The Western Bulldogs Community Foundation is proud to announce a partnership with worldwide human rights advocacy group, Amnesty International.
The partnership will see the joint delivery and facilitation of The Culture Exchange program across the Bulldogs’ heartland in the west of Melbourne and Victoria.
The program is designed to build culturally inclusive workplaces and communities, and to tackle racism through allyship.
The partnership was launched with a panel event at VU Whitten Oval on Monday evening featuring Macaylah Johnson (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education & Outreach, Loreto College, Ballarat), Lunorphare Folly (Youth Commissioner, Victorian Multicultural Commission) and Monica Forson (Senior Adviser – Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission).
The trio shared lived experiences, answered questions and gave insights to an audience made of a range of community members from across the West.
Western Bulldogs General Manager of Community and Government Relations Kashif Bouns said the partnership is both exciting and important for the Club and Foundation.
“We are privileged to be the first sporting club in Australia that Amnesty has chosen to partner with,” he said.
“We can’t wait to work with Amnesty to build allyship and to tackle racism across the west of Melbourne and Victoria – areas that are some of the most diverse in the country, and the reason why this initiative is so important.”
Amnesty International Australia National Campaign Manager, Shankar Kasynathan, said the partnership will create important conversations.
“We want to create an Australian society that upholds everyone’s fundamental human rights and ensures every single person has the same opportunities irrespective of race,” he said.
“We look forward to working with the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation to facilitate safe spaces across the west of Melbourne and Victoria where people can talk openly about the racism that still exists in our society, and what we can do about it.”
The program kicks off in 2022 with workshops with local high schools and councils across Footscray, Ballarat and the Grampians.
