Purpose: The “Welcome to Salisbury Information Booklet” and the “Community Engagement Framework” improves the intercultural profile of the Australian city.
Process:
The comprehensive city-specific package of information and support, called “Welcome to Salisbury Information Booklet”, is available in 18 languages (English, Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, Dari, Hindi, Khmer, Malayalam, Nepalese, Swahili, Tagoalog, Tamil, Vietnamese & Spanish and others) and improves the life of almost every newcomer in the City of Salisbury.
Additionally, the “Community Engagement Framework” has a checklist for engaging minority groups including the culturally and linguistically diverse, the single parents/carers, and the people with disabilities. The guidelines for culturally and linguistically diverse engagement covers interpreters and key community leaders which holds separate sessions tailored to the specific cultural sensitivities of the minority group. For example, the Bhutanese community was recently consulted for the Ability Inclusion Strategic Plan which was successful due to tailored planning and due to the cooperation with interpreters and key staff well known to the community. Other methods include in-person surveys in public places which have been effective in capturing commonly unengaged residents.
Another good practice from the City of Salisbury which aims at discrimination is the signing of the “Refugee Welcome Zone Declaration”. This document is a commitment to welcome refugees into the community, to uphold the human rights of refugees, to demonstrate compassion for refugees and to enhance diversity in the community. “Refugee Welcome Zones” is an initiative of the national body Refugee Council of Australia.
Key reference documents: Welcome to Salisbury Information Booklet
