Through Welcoming Week, organisations and communities bring together neighbours of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of building welcoming and inclusive communities – for our shared future.
2022 Welcoming Week
For the first time, Australia joined the global Welcoming Week movement – and what a way to join the party!
In cities across Australia; from Port Phillip to Mt Isa to Unley to the Blue Mountains, Welcoming Week brought together local councils, refugee support organisations, community groups and more in a bold display of welcome, deepening their commitment to creating places where everyone can belong, contribute and thrive.
Hundreds of people across over a dozen events hosted around Australia joined a chorus of thousands internationally in a bold display of welcome, solidarity and belonging.
Read more about Australia’s first ever Welcoming Week here
Welcoming Week is an annual campaign and celebration to showcase the movement of communities striving to be more welcoming places for all, including migrants, refugees, people seeking asylum, international students and the entire community. We acknowledge that Welcoming Week events in Australia will be hosted on the unceded lands of First Nations. We recognise the generosity and important role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the work of Welcoming Australia and Welcoming Week.
Welcoming Week 2023 will take place from September 8-17
Register your interest here in hosting a Welcoming Week event.
We are joining a global movement across six countries, hosting over 400 events annually. Welcoming Week 2023 is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the people, places, and values that ensure everyone feels welcome and belongs in the local community, no matter where they come from.
About Welcoming Week
Welcoming Week is an annual campaign and celebration to showcase the movement of communities striving to be more welcoming places for all, including migrants. Launched in 2012 by Welcoming America and its members in the United States, Welcoming Week is now a global movement that brings communities and neighbors of all backgrounds together to build strong connections and affirm the importance of inclusive places.
Celebrating the 10-year Anniversary of Welcoming Week
This year, Welcoming Week celebrates its 10-year anniversary. What started as a small collection of events in U.S. communities has since expanded to reach more than 400 events annually across the world, signaling the broad commitment to welcoming values. Welcoming Week 2022 is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the people, places, and values that ensure everyone feels welcome and belongs in the local community, no matter where they come from.
Anyone can participate in Welcoming Week.
This year’s theme is #WhereWeBelong
Some key actions partners, members, organisations, and individuals can take this year to celebrate #WhereWeBelong are:
- Host an online or in-person event during Welcoming Week
- Attend an event near you
- On social media, share welcoming actions your community is taking
- Issue a Welcoming Week Proclamation or Resolution
Find ideas, tools and guidance in this toolkit.
More information here.
