One of the greatest strengths of our multicultural society is the opportunity for people from all backgrounds to build a new life and contribute to our shared future. That’s why I was proud to celebrate Refugee Week this month by launching the NSW Settlement Hub – a first-for-NSW website that helps refugees, and the people who support them, to find trusted information and services as they settle into life in NSW.
This year’s Refugee Week theme – A Million Stories – celebrates the contributions of the one million people who have received permanent humanitarian visas in Australia since 1947.
As one of those one million myself, it was a privilege to moderate a panel discussion at the launch event with three other people from refugee backgrounds who have also made NSW their home.
It was fitting that two days earlier, we watched as 20-year-old Nestory Irankunda – born to Burundian parents in a Tanzanian refugee camp and raised in Australia – kick off Refugee Week by becoming the Socceroos’ youngest ever World Cup scorer. His story, and those of his teammates who come from at least 15 cultural and ethnic backgrounds, are a reminder of the power of young people from diverse backgrounds to inspire and bring us together.
I see this also in the work of our COMPACT partners, who came together last week for the 10th COMPACT Alliance Summit, sharing their innovative youth-led solutions. These grass-roots organisations have invested more than a decade into building statewide networks and empowering the voices of young people in our communities.
At a time when hate and division are being centred in the public consciousness, it is these young people, some on a global stage and others sharing their voices locally, that help sustain our confidence and hope. These stories remind us what multiculturalism looks like at its best.
James Jegasothy
Acting CEO, Multicultural NSW
