement projects.

    Project objectives

    COMPACT’s youth engagement projects aim to:

  • COMPACT projects engage young people through arts, sports, volunteering, interfaith dialogue, critical thinking and other engagement methods.

  • COMPACT Partnership Projects support collaboration across communities and sectors. COMPACT Partnership Projects are delivered by partners with the experience, expertise and capacity to bring about real positive change in young people.

    24 COMPACT Partnership Projects involving more than 70 partner organisations are being delivered across New South Wales between 2021 and 2024.

    Current COMPACT Partnership Projects

    1. Positive Peace, Cultural Wellbeing and Youth Agency Initiative: led by Western Sydney University (Centre for Human Rights and Diversity) in partnership with the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) with The Great Lakes Agency for Peace and Development International, SydWest Young Africans Wellbeing Group, Matavai, Regional Opportunities Australia.
    2. All One Under the Sun: led by the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) with Headspace, Blue Sky Community Services, Coffs Harbour City Council, Coffs Harbour and District Local Aboriginal Land Council.
    3. PCYC Better Together: led by Police and Citizens Youth Clubs NSW (PCYC Armidale) with NSW Police Force (Youth and Crime Prevention Command), NSW STARTTS, University New England Oorala Aboriginal Centre.
    4. Agent C: creating agency among young people to debunk conspiracy theories: led by All Together Now with Headspace Camperdown (Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney) and Urbis Pty Ltd.
    5. Codebreakers: Western Sydney Community Forum with Blacktown Youth Services Association and Youth Action.
    6. Generation Grit: led by Gallipoli Turkish Cultural Foundation with Auburn Youth Centre, Lighthouse Community Support, Giving Back Australia.
    7. Mount Druitt Press Conferences @ FUNPARK: led by CuriousWorks with Blacktown City Council and Blacktown Arts, Chain Reaction Foundation (Mount Druitt Learning Ground project), Powerhouse Youth Theatre Fairfield (with the Museum of Contemporary Art).
    8. NRL Harmony Project: National Rugby League (NRL) with Moving Forward Together Association, PCYC, NSW Police Force.
    9. Community Cohesion Collective (CCC): led by Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre with Western Sydney University and local community partners.
    10. Lead the Way: led by Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra with Duke of Edinburgh International, SCARF Incorporated, Illawarra Womens’ Health Centre.
    11. Empowering Youth to Inspire Change (EYTIC): led by Gymea Community Aid & Information Service with Shopfronts Arts Co-op, Reg Mahoney & Associates, Cronulla Sutherland District RLFC.
    12. Northern Youth Exchange: led by Northern Settlement Services with Manning Valley Neighbourhood Services, Armidale Regional Council, Multicultural Neighbourhood Centre.
    13. Advocacy and Victim Support: led by Islamophobia Register Australia with Charles Sturt University (Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation).
    14. Communities Inspiring and Teaching Youth (CITY): led by Youth Off The Streets with Community Minds and DLA Piper.
    15. Cohesive Communities: Building social cohesion through youth agency: led by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) with PCYC NSW and Rotary Club International.
    16. Interfaith Encounters Interschool Program: led by Catholic Mission with Gilroy Catholic College, Unity Grammar, St Patrick’s Marist College, St Benedict’s Catholic College, Amity College, Australian Islamic College of Sydney, Delany College, Malek Fahd Islamic College.
    17. Embellishment: What’s Your Story?: led by Voices of Women Inc. with Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, ShoreTrack Nambucca Valley, Shoalhaven Regional Art Gallery.
    18. Reconnecting East and West: COVID and Beyond: led by Arab Council Australia with local community partners.
    19. Stand Up! Multicultural Youth Conference: led by Queanbeyan Multilingual Centre Inc. with regional partners.
    20. Young Leaders Forum: led by B’nai B’rith Courage To Care NSW with The Ethics Centre and Moving Forward Together.
    21. Somali Youth Community Connect: led by Somali Australian Community Association of NSW (SACA) with Auburn Youth Centre.
    22. Youth Champions: Metro Assist with Settlement Services International, Creating Chances, Chester Hill High School.
    23. The Kairos Project: led by Multicultural Youth Affairs Network NSW (MYAN) with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
    24. Mount Druitt Youth for Peace and Understanding: led by Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency (MECA) with Blacktown City Council, The Street University (Ted Noffs Foundation), Settlement Services International.
  • The COMPACT Program has been independently evaluated as “first of its kind”.

    Its success is measured by the positive outcomes for young people and the joint efforts of the COMPACT Alliance as a force for community harmony.

    Projects are reviewed regularly. The COMPACT Alliance provides a regular forum for community partners to come together to learn from each other.

  • The COMPACT Alliance is a state-wide network of community partners and allies who are standing united against hate and building a force for community harmony.

    The COMPACT Alliance brings our COMPACT community partners together to learn from each other, build networks and work collaboratively towards common goals.

More information

For more information, take a look at the COMPACT Program Overview and FAQs.

COMPACT Program Overview

COMPACT Evaluation Report

COMPACT Program FAQs

Page last updated: 13 January 2023 | 7:13 am