Team Name

Piece to Peace

Team Members

Project Description

Problem Statement

As the society becomes more polarized, most immigrants in Australia feel as though they do not belong in Australia because of the lack of acceptance due to their differences in ethnicities, nationalities, languages, and culture. The loneliness when one first moves to a new country is also often not acknowledged. It is also difficult to start socializing when they have been feeling isolated for so long. As they believe that no one can understand them or share their experiences, this results in the inability to trust the larger society, not even their neighbors nor the local councils. In the end, it can lead to more serious mental health issues if prolonged.

What We Are

Solution

STEP 1: Finding participants

Online recruitment:

• With participants that are more familiar with modern technologies, online advertisements will be our main source of recruiting. Piece to Peace has a website and social media, especially a Facebook page. We also create an add-in application on Facebook’s Messenger for real-time interactions with participants.
• The website and the add-in app on Messenger will be the main sites of registration.

Offline recruitment:

• With participants that are less familiar with modern technologies, especially the elderly who are more divided in terms of the number of immigrants accepted into the country and their rights, we will utilize more traditional forms of media: advertisements in television and radio, as well as prints, be it letters, posters, handbills.
• We use government dataset to help locate community boards around the neighborhoods and contact local institutions frequented by the elderly community like local libraries, GP clinics, senior citizen centers, places of religious worship, coffee shops, and community centers for word-of-mouth marketing.
• Offline registration is after participants submit physical forms in the Community Collection Box and receive a confirmation call from us. They can also ask to receive event registration confirmation through SMS instead of email as well.

STEP 2: Registration

• During registration, participants will be asked for key information that will help us match them with the most suitable participants, events, and activities. This includes:
  • Age
  • Languages spoken
  • Preferred travel distance
  • Interests (e.g., food, sport, book, gardening, music)
  • Leisure time availability
  • Accessibility requirements (e.g. interpreter, translator, wheelchair, service dog support)
• In addition to these details, participants will also answer a short set of questions designed to understand their personalities, experiences, and sense of connection to the community. These questions focus on:
  • Sense of belonging
  • Trust in neighbors and local councils
  • Comfort with meeting people from different cultural backgrounds

This information will help Piece to Peace design meaningful, inclusive events while also contributing to broader insights for government and community development programs that support social inclusion.

Quick Sense of Belonging & Trust Survey

1. I feel welcome and accepted as part of my local community in Australia.
2. I trust my neighbours to treat people fairly and with respect.
3. I feel confident that my local council listens to residents from different cultural backgrounds.
4. I feel comfortable meeting and talking with people from cultures different from my own.
5. I enjoy taking part in events and activities that celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity.

Responses will be given on a 5-point scale:

Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree

• Finally, all participants will be asked to review and agree to our Privacy & Consent Terms, ensuring their personal information is handled responsibly and confidentially.

STEP 3: Matching

Matching criteria:

• Shared interests
• Travel distance
• Available leisure time
• Other common factors (e.g., family roles, languages spoken, accessibility needs)

Diversity criteria:

• Ratio of Australian nationals to immigrants targeted at 40:60 to 60:40
• No single nationality or language group should make up more than 50% of the group

Examples of common grounds:

• Life stage & role: parents of young children, carers of elderly, students, retirees
• Time & lifestyle: mornings-evenings, weekdays-weekends, morning shifts-night shifts
• Language & communication skills: language proficiency (mother tongue and English), interpreter requirement, larger, more accessible texts
• Food & Diet: halal/vegetarian/vegan food, any known food allergies, alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks and food
• Religious & cultural calendar: Ramadan, Lent, Diwali, etc.
• Travel & accessibility: car owner/not a car owner, wheelchair use, requiring location close to public transportation
• Personal goals: to practice English, to meet other parents, to learn about local services
• Personalities & activity styles: quiet/lively, hands-on activities/discussion-based activities
• Community responsibility: volunteering, interest in small projects towards social goods
• Limitations & red flags: no alcohol, not comfortable with loud noises, etc.

**Note I:* Complementary common grounds can also work — for example, pairing someone who wants to practice English with a volunteer who enjoys teaching language. Not everything has to match exactly.*

**Note II:* Piece to Peace is unique because our social events are created with care to connect new immigrants and Australian nationals in ways that are more personal and direct than traditional programs.*

Using a clustering model (such as Hierarchical + Gower, or k-prototypes) to create community:

We group people who share similar characteristics—for example, parents with young children, people interested in cooking, or those living in nearby areas—into the same group. Then, we organise activities that match the specific needs and interests of each group.

Example of Group Matching:

• An Indian woman with a 5-year-old child who is interested in tea making
• An Australian parent with a young child who is a coffee-enthusiast
• A Thai person working in child care who loves Thai tea

→ Piece to Peace invites them to the Non-Alcoholic Drinks Circle. Everyone shares common ground (children and drinks) while still having enough differences to encourage bridging across cultures.

STEP 4: Event Designs for Community Creation

Objectives:

• Create a positive first connection between people from different backgrounds living in the same area.
• Ensure participants feel safe, equal, and united around a shared purpose.

Principles for Event Design:

• Based on participant data: Use matching information (e.g., interests, availability, accessibility needs) as the foundation for designing activities.
• Safe and open atmosphere: Make sure every participant feels comfortable expressing themselves and being authentic.
• Utilizing existing governmental and local resources: At Piece to Peace, we believe participation should never depend on ability to pay. Instead of charging tickets, we focus on making the most of resources that are already available through government, councils, and local organisations.
  • Venues: partnering with community centres, libraries, and local halls that are already funded for public use.
  • Services: collaborating with existing multicultural services, interpreters, and council programs to support accessibility.
  • Funding & Grants: aligning our activities with government priorities for social inclusion, so our work can be supported by existing public funds.
  • Community Assets: tapping into volunteer networks, local clubs, and cultural associations who are already active in the area.

Piece to Peace’s facilitators:

• We aim to always have facilitators at every event. Our facilitators must be well-trained in conflict management and inclusive communication to prevent negative experiences.

Ground rules:

• No judgement
• No verbal abuse
• Active listening
• “Yes, and…” approach (building on each other’s ideas)

After the event:

• Collect demographic data and participant feedback.
• Use these insights to improve future matching and event designs, especially around belonging, trust, and accessibility.

STEP 5: Notification for Event Confirmation (1–7 days after registration)

• Piece to Peace will send an SMS or phone call, email, or chat through Messenger with a button: “Attend / Not this time.”
  • Notification is selected by the participants at the beginning of the registration step
• If the participant selects “Not this time,” the system will automatically suggest the next 3 upcoming events to pick from.

STEP 6: Measurement Success of *Piece to Peace*

1. Participation & Reach
2. Number of participants (new immigrants + Australian nationals)
3. Diversity balance (e.g., nationalities, languages, age groups, accessibility needs represented)
4. Repeat participation (how many come back for another event)
5. Belonging & Trust Indicators
   • Pre/post surveys using the short “Belonging & Trust Scale” (the 5 questions we created earlier).
   • Percentage of participants reporting increased comfort meeting people from different cultures.
   • Percentage of participants who feel more trust in neighbours or local councils after joining.
6. Connection & Relationships
   • Number of new friendships or meaningful contacts reported.
   • Stories/quotes from participants about positive experiences (qualitative data).
   • Observations from facilitators about group interactions and inclusivity.
7. Accessibility & Inclusion
   • Feedback on whether participants’ accessibility needs were met (interpreters, wheelchair access, dietary needs, etc.).
   • Suggestions collected for making events more inclusive in the future.
8. Community Impact
   • Examples of participants collaborating beyond the event (e.g., volunteering, shared projects).
   • Councils or local groups using the insights/data to shape future inclusion programs.

Why This Matters

For Immigrant

• Belonging & trust: safe, interest-based groups make first friendships easier.
• Wellbeing: reduce loneliness; gentle on language confidence.
• Navigation: discover local services (libraries, sport clubs, classes) via peers and facilitators.

For Australian Nationals

• Bias reduction through contact: Positive, facilitated contact replaces stereotypes with real stories (especially effective for older adults).
• Community safety & vibrancy: More eyes on the street, family-friendly day activities, stronger neighbour networks.
• Practical benefits: Peer tips (childcare swaps, gardening, walking groups), increased foot traffic for local businesses.
• Quick KPIs: ↑ participation from 55+; ↑ Net Promoter Score (NPS) of attendees; ↑ visits/spend at nearby venues on event days

For Government

• Trust in institutions: Council as a visible enabler of safe connection → higher trust and satisfaction.
• Preventive value: Early cohesion reduces downstream costs (conflict, isolation, mental-health burden).
• Data-informed policy: Consent-based mini-surveys aligned to national indicators show what works, where, and for whom.
• Scalable & low-cost: Leverages existing community centres, libraries and volunteers; portable playbook for other LGAs.
• Quick KPIs: ↑ “trust in local council” score; ↑ attendance/retention; ↑ referrals to other council services; ↓ incident rate; quarterly mini-index trend.

6–12 Month Plan

Phase 1: Setup & Design (Months 1–2)

Goals: Build foundation, brand, and data ethics framework.

• Finalise program branding (e.g., “Piece to Peace / Belonging Hub”).
• Develop sign-up platform (simple web form + SMS + paper form).
• Draft facilitator playbook (rules, inclusive communication, conflict de-escalation).
• Design baseline survey questions (belonging, trust in people, trust in council, comfort with diversity).
• Secure partnerships with 1–2 LGAs (libraries, community centres, GP clinics, religious/community groups).
• Run ethics/privacy review: consent form, minimal data collection, accessibility standards.

Phase 2: Pilot Launch (Months 3–4)

Goals: Test concept in one suburb.

• Recruit first 50–100 participants (mix online/offline).
• Run 3–5 pilot circles (e.g., Non-alc Drinks, Family Storytime, Walking & Gardening).
• Apply matching algorithm (interest + availability + distance + diversity rules).
• Train 3–5 facilitators.
• Collect baseline data + run post-event reflections.
• Document challenges, safety incidents, or drop-offs.

Phase 3: Evaluation & Iteration (Months 5–6)

Goals: Measure impact and refine model.

• Analyse pilot data:
  • Attendance & retention.
  • Δ in belonging/trust survey scores.
  • Participant feedback (quotes, incident logs).
• Refine matching model weights (interests vs. time vs. diversity).
• Adjust outreach strategy (e.g., more elder-friendly flyers, radio, GP clinics).
• Update facilitator training (based on issues raised).
• Publish Mid-term Impact Report → share with council/state stakeholders.

Phase 4: Scale to Additional Suburbs (Months 7–9)

Goals: Expand reach, stress-test model.

• Add 2–3 more LGAs/suburbs with higher immigrant populations.
• Run 10–15 circles total, covering different demographics (seniors, parents, youth).
• Launch targeted campaigns for harder-to-reach groups (radio for elders, schools for parents).
• Begin testing new activity types (debate spaces, art circles, sports).
• Strengthen data pipeline: anonymise & aggregate results for government dashboards.

Phase 5: Consolidation & Reporting (Months 10–12)

Goals: Position for sustainable rollout.

• Produce comprehensive evaluation report: outcomes, lessons, recommendations.
• Compare results to Scanlon Cohesion Index metrics.
• Present findings to local & state government partners.
• Develop scaling playbook for councils (plug-and-play templates).
• Explore funding options for year 2 (grants, councils, state, philanthropy).
• Showcase participant stories (video case studies like “Priya’s story”).

Data Story

Data Story

To develop Piece to Peace, we primarily look at data from the government dataset Mapping Social Cohesion report created by Scanlon Foundation Research Institute. According to the report Australia’s Population by Country of Birth by Australian Bureau of Statistics, we have found that Australia is a high immigration country with 31% of Australians born overseas. However, the attitudes towards the number of immigration have shifted dramatically in 2024. Just 2 years before in 2022, only 24% of people think the number of immigrants accepted into Australia is too high. However, in 2024, this number doubles to a worrisome 49%. This number can be concerning because it could result in the rising discrimination and alienation against migrants in the workplace, school, and even the streets. The data echoes this concern as it is found that one-in-three (34%) of Australians who previously are from other countries with non-English first languages confess to experiencing discriminatory acts in the last 12 months. This is especially intensified if they follow different religious beliefs than the majority of Australians. Interestingly, despite this concerning change of attitude, the large majority of Australians still deem immigrants’ contribution to Australian economy, society, and culture highly significant. Moreover, around 60% of people say they enjoy meeting new people and spending time with those who are from ethnic and cultural groups other than their own. What this tells us is that amidst the dividing tides, the Australian charm of multiculturality and social cohesion can be sustained through goodwill and meaningful relationships. 

Another valuable dataset for Piece to Peace is the Social Cohesion Insights 05: Support for Immigration by John van Kooy of Scanlon Foundation Research Institute. Through this report, we delve deeper into what factors contribute to immigration support--or the lack thereof. On the individual level, it is found that younger respondents, women, those with a university degree, those who live in an urban area, who have trust in their country’s institutions, who are generally trusting of others, who feel safe at dark and those who use the internet daily have significantly more positive attitudes towards immigration. We contend that there are some qualities and values from these demographic groups that we can translate onto others to ensure the social cohesion in Australian society. One of the most important findings in this report is that social trust, including the trust in government, is positively correlated with support for immigration. In order to achieve this social trust, one must be able to see humanities as humanities as humanities, not as a percentage of something who takes away one’s own privileges, and be able to meet people as they are and find the common grounds between one another. This is further confirmed by these two research articles, How Does Intergroup Contact Reduce Prejudice? Meta-Analytic Tests of Three Mediators and The impact of intergroup contact on attitudes towards immigrants: a case study of Australia. The authors of both articles found that intergroup contact is socially benefitting in that it expands a person’s empathy and ability to learn, understand, and accept other perspectives apart from their own.  It is through these seemingly minute actions that social harmony and trust can be fostered in this increasingly polarizing time. 

This line graph (2007–2024 from Scanlon Foundation Research Institute shows the decrease in social cohesion to 78, its lowest level ever.

The institute also found that the negativity toward Muslims has risen to 34%, and positive views toward several groups have dropped.