Local Government Case Studies
City of Kingston
Inter-community mentoring
2003 Strength in Diversity National Award for Local Government – winner
Goal
Help an emerging community settle into life in Australia.
How?
Provide an opportunity for women who have been in Australia longer to share their experience with women who have arrived more recently.
More …
Kingston's Emerging Communities Project brought together women from the Cook Islands, as mentors, with women from the Horn of Africa. It focused on quilt-making.
“ People make a square for the quilt and then we talk about it… that's the whole idea, to throw in our stories and share,” said Nga Rima of the Cook Island community, who was a group mentor.
Within a context of growing friendship and trust, the council responded to requests for information, training and other needs that participants identified.
Service providers and agencies that came to talk to the group included council representatives, state government departments such as the Department of Human Services, Australian Government agencies such as Centrelink, and organisations such as the Migrant Resource Centre, Community Health Centre and Adult Multicultural Education Services.
Contact:
Janice Raux
Diversity Officer
Kingston City Council
Telephone: 03 9581 4734
Email: Janice.Raux@kingston.vic.gov.au