Muslim Association and the Brotherhood Partner on Youth Projects
Bronwyn Hadife, LMA Program Manager and Sally James, head of youth programs at the Brotherhood.
6 December 2017 at 1:46 pm
The Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Lebanese Muslim Association have formally partnered to work on joint projects and youth focused advocacy programs.
The two organisations said in statement that they had “signed a memorandum of understanding to share common goals to support Australian communities from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, including refugee and newly arrived migrants”.
“The collaborative approach aims to help build resilience within CALD communities and young people,” the statement said.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL), headquartered in Melbourne, was established by Anglican priest Gerard Tucker in 1930 in the Great Depression to help the poor and campaign for social justice.
BSL said it had a large footprint among diverse communities in Melbourne’s north.
The Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA), based in western Sydney, was established in 1962 by a group of Lebanese migrants, to provide social, religious, educational and recreational services for the Muslim community.
Sally James, head of youth programs at the Brotherhood said: “As a national organisation dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage in communities, our model is based on seeking out like-minded partners to advance our objective for an inclusive Australia.
“The Brotherhood and LMA can learn from each other and share knowledge to secure practical outcomes for our young people.”
LMA spokesperson Ahmad Malas also welcomed the opportunity for both organisations to work together.
“In our role as a central community body in Sydney, we are always looking for ways to build upon our services, expand our reach and extend our hand to new communities,” Malas said.
“This partnership will help us develop initiatives to better support local communities in both NSW and Victoria.”
The organisations have agreed to work together on key research and policy goals “endeavouring to ensure that communities across Melbourne and Sydney benefit from this newly established partnership”.
