Perth is set to join a new initiative currently spreading across the nation: Welcome Dinners for local migrants, international students, refugees and asylum seekers to share a meal with local, established Australians.
Launched in March 2013 by Sydney-based grassroots movement for social change, joiningthedots, The Welcome Dinner Project aims to create a platform for meaningful connection, with every participant bringing a dish to share, sparking friendships between people of diverse cultures and encouraging local, collaborative endeavours.
joiningthedots founding Director Penny Elsley is delighted to see the grass-roots initiative being established in Perth thanks to the hard work of a team of volunteers led by Rachelle Rose of Mt Hawthorn and supported by the Edmund Rice Centre Mirrabooka, Apex Perth, Amnesty International Australia and other community groups.
“This project was conceived after observing a need for both newly-arrived people and established Australians to find opportunities to meet each other in ways that do not seem tokenistic,” Ms Elsley explained.
“The Welcome Dinners have proven to be a powerful way to build community connections,” she said.
Ms Elsley also spoke about an international student who said that the effect of the Welcome Dinners has helped them not to miss their family.
“One refugee said, ‘This is the first time I feel free in this country’. It’s just a dinner, but it means a lot to people.”
With more than 60 Welcome Dinners, including a dozen large-scale events already hosted across Australia, The Welcome Dinner Project Perth will be launched with a
Welcome Dinner at the Herb Graham Recreation Centre Mirrabooka on Saturday evening, 14 March.
Stephen Bowman from the Edmund Rice Centre says there is strong alignment between The Welcome Dinner Project and the values and priorities of the Centre.
Amnesty’s Western Australia Branch President Jane Connor says, “Communication and social interaction are a fundamental part of settling in a new country and I am especially pleased that Amnesty International Australia is part of this initiative to welcome people and share a meal in a safe, welcoming and comfortable environment”.
Tickets for the launch dinner are FREE but need to be reserved beforehand via http://tinyurl.com/kzvjejt.