Racism remains a significant barrier to creating inclusive, equitable and culturally safe school environments across Australia. Recognising both the urgency and the opportunity for local action, the Darling Downs African Communities Council (DDACC), Ethnic Communities Council Queensland (ECCQ), and Welcoming Cities together initiated the Racism in Schools Conversation Series in Toowoomba in November 2024.
While the concept and initial framing were co-created by these three organisations, the success of this series was only possible because it became a genuine whole-of-community collaboration. From the outset, we were in active, ongoing communication and partnership with:
- Mercy Community Services
- Multicultural Australia
- CatholicCare
- QPASTT
- Members of the Yazidi community
- Other community leaders, youth leaders, parents and advocates
- Toowoomba Regional Council, who came on as venue partner for Sessions 2 and 3, and committed to continuing this work through their Multicultural Advisory Committee.
This shared leadership ensured the model remained grounded in lived experience, culturally informed, locally relevant, and community-held – not institutionally or externally imposed.
The conversation series evolved into a structured, community-driven framework that provides a clear pathway for schools, organisations and communities to recognise, discuss and begin responding to racism in educational settings. We have now turned this into a model to be replicable in other regions. Welcoming Cities has driven the creation of this model, but with guidance, input and support from DDACC and ECCQ.
The three-session model fosters open dialogue, amplifies lived experiences, and equips communities, educators, students and families with the necessary tools to take the first step towards meaningful action.
Our vision for this model is that it starts conversations but also creates a community of practice around this work, so that multiple community leaders, educators, schools, community groups and more are driving this work.