Creating positive connections within diverse social networks to achieve mutual understanding to enriching the social good in Australia

Bluestar Intercultural Centre, is a community based non-profit dialogue organisation that was formed in 2006 by a group of locals who wished to find out more about people from other faith, cultural and social backgrounds.

The organisation’s ultimate goals being to establish sound relationships with the many and varied groups of people in contemporary, Multicultural Australia around universal values such as respect, compassion, justice and neighbourliness.

Bluestar has always believed that it is necessary to work in partnership with different segments of society, ranging from government and public service, education, academia, media, secular community and faith based organisations.

Since this time, Bluestar has strived to meet with and have dialogue as many different community, religious and government organisations in Canberra as possible.

Events and activities range widely, but can generally be categorised as:

  • Interfaith activities with people from Canberra’s various faith communities, with the aim of learning about each other’s faith traditions and concentrating on the elements that unite people of faith.
  • Intercultural activities that aim to celebrate the diversity of people from different cultural backgrounds, to discover and learn about each other’s cultures and reinforce the belief that diversity adds to the dynamism and richness of Multicultural Australia.
  • Social awareness activities that aim to make people aware of issues that are important to the various cultural and faith communities of the ACT and Australia

Most of these activities have been in the form of lectures and panels, international study tours, academic conferences, cultural exhibitions and Ramadan iftar dinners, stands at the Multicultural Festival and many other activities.

We seek to fulfill our missing by engaging in diverse activities with others to generate and share insights, removing barriers to confidence-building and trust

Recently, Bluestar decided to unites its organisation into the Dialogue Institute of Australia (DIA), with The Australian Intercultural Society (VIC), Affinity Intercultural Foundation (NSW), Queensland Intercultural Society (QLD), Intercultural Harmony Society (WA) and Intercultural Dialogue Society (SA). In the past, these organisations have collaborated on many projects both locally and nationally by sharing ideas, resources and expertise. This will allow Bluestar to continue its activities and become a part of an Australia wide dialogue network.

Looking forward we believe that this unification will help us work more effectively and consistently in being a part of the ACT’s intercultural and interfaith environment.