FECCA 2022 aimed to boost the confidence and strength of Ethnic communities without compromising their values

Punjabi-speaking delegates from this year’s Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA) conference, held in Melbourne, spoke about challenges faced by ethnic communities in Australia and how they are contributing towards integration with the mainstream communities.

Australia is one of the world's most multicultural countries. Source: SBS

Highlights

• FECCA 2022, held at Sofitel Melbourne attracted hundreds of delegates working for the betterment of the Ethnic Communities.
• This biennial conference held around 30 workshops to address a range of challenges faced by the Ethnic Communities of Australia.
• Punjabi delegates shared their contributions to the Ethnic communities and how to keep the mother language, Punjabi, alive.

SBS Punjabi attended this year’s FECCA conference held in Melbourne and spoke to a few delegates from the Punjabi background to understand what inspired them to attend this conference and what they are taking back from it.

Ayesha Bux, a seventh-generation Punjabi from Lahore, Pakistan, shared with SBS Punjabi the positive contributions her organisation SalamFest is making for Ethnic Communities. Ms Bux also shared her views about keeping the mother language alive in an English-speaking country like Australia.

Ms Sarabjit Kaur, an Educational Programs Manager with Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council is working towards providing basic English language skills to the fresh migrants.

Ms Kaur believes that Ethnic Communities should not compromise and must keep their language, identity and values alive.

Sarabjit Kaur, Educational Programs Manager with Ballarat Regional Migration Centre. Source: SBS

Another Punjabi delegate at FECCA 2022, Shivani Sharma, works as an outreach programs coordinator with Ethnic Communities Council, Victoria.

Ms Sharma leads a team of project workers from various backgrounds who reach out to the ethnic communities in regional areas and listen to their concerns.

Ms Sharma said, “Our team of community workers reach out to the ethnic communities settled across regional areas and try to understand their cultural, linguistic and religious concerns”.

Shiwani Sharma, Outreach Coordinator ECCV. Source: SBS

“We do bring their concerns to the related government agencies who try their best to attend to their concerns." she said.

Listen to the audio by clicking on 'Speaker' in the photo above.

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