Ballarat’s cultural diversity will be seen in full colour this Saturday 18th June between 6pm and 9pm, when Kaleidoscope, an event celebrating the 17 plus different cultures living in the city is held at the Ballarat Mining Exchange.
The drug, alcohol and entry free, all ages’ event will launch Refugee Week in the region and is the brainchild of Ballarat’s young citizen of the year award winner Jemma Mathers, in partnership with Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council and Youth Services.
The event aim is to provide opportunities for people of all cultural backgrounds to come together and celebrate unique difference and to offer information about advisory services, support and advocacy for the particular needs of people of various cultural backgrounds in the region.
Event organiser Jemma Mathers believes the event is an opportunity to show the community the beauty of diversity and the colour and unique offerings that come with multiculturalism.
“Many people may not actually know this, but we have over 17 different cultures living in our city.
“Each culture offers us a unique richness and it is important that we know and understand why people move to our city, where they have come from and who they are as people,” she said.
Shiree Pilkington, Immigrant Advocate and Sessional Teacher of Event Management at University of Ballarat, is calling on the Ballarat community to support the event.
“This event deserves the support of the Ballarat community for many reasons. It invites people to come and hear the real stories about the plight of refugees and to understand that no one chooses to be a refugee.
“It also provides an excellent opportunity for first year event management students to work on a very unique event, allowing them to see how a seed of an idea can materialise and how events can be the vehicle for raising awareness in a very interactive and meaningful way,” she said.
The event will feature acts from local bands, stallholders, African and Indian cuisine and will include inspirational short discussions from local community members who have experienced life as a refugee, an Auslan Interpreter Service will also be made available on the night.
For more information visit www.kaleidoscopeballarat.webs.com or www.youthservicesballarat.com.au