City of Newcastle has cooked up a series of special events to commemorate the 10th anniversary of being formally recognised as a Refugee Welcome Zone.
The Neighbourly Newy program was launched at Newcastle Museum today with a Community Chef Challenge, a one-day food and culture festival featuring Afghan, Arabic, Indian and African food makers, storytellers, and musicians.
City of Newcastle's Community Development Facilitator Heidi Chappelow and Councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk join Arabic, Indian and African food makers at the Community Chef Challenge at Newcastle Museum.The regional cuisines were created by local women from diverse cultural backgrounds who are determined to open their own food businesses, having completed a Food Handling Certificate through Atwea College.
Director Museum Archive Libraries and Learning Julie Baird said the Community Chef Challenge celebrates City of Newcastle's commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive city for people of all cultures.
"Delivering this event, in partnership with Atwea College and Mosaic Multicultural Connections, provided a supportive platform for refugee and migrant women to build confidence, connect with community and showcase their cultures and cooking talents," Ms Baird said.
"It's a great way to start Neighbourly Newy, an initiative codesigned by the City of Newcastle, Multicultural Action Group and other stakeholders, to help build genuine social cohesion, strengthen intercultural connections and contribute to a more welcoming and equitable Newcastle."
Chair of City of Newcastle's Access Inclusion Standing Committee, Councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk, said Neighbourly Newy offers a diverse range of community-building experiences and activities.
"The program aims to nourish and strengthen community in Newcastle as a city where everyone should feel they can belong, participate, and thrive in social, cultural, economic and civic life," Cr Adamczyk said.
"Numerous experiences and activities across arts, sports, music, and food are on offer to enjoy.
"Central to the initiative is encouraging deeper community connections - by promoting inclusivity and belonging, celebrating the richness of diversity, and directly rejecting exclusion, racism and discrimination in any form.
"We are inviting everyone to play a part in Neighbourly Newy, strengthening community ties to make our city even more safe, inclusive and welcoming."
City of Newcastle will mark the official 10-year anniversary of becoming a Refugee Welcome Zone with a Multicultural Services Expo on 28 May at Wallsend Diggers Club, in partnership with the Multicultural Neighbourhood Centre.
The event will showcase services and contributions of multicultural communities and unveil City of Newcastle's 10-year Refugee Welcome Zone Anniversary Publication, which will highlight initiatives from the past decade that have supported refugees and multicultural communities.
The Neighbourly Newy program will continue on 10 and 11 June, when Welcoming Australia presents Upstander Training at No. 2 Sportsground, which is designed to empower participants to help prevent racism and discrimination in their communities.
This will be followed by Refugee Week celebrations on 18 June, with an event at City Hall co-hosted by City of Newcastle and Zara's House, where refugee community leaders, service providers and elected officials will acknowledge the many outstanding contributions of individuals and organisations to refugee empowerment in our city.
The community is invited to contribute initiatives which will be considered for inclusion on the Neighbourly Newy program.
To find Neighbourly Newy events visit City of Newcastle's What's On page
