Salvos Multicultural Ambassador Program in full swing
Ambassadors in attendance at Salvos inaugural Multicultural Gala event
The Salvation Army is celebrating the enormous success of their first ever Multicultural Gala which marked the launch of their Multicultural Ambassador Program.
The event saw over 220 guests in attendance on Friday 19th November at CommBank Stadium in Western Sydney, one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse regions in Australia.
The Salvos Multicultural Ambassador program seeks to position a range of culturally and linguistically diverse leaders to create a two-way dialogue between The Salvos and Australia’s multicultural communities, and the Salvos Multicultural Gala was the first opportunity for them to do so.
“One of the great connections that has already been made through the Multicultural Ambassador program has been with ‘Afghan Women On The Move’, who are supporting an effective and culturally appropriate response of The Salvation Army to the Afghani Refugee crisis,” said Adrian Kistan, National General Manager of Diversity and Inclusion at The Salvation Army.
Dignitaries in attendance included Senator The Hon Kristina Keneally, The Hon Geoff Lee, Mr Steven Kamper MP, The Turkish Consul General, members from Multicultural NSW and key multicultural community organisations and individuals.
The crowd was treated to a range of cultural performances, great food and the opportunity to connect and network with people from a wide range of cultural, linguistic and professional backgrounds, all with the beautiful backdrop of CommBank Stadium, Parramatta.
“This event and ongoing multicultural ambassador campaign is an initiative of the Diversity and Inclusion team that seeks to enable The Salvation Army in Australia to live out its values of Diversity, Collaboration, Respect, Integrity and Compassion in the context of multicultural Australia,” said Adrian Kistan.
“We are committed to expanding The Salvos missional reach into multicultural Australia whilst building out capacity to be a culturally inclusive place of welcome and belonging.”
In the coming months, The Salvos Multicultural Ambassadors will visit Salvation Army sites across Western Sydney to develop a deeper understanding of the scope of The Salvos work in the area, and to identify key areas that the ambassadors can advocate
The evening also included the presentation of awards to various individuals and organisations that have made a positive contribution to multicultural communities. The award winners were Dr Olayide Ogunsiji, Peter Htoo, House of Welcome and Community Refugee Welcome Centre.
A special thanks was also made to Ghandi Creations, who supported The Salvation Army to facilitate this event.
As the first event of its kind The Salvation Army is excited for the future of this Gala event and looks forward to continuing its tradition next year, particularly as the Multicultural Engagement Campaign makes an impact.
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