MULTICULTURALISM IS ALIVE AND WELL IN NSW

Over four hundred ethnic community leaders and youthful leaders-in-waiting came together over the last two days to assess the state of community harmony and progress in New South Wales, at the annual symposium of the Community Relations Commission.

The Chair of the Commission, Stepan Kerkyasharian, declared the eleventh annual congress of multicultural New South Wales “a complete success”.

“This was as great gathering of experience, history and potential. There were lots of great ideas and suggestions from the four hundred and more delegates who came together for the two days of presentations, discussions and debate, he said.

The Minister for Citizenship and Communities, Victor Dominello, addressing his first CRC Symposium told the youth leadership delegates: “The knowledge of language which you have learnt from your parents, the knowledge of culture which you have learnt from your community and the contacts your family still have in their former homeland country are all extremely valuable to Australia.

”He urged the young people to seize opportunities that have been given to them and to take their place in multicultural New South Wales.

In his concluding address Mr Kerkyasharian declared that multiculturalism was very much alive in New South Wales.

“However, political support for multiculturalism waxes and wanes over the years.  So, it’s necessary for everyone concerned, especially young people, to continue the campaign to sell the economic and cultural value of diversity and to fight for the services that immigrants need to maximise their contribution to the new homeland”. 

The key note speakers on each day stimulated great debate and discussion:

On Youth Leaders Day, Ms Peta Jane Madam of SBS News spoke about social media and multiculturalism and on the Symposium General Day, Mr Peter Wertheim, Executive Director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry addressed the future of multiculturalism and the pivotal role that education has to play.