The Welcome Dinner Project connects newly arrived and established Australians around the kitchen table. Everyone brings a dish to share, barriers are broken down and meaningful connections develop.

Our communities are hungry for connection!

We need your help to bring Welcome Dinners to every neighbourhood!

We think of Australia as a friendly country, but for many who come here from overseas; be they migrants, refugees, or even international students, those small opportunities to feel ‘welcome’ can feel few and far between. We know this can lead to isolation, loneliness and misunderstanding. Yet, we also know that for established Aussies, there’s a yearning to build community and connection with diverse members of our neighbourhoods – we sometimes just don’t know how.

The Welcome Dinner Project launched two years ago with a simple vision; to foster new and meaningful connections between newly arrived people and established Australians over pot-luck meals. The concept is simple: sign up to ‘host’ or participate in a dinner, bring a dish that means something to you to share, and meet new people from all over the world.

In the past two years, enthusiastic and open-hearted Australians have seen The Welcome Dinner Project become a grassroots movement, with seeds now planted in every corner of the country, and more than 75 dinners held so far in homes and community venues across every Australian State and Territory.

We are a movement of passionate people growing a culture of Welcome across Australia. But there’s still so much more for us to do!

Welcome Dinners are made possible by the tireless work of volunteers, but demand is high and each dinner requires a lot of time and organisation. This is where you can lend a hand…We are aiming to raise $50,000 to help us to fund a Coordinator in each State and Territory, enabling us to share the joy and impact of Welcome Dinners with more and more of the communities who have expressed their interest in our project. We are especially eager to respond to the call we have been hearing from regional and rural areas.

Welcome Dinner Coordinators organise newly arrived and established Australians into dinner groups, liaise with hosts, and provide support for our volunteer facilitators to ensure welcome dinners are a safe and rewarding experience for everyone involved. In short, they’re the watering cans that help our project bloom!

Help us grow Australia’s passion for welcome and grab some sweet perks at the same time!

Source: ICNW