Shepparton Friendship Cafe begins again – Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District

Back with a bang, the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District’s Friendship Café gathered for its first catch-up of the year on Wednesday, February 3, and featured City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Kim O’Keefe as guest speaker.

Friendship Café is a space for culturally and linguistically diverse young women from newly arrived communities to come together and build connections.

Organised by Ethnic Council project officer Aleena Qazikhil, the group met at Nedal Kebabs on High St.

Cr O’Keefe said groups such as Friendship Café were important because they strengthened relationships between old and new arrivals and promoted inclusivity.

“Regardless of age, sex, gender or race, it’s important to take the opportunity to learn about each other’s experiences and remain connected,” she said.

“It’s also a great space to work with the community and learn what the challenges and the positives are that these women face when they move here and what council can do to help.”

The group meets once a month in various spaces in Shepparton, featuring a range of guest speakers, and is free to join.

For more information about the Friendship Café, phone Aleena on 5831 2395.

Ethnic Council’s Friendship Cafe reunited in 2021 for the first time on Wednesday 3 February, 2021

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	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District acknowledges the Yorta Yorta People of the land which comprises the Goulburn Valley. We pay respect to tribal Elders, past, present and emerging and we celebrate their continuing culture and acknowledge the memory of their ancestors.
	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District is a peak body whose mission is to promote and represent the social, cultural and economic well-being of ethnic communities in the Goulburn Valley Region through the provision of quality and innovative settlement, refugee support, community development, and information and advocacy services.