Yarra City Council has joined a growing number of organisations as part of the Welcoming Cities initiative, a network devoted to welcoming and supporting new arrivals.

Yarra Mayor, Cr Daniel Nguyen says that joining the Welcoming Cities network reflects Yarra’s commitment to celebrating diversity in the community and providing support to newly arrived residents.

“Yarra is a culturally diverse community with 29% of our residents born overseas.”

“This multiculturalism contributes to the vibrant and unique character of the area. Creating an environment which fosters welcoming and inclusion is important to ensure social cohesion and harmony in our community.”  

“Joining Welcoming Cities connects us with a network of organisations committed to sharing knowledge, developing partnerships, celebrating each other’s success and creating a national standard and accreditation for cultural diversity and inclusion.”

“We look forward to working closely with Welcoming Cities to identify new ways we can support our newly arrived communities,” said Cr Nguyen.

As part of its commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for new arrivals, Yarra Council has been collaborating with the community on the We Stand Together project which will include a forum held during Law Week in May addressing racial and religious motivated crime.

Yarra will also host a series of events during Refugee Week in June aimed at the broader community and designed to raise awareness of refugee and asylum seeker issues.

Fifteen municipalities across Australia, along with a growing number of community organisations, government agencies and businesses are part of the Welcoming Cities initiative.

Read more about Welcoming Cities.