Since 2015, iGen Foundation, a company established in Australia which works mainly in the area of youth and migrant entrepreneurship and management consulting, is meeting Mayors and other elected members within city councils in Australia and New Zealand to encourage membership of ICC.
iGen Foundation provides them with strategy advice re development of ICC Index and gaining buy-in across Council; it reviews ICC Index replies prior to submission; and offers assistance in the development of cities’ intercultural plans.
Since then, 4 Councils have submitted ICC Indexes – Melton, Maribyrnong, Ballarat, Auckland; 2 more Councils will complete it by the end of 2018.
Moreover, three Councils have developed Intercultural Strategies – Melton, Ballarat and Salisbury; two Councils have membership of ICC written in their whole-of-Council Plan – Logan and Salisbury; four more Councils (2 in Victoria, 1 in Queensland, 1 in South Australia) are holding internal discussions with a view to joining ICC.
In the last 12 months, iGen foundation has held more than 40 presentations in Australia and New Zealand in 2017 about ICC and interculturalism, and more than 30 in 2018.
This is definitely a good example of how civil society can support ICC on the ground and contribute towards building more inclusive societies.
