Children show the way to the future of the nation

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Children show the way to the future of the nation

NSW Government Minister and Member for Bankstown, Jihad Dib, has hailed the Canterbury-Bankstown Children’s Festival as an event where young people show they are leading the way in creating a future nation where there’s a place for everyone.

He was speaking at the 25^th anniversary of the festival which was first staged at the Bankstown City Paceway 25 years ago and yesterday came to the nearby suburb of Yagoona.

“We are empowered when we see young people who, rather than trying to move away from their culture of origin, are celebrating who they are and are sharing it with the rest of us. And that is how we become much better.

’We are now not just a multicultural nation. Modern Australia has a place for everyone to celebrate who they are because we are strengthened by everything we are exposed to,” he said.

Yesterday’s programme featured more than twenty performance groups representing many different cultural and religious backgrounds as well as jazz ballet, Bollywood dance and brass band music, along with a spectacular children’s parade and a number of outdoor activities.

Minister Dib’s sentiments were echoed by the Federal Shadow Minister for Communications and Member for Banks, David Coleman, the NSW Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure and the Deputy Mayor of Canterbury Bankstown, Councillor Rachelle Harika (representing The Mayor) who also spoke at the festival official opening.

In his welcome speech, the Founding President of the Festival, Thuat Nguyen AM, said “The joy of children is also the happiness of the whole family. Children are our future. Children, who are the adults of tomorrow, are more accepting of changes and new experiences.

“There is no doubt that the Children’s Festival can influence views and behaviour of young people in the community and help guide them towards a more tolerant and harmonious society.

“Therefore, we strongly believe that children are a significant starting point, and also one of the best ways to build harmony in our community and to celebrate diversity as well as to make all of us feel proud of being Australians.”

“This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Children’s Festival Organisation Inc. Twenty-five years of building harmony and celebrating diversity starting with children is the humble but significant contribution of our Organisation – a grassroots community-based organisation – to Australia, the most successful multicultural country in the world,” he said.

Since its inception in Bankstown in 1999, the Children’s Festival Organisation has successfully staged Children’s Festivals across Sydney, attracting over a quarter of a million participants from various cultural backgrounds. The Canterbury-Bankstown Children’s Festival 2023 was the 40^th Children’s Festival in the last 25 years.