2024 is abounding with opportunity for community connection and social inclusion.
A fantastic springboard occurred in December, at Eley Ward’s Blackburn English Language School, with a Multicultural Festival through the Community Building Program of the Whitehorse Baha’i Community. The program runs fantastic and free classes on Sunday afternoons at the School, and in other Whitehorse locations including some of our Neighbourhood Houses.
This Festival arose out of the commitment of 2 graduates of the 2023 Opening Doors Program, which is a community leadership program for social inclusion supported by a terrific partnership between a number of not-for-profit health services. It runs out of the Village Well at Box Hill Baptist Church. The whole approach is about building skills, confidence and networks to enable over 250 graduates to create sustainable change in local communities.
There’s a direct and telling connection between isolation and poor wellbeing outcomes. Social isolation is felt by all of us at times, while for many in Whitehorse the barriers to simple acts of participation in the local community are particularly significant. Let’s be part of breaking them down, because we are all neighbours and our neighbourhood is wide and diverse. When we remove barriers, everyone benefits and everyone is more authentically included.
