Moving to a new city is a big enough deal, without uprooting yourself from your home country, your family and friends to live thousands of kilometres away from what has been familiar to you, to a country where the language is foreign, the surroundings unfamiliar and you don't feel connected to your new community.

This is why a community with a strong sense of multiculturalism is so important. And, according to a group of migrants, Ballarat is leading the way.

In a special report, KIM QUINLAN speaks with the diverse group of migrants who now call Ballarat home about the past, the present and their bright future.

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BALLARAT is leading Australia when it comes to providing a connected community for migrants.

City of Ballarat's multicultural , preferably known as intercultural, programs have won multiple awards and are used as blueprints for other regional centres around the nation.

The council's best practice initiatives are now duplicated around Australia because of how involved the Ballarat community was in formulating the programs.

Extensive consultation with the Ballarat community, as well as all tiers of government and service agencies, resulted in the City of Ballarat's Cultural Diversity Strategy (2009-2014), looking at cultural, linguistic, religious and individual diversity.

People and communities general manager for the City of Ballarat, Neville Ivey, said the community was asked to provide recommendations for the strategy.

"Ballarat is considered best practice when it comes to interculturalism. We are ahead of the game and looked on by other councils as leading the way," Mr Ivey said.

One of the most successful programs for the council has been based around employment issues for migrants.

During a recent initiative involving 62 migrant participants looking for employment in Ballarat, 42 successfully found jobs.

The initiative looked at English language in the workplace, the skills migrants need for work, as well as industry engagement.

The council's Multicultural Ambassador Program and the jobs drive have both won Excellence in Local Government awards.

The City of Ballarat only last month endorsed a statement by City of Greater Dandenong calling for increased resources and funding from the federal government to enable council to adequately respond to the needs of asylum seekers.

The statement mirrored a petition put forward by Ballarat councillor Belinda Coates in August, which requested the federal government abandon its "harsh" asylum seeker policies.

And in October this year, the City of Ballarat was declared a refugee welcome zone and a declaration signed stating Ballarat would welcome refugees into the community, uphold the human rights of refugees, demonstrate compassion for refugees and enhance cultural and religious diversity in the community.

Earlier this year, the council held a workshop-style multicultural summit attended by 82 participants.

The summit included a review of the council's Cultural Diversity Strategy (2009-14) and outlined four key priority areas to helping migrants in the Ballarat community, including responsive services, active citizenship, leadership and advocacy and maximising and valuing diversity.

During the summit participants identified multicultural issues critical to Ballarat, including employment pathways and opportunities; culturally appropriate aged care services; a mapping exercise of all existing settlement support programs and services in Ballarat; culturally and linguistically diverse community involvement in decision-making; council to support volunteers and smaller organisations to keep them sustainable; developing an options paper around a multicultural hub; council, service providers and community to collaborate around opportunities to share great things happening in the region; showcase good practice in settlement; and promote Ballarat as a multicultural city.

"Ballarat is not only an intercultural city, it is a cosmopolitan city," Mr Ivey said.

The City of Ballarat will soon be working on the Cultural Diversity Strategy for 2015-19.

BRMC on hand to offer its support 

THE Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council is the first stop for anyone from outside Australia who has come to settle in Ballarat.

It serves as a mentor to new arrivals helping them to get their bearings and to find support and friendship in this new world of Australia.

The work on forming the BRMC began in about 1997 and the current chairman, Sundram Sivamalai, was part of the process.

"Up to that time there were several ethno-specific organisations that were already in existence from the older immigrant groups, such as the Dutch, German and Polish associations and then there were associations that were formed from a newer wave of immigrants from Asia and south-east Asia," Dr Sivamalai said.

The key support for the formation of BRMC came from the City of Ballarat, the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) and the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria (ECCV).

"The early dialogues for the formation of the BRMC were initiated by the City of Ballarat where several organisations came together to clearly understand the purpose of BRMC," Dr Sivamalai said.

He said there had been intensive discussion on the name of the new organisation and whether it should be a "multicultural", rather than an "ethnic", organisation.

The group came to a consensus to accept multiculturalism.

"An interim committee formed and I was the chair of a steering committee formed from the various multicultural groups of the city. We created the constitution based on an ECCV template.

"The City of Ballarat was an important player in the process.

We were very lucky to have many meetings in Claudia Tresoldi's house the wife of the late John McLean, who was the CEO of the City of Ballarat," Dr Sivamalai said.

The BRMC was officially launched in 1999 by the Victorian Minister Assisting Premier on Multicultural Affairs, John Pandozopolous, at Cooinda Hall at Ballarat Community Health in Wendouree. The newly-formed organisation met once-a-month for members of all the community groups to exchange information about each other's organisations' events and activities.

The BRMC soon became the peak body to represent the needs to ethno-specific communities in Central Highlands and Wimmera region.

"We have enjoyed a strong association with the City of Ballarat from the early days.

For example, BRMC was given the co-ordinating role and managed the funds for the Begonia Festival.

It also hosted regular celebrations of cultural events

"Such events brought the regional residents from various cultural groups to celebrate and promote goodwill and harmony in the city. BRMC was also in a position to seek funds from VMC," Dr Sivamalai said.

"The work was harder in those days. In the 1980s Ballarat was very much a monoculture city.

There were challenges in the city and the region to accommodate people coming from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and BRMC had a role to table these concerns, and the City of Ballarat took these concerns seriously."

The organisation has grown as has its role in the community. Its first office opened in Norman Street in Wendouree in 2001.

Two years later BRMC received the VMC Award for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs/Service delivery.

In 2004, the offices were relocated in Mair Street and the BRMC moved to its current location at GPlace on English Street in Golden Point in December 2008.

Its services to the city's multicultural communities have grown to include: English language tutoring, homework club, multicultural tucker meetings, aged care support, community health programs and a community garden, a Telelink and a Friendly Visiting service.

Vision is to bridge the gap

EARLIER this year the City of Ballarat launched its Reconciliation Action Plan 2014-2017 to bridge the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and others in the community.

An all-of-council approach is being encouraged to achieve the vision set out in the action plan.

Ballarat mayor John Philips said the action plan was council's commitment to supporting the reconciliation process and closing the gap in disadvantage between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.

"It encourages greater understanding, acknowledgement, respect, inclusion and opportunities for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of this region and it ensures that councillors, staff and members of the community are able to contribute to the reconciliation process," Cr Philips said.

"The Reconciliation Action Plan is an important tool in creating respectful communities, social inclusion and equality and strengthening the ability of Ballarat to be a safe, healthy, connected and respectful place to live.

"The City of Ballarat's approach to reconciliation is one of leadership and collaboration."

According to the 2011 Census, 1.2 per cent (1140) of Ballarat's population was of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander decent.

The Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung people are acknowledged as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Ballarat community lives.

Success of the action plan will be measured by the following:

Outlined in the action plan are initiatives like getting to know the Aboriginal community; the continued celebration of National Reconciliation Week; improved engagement with elders; supporting culturally appropriate youth participation activities and initiatives; exploring partnerships and funding opportunities; appointing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander multicultural ambassador; City of Ballarat staff and councillor cultural awareness training; maintaining artworks and projects of cultural significance and providing opportunities for emerging artists; supporting sporting events; place names in Ballarat; and employment/work experience opportunities.

Friendly faces greet migrants 

MIGRANTS moving to Ballarat now have a one-stop shop for information on services and resources available to them in the region.

Set up at the central location of the Ballarat Library in Doveton Street North, the Multicultural Information Place Desk offers not only much-needed information, but also a friendly face to migrant individuals and families wanting to call Ballarat home.

Run by volunteers and with the backing of the Centre for Multicultural Youth, the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council and Ballarat Community Health, the desk provides information like telephone numbers to referral centres as well as a point of contact for the many services available to migrants in Ballarat.

Jenny Fink, from the City of Ballarat's people and communities unit, said the desk provided migrants with a friendly face on the first few days in Ballarat.

"It also offers someone to listen to their stories while having a cup of tea," Ms Fink said.

"Parents can gain information at the desk while their children immerse themselves in the various programs on offer at the library.

"By being situated in the library, it has created a real hub and is the start of connectedness with the community."