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Case study - Multicultural Engagement Plan

by ACON
ACON is New South Wales’ leading LGBTQ+ health organisation specialising in HIV prevention, HIV support, mental health, safety, inclusion, alcohol and other drugs, and policy and research. ACON’s offices are located in metropolitan and regional areas across NSW. ACON employs over 150 employees.

ACON’s Multicultural Engagement Pan was developed to provide a three-year framework from 2021-2024 to guide the way the organisation engages with and empowers LGBTQ community members and staff from culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse, migrant, and refugee backgrounds, and LGBTQ people of colour. 

The Plan was led and developed by an internal working group of ACON staff who have lived experience as LGBTQ people from culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse, migrant, and refugee backgrounds, and LGBTQ people of colour, under the guidance of an external advisory panel of community health and engagement experts. 

Through collaboration with a research consultant, ACON conducted extensive consultations with over 55 LGBTQ community leaders and members from culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse, migrant and refugee backgrounds, and LGBTQ people of colour, as well as health experts and service providers over a 12-month period. 

The consultations collected qualitative information about the community’s experiences with and perceptions of ACON, the impacts of racism, homophobia and transphobia on their health, and the ways ACON can improve the cultural safety of its programs and service delivery. All findings from the consultations directly informed the development of ACON’s Multicultural Engagement Plan including its goals, guiding principles and focus areas, which is an example of how community can be centred in driving an organisation’s policies and strategies.

The development of ACON’s Multicultural Engagement Plan also demonstrated how an organisation can commit to structural changes that align to the needs of community through a list of recommendations and deliverables that can be measured over a period of time.

 

More information is available at: https://www.acon.org.au/,