A new community-led Action Plan has been released by the Victorian Government and the African Ministerial Working Group (AMWG) on Saturday 21 April, 2018.
The so called Victorian African Community Action plan (VACAP) is expected to help support Victorians of African heritage to reach their full potential across all aspects of their Australian life experiences.
The launch event took place at Victorian University on Flinders street in Melbourne’s CBD. It featured a performance by Asanti Dance Theatre, and speeches by Minister for Multicultural Affairs Robin Scott MP and AMWG members Sisay Dinku, Monica Forson and Ahmed Hassan.
Minister Robin Scott and two African leaders at the VACAP launch
Minister of Multicultural Affairs Robin Scott and Victorian Multicultural Commission Chairperson Helen Kapalos officially signed the “Working Together Statement” along with my many community leaders and advocates who attended the event en masse.
The “Working Together Statement’ Incorporated the Victorian Values Statement of the Multicultural Policy Statement and ‘symbolises a shared vision and partnership approach to implementation of the Action Plan
The signed plan is the first of its kind in the history of the broader African Australian community. It was developed by a group of a dozen members of the African-Australian Ministerial Working Group (AMWG) who worked in partnership with the Victorian Government to address well-known issues and to improve the wellbeing of all Victorians of African heritage, including young people.
The 10-year Action Plan aims to build inclusive communities, improve outcomes and create sustainable opportunities for African communities through more than 250 actions across six focus areas including business, employment, Education and training, health and wellbeing, inclusion and empowerment, leadership, cohesion and connection.
Community leaders signing the “Working Together Statement”
The Action Plan proposes to implement these actions using a partnership approach, ensuring communities can contribute their expertise, experience and knowledge to own, lead and be part of solutions. It is expected that under this approach, the help of local government, business, industry, the civil sector, academia and the philanthropic sector will assist in achieving sustainable outcomes.
The Victorian government is expected to respond to the plan following the release of the State budget 2018-19
The plan, which has been translated in five African languages, is available electronically through the following link: multicultural.vic.gov.au and a range of languages.
Afro Helpline launching soon
