Rights at the Round Table is a youth forum, held on International Human Rights Day. The forum will address issues that affect us here in Australia: human rights of the First Australians, of newly arrived refugees and of women.

The forum will be hosted by Khaled Abdulwahab (Diafrix) and feature two key youth speakers: Tyrone Bean of Australia’s First Nations and Emmanuel Majok, a newly arrived African Australian.

Guest speakers are Robbie Thorpe: Black GST elder, activist and the man behind the phrase “White Australia has a Black History”, addressing rights of the First Australians.

Akoch Manheim, founder of the Sudanese Lost Boys Association of Australia and survivor among the “lost boys” of Sudan, which is a term that refers to more than 27,000 children, mostly boys who were displaced and/or orphaned during the second Sudanese civil war of 1983-2005. Akoch will be addressing the rights of refugees and new citizens.

Dr Diane Sisely is the inaugural Director of the Australian Centre for Human Rights and lead the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission from 1994 – 2004 which in turn led to the introduction of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities in 2006. Dr Sisley will be addressing the rights of women and the application of human rights in everyday life. 

Although Australia has been a country that has actively supported world forums advocating human rights, Australia is still the only Western country without a bill of rights. 

Following on from the main agendas discussed, the group will work together to draw up their own bill of rights and this will be sent to the Australian Government for recognition.

Massive hip hop choir will perform to close the forum. This is a free event.

A collaboration between South African Music Award for new comer Tamarsha and Melbourne hip hop group took place a day before departure.  The song will be released to radio stations late November and will be available for sale on i-Tunes soon.

Stay tuned for updates on the trip, pictures, videos as well as journals from the participants.

We have selected our 5 Victorian participants! They are:

Jemma Mathers from Ballarat, Emmanuel Majok from Richmond, Dat Doe from Melbourne, Kate Ashton from Melbourne and Tyrone Bean Melbourne.

In the first training session, we explored the ideas around “Our world, our choice/One planet, one people” which was facilitated by High Resolves. Part of their facilitation included studying “individual & collective identity” all based on the research conducted by National Geographic, which states that ” 99.9% of your DNA is the same as any other human’s”. Human genetic diversity comes from 0.1% difference in DNA.

We also introduced South African history, through watching a documentary called “Wrong side of the bus”. “Wrong side of the bus” is a doco about a South African/Jewish Prof Sidney and his son, Aaron Bloch. Sidney was 15 years old when the apartheid system was introduced in South Africa. The doco explores the degree of responsibility of  the “bystander” in the face of terrible events. If people fail to intervene against injustice and the oppression of others, are they in some ways guilty of colluding with the perpetrator?

In our second session, we will be looking at the impact that racism has on victims, perpetrators and bystanders. We will seek to  find authentic answers to the question, “What can you do at 15/16/17 years, to change the world” in relation to issues around race and multiculturalism.

We are still looking for applicants from Indian, Middle-Eastern, Jewish and Indigenous backgrounds. For further details please  email dawn@collaboration4change.com

Australia is an increasingly multicultural nation. We are becoming more connected to the world and more people from around the world are coming to Australia. We are experiencing a new wave of immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Moreover, there are now increasing demands on Australia to welcome more refugees from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Sri Lanka.

This has sparked a discussion about the best ways to integrate immigrants within Australian society without forcing them to sacrifice their diversity. Young Australians, particularly those who are recent immigrants, should be involved in this discussion.

Five Victorian school students will be selected as the key participants for the project. They will come from different racial backgrounds (Caucasian Australian, Indigenous Australian, Asian, Middle Eastern and African). There will be a mix of girls and boys, and a mix of city and regional areas. All will be regarded as leaders in their schools and communities.

The participants will embark on a two week study tour to South Africa, during which they will learn about the past, present and future of a country that has overcome terrible racial discrimination but still faces the challenge of creating a truly “rainbow nation”. On returning to Australia, the participants will take part in a group forum during which they will reflect on their experiences on the study tour and the extent to which those experiences help to shed light on present day Australia. The forum will be attended by other Australians both young and old who will share their thoughts on issues of multiculturalism in Australia.

Are you 13 - 18 years and in High/Secondary school? Do you want to be one of the participants or do you know someone benefit from this experience? Write to us and tell us how you would use this opportunity to educate others about our diverse society.

Click HERE to download the song from

The South African Zulu Choir recently completed a hugely successful three week tour of Australia. The Choir came to Australia as part of “Collaboration 4 Change” – a global movement that is creating positive social change through music.

While in Australia, the Choir performed at the President’s Lunch at the MCG for the Essendon vs. Hawthorn match on Saturday 29th August. The Choir also helped to promote the AFL’s presence in South Africa through a feature story on Channel 9’s “Today” show.

On Saturday 12th September, prior to returning to South Africa, the Choir recorded an inspirational version of the St Kilda Saints theme song, “When The Saints Go Marching In”, in Perth.

The purpose of the song is to raise awareness about the incredible growth of the AFL in South Africa and the “Collaboration 4 Change” project, and to raise money for young people in South Africa. “footyWILD”, as the game is known in South Africa, has more than 18,000 participants in four provinces across the nation, and the South African National Championships are currently taking place.

100% of the profits from the sale of the song will go to sustainable education programs for young South Africans as well as to members of the South African Zulu Choir. Click here to download the song, or SEARCH on iTunes “Zulu Choir - Oh When the Saints”

“When C4C asked me to be involved in the 2009 South African Zulu Choir Tour, I was thrilled. At last, here was my chance to ride the coat tails of some of the finest singers in the world! I immediately called the organisers with several suggestions, including changing the name of the tour to “Sammy J and friends”, and allowing me to compose the official anthem.

S. A. Zulu Choir performing at St. Michael’s Anglican Photo: Jonathan Harrison

A relaxing evening last night turned into a night on the town for those choir members who were still awake, which just happened to be most of the boys. Chapel St. was the location, an excellent presentation of Melbourne’s youthful and vibrant night life, and a great way for our Durban brothers to unwind. Their African rhythms showed as they demonstrated to locals what dancing really is: crumping, the Zulu robot and synchronised manoeuvres - all to house / dance beats.

Today offered a much more relaxed start, a sleep-in until lunchtime before moving straight to St. Michael’s Anglican Church in Nth. Carlton in preparation fo the evening’s worship service. The worship service itself was a true representation of the choir’s faith, though music. The congregation heard testimony from SA Zulu Choir drummer Freddy Whales, uplifting the congregation and warming their hearts. The gospel songs to which the congregation worshiped were familiar to regular Austalian church-goers, and are also common to churches in South Africa. Yet another example of how similar our two cultures are, and yet why is it that their acceptance into Australian culture has been such a shock to them?

Nic Mackay and Dawn Mlotshwa with the South African Zulu Choir in an interview with Radio Australia Photo: Jonathan Harrison

This morning was a time for firsts. For a few of the boys from Durban it was their first time catching public transport in Australia, and for at least one of the hosts it was the first opportunity to use a Free early-bird train ticket. The choir sang for Ross and John on 3AW Breakfast and soon after for Radio Australia, which broadcasts internationally. The rest of the day was a time to relax for a moment and take in life as a Melbournian views it. The choir took full advantage of some free tickets offered by Village Cinemas at Crown, and enjoyed coffee by Melbourne’s iconic upside-down river while swapping stories with locals.

The remainder of the evening was spent with billeting hosts, sharing roast dinners and doing very Australian things (like watching TV and sleeping). Some very exciting things happened today, no greater achievement than developing lifelong relationships with one another; breaking down social barriers that exist between South Africans and the rest of the world, breaking down presumptions of each other’s culture - the very purpose of the trip. Understanding.