Over 100 amazing, interesting and talented people from across the state came together for the COMPACT X DIGI Engage Summit in the Blue Mountains this December, reaffirming their commitment to safeguarding social cohesion against hate and division. Together, they are empowering young people to build a cohesive future.
Now entering its tenth year, the Multicultural NSW COMPACT (Community Partnership Action) Program was first inspired by the way the people of NSW came together after the Martin Place siege in Sydney in December 2014. The message from our community was clear: We stand united. We – all of us together – will not let extremists divide us.
We stand united. We – all of us together – will not let extremists divide us.
Still going strong a decade after the siege transformed the Sydney CBD, COMPACT has grown to become a state-wide network of community partners and allies who are standing united against hate. COMPACT has inspired and empowered more than 80,000 young people as champions for community harmony. The COMPACT Program has been proven to build social cohesion and community resilience and has withstood challenges to community harmony through difficult times.
“The COMPACT Program demonstrates the power of young people to shape a stronger, more inclusive society,” said Joseph La Posta, CEO of Multicultural NSW.
“By equipping them with the tools to lead with empathy and resilience, we are fostering a generation that is not only prepared to tackle hate and division but to build enduring bridges of understanding.”
But there is more work to do. In an increasingly uncertain world, new threats to community harmony are emerging. The lines are becoming blurred between local and global, foreign and domestic, online and offline. Young people are concerned about online hate and polarisation and want to do something about it. These were just some of the challenges and themes addressed at the COMPACT X DIGI Engage Summit.
The COMPACT X DIGI Engage Summit is the culmination of a unique collaboration between community, government and the digital industry that aims to build community capacity to tackle online hate. It also kickstarted the next phase of the COMPACT Program, with over $12 million in new funding supporting 65 partner organisations to deliver youth-led solutions for social cohesion over the next four years.
The Summit sought to answer one overarching question: How can we effectively engage young people to build safer and more harmonious online communities? It was also an opportunity for young leaders, digital industry experts, and community partners to build connections, share ideas, and strengthen skills in digital youth engagement.
How can we effectively engage young people to build safer and more harmonious online communities?
The two-day program opened with an exclusive preview of the refreshed Remove Hate From The Debate initiative, an online project that aims to inspire young people to ‘make the internet more human again.’ Summit participants shared tips and techniques on ways to re-humanise online engagement and build online communities.
Keynote speaker Professor Amanda Third, a global expert in participatory research on young people’s technology practices from Western Sydney University’s Young and Resilient Research Centre, championed a rights-based approaches to amplify marginalised voices in the digital age.
What participants are saying
Lina Ali, StoryCaster
Differences in perspectives, shaped by varied lived experiences, enriched the conversations. This diversity added a depth beyond the typical.Phil Crawford, Barnardos Australia
The involvement of young people, especially the insights from the Indigenous social media experts, was incredible. Their innovative use of YouTube and thoughtful approach to audience engagement stood out to me. I’ve jotted down a lot to reflect on later.Derya Iner, Islamic Sciences and Research Academy of Australia (ISRA)
The event highlighted the value of shared experiences and collaboration, fostering connections that will significantly shape and strengthen our project's impact.
Representatives from digital platforms Discord, YouTube, Meta and Snapchat shared their insights and expertise on effective digital youth engagement and online safety.
“A prerequisite for someone having fun and playing games with their friends in any context is that they feel safe and can show up as their authentic self, said Daniel Gelfer, Head of Public Policy Asia Pacific at Discord.
“Our policies must speak to, consider, and acknowledge differences in language, identity, region, and environment,” he said.
For Ben Au from Snapchat, educating society about online safety is vital to ensuring everyone’s well-being.
“One of the best things we can do is to ensure that Australians of all ages and backgrounds are equipped with the tools and knowledge to safely and confidently build and navigate their online communities,” Ben said.
“We all play a part, but it’s important to call out the amazing work of the eSafety Commissioner who provides a range of online safety resources, some of which are available in multiple languages that I’ve shared with my own family members.”
Ben also spoke of the need for well-implemented community guidelines to foster decency and respect online.
“Providing safer online spaces, whether your own or using other platforms, to connect with and foster dialogue between young people is vitally important,” Ben said.
“Whatever spaces you decide to use, make sure that there are strong, transparent and enforced community guidelines in place so that everyone’s on the same page about what content and behaviours are – and are not – allowed.”
Whatever spaces you decide to use, make sure that there are strong, transparent and enforced community guidelines in place so that everyone’s on the same page about what content and behaviours are – and are not – allowed.
Sunita Bose, Managing Director of DIGI, the not-for-profit industry association representing the digital industry in Australia, emphasised the need to keep humanity at the heart of technology, ensuring it empowers and unites rather than divides.
“We need to keep humanity in technology – while it is shaping humans, we need to be shaping it. Personally, I was drawn to a career in technology because of its democratising power to level the playing field, and give anyone a platform for their voice,” Sunita said.
“We need to keep humanity in technology – while it is shaping humans, we need to be shaping it.”
“Technology can make our lives better and easier, open up access to information, resources and new efficiencies, or bring people together across divides.”
Sunita highlighted the COMPACT X DIGI Engage Summit as a powerful collaboration between the digital industry, government, and community to build safer, more inclusive online spaces grounded in connection, critical thinking, and shared values.
“Just like offline communities, online communities need to be centred around values that people within them are empowered to uphold. In an increasingly digital world, this requires capacity building in conflict resolution, critical thinking and leadership in online conversations,” she said.
“That capacity building is what makes the COMPACT X DIGI Engage partnership so powerful, because it brings the digital industry, government and the community together to look holistically at how we create online spaces that bring connection, empowerment and community.”
“The COMPACT Summit isn’t just a meeting of minds. It’s a celebration of unity and a declaration of our collective commitment to a more harmonious future.”
The packed Summit program also featured an exclusive preview of The New Point Magazine, a COMPACT communications initiative that gives young people a voice to address sensitive issues in a safe and non-sensationalist way. Anushri Sood, Miwa Blumer, Danny Yazdani, and Abhishek Gurjar – graduates from the magazine’s youth journalism mentorship program StoryCasters – shared their experiences and stories exploring themes of identity, culture and resilience.
Joseph La Posta from Multicultural NSW shared his vision for the Summit.
“The COMPACT Summit isn’t just a meeting of minds. It’s a celebration of unity and a declaration of our collective commitment to a more harmonious future,” he said.
“Under the umbrella of the COMPACT Alliance, we are building a united force for social cohesion that leverages the strength of our diversity.”
Key moments in the COMPACT story:
2014
The people of New South Wales stand together in solidarity following the Martin Place siege.2015
The COMPACT Program begins with extensive community consultation and a review of international best practice. The first COMPACT grants open one month after the shooting of Curtis Cheng outside the NSW Police Force headquarters.2016
The first COMPACT Partnership Projects commence. The COMPACT Alliance comes together for the first time.2018
COMPACT has engaged 20,000 young people and is independently evaluated as a ‘first-of-its-kind’ program that has made significant progress towards its objectives of building social cohesion and community resilience.2019
The COMPACT Alliance mobilises to support local communities and young people impacted by the devastating terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand.2020, 2021
Bushfires, floods and a one-in-100-year pandemic test our resilience as a community. Racism, online conspiracy theories and anti-government sentiment are on the rise. COMPACT has engaged 50,000 young people to deliver solutions. The COMPACT Alliance expands as a state-wide network supporting communities and young people through challenging times.2022, 2023
Global events and overseas conflicts leave their mark. Communities rally to combat racism and religious intolerance. Foreign interference has surpassed terrorism as the primary national security threat and threatens social cohesion. The COMPACT Alliance expands to include more than 80 partner organisations committed to safeguarding social cohesion against hate and division.2024
Continuing violence overseas is felt deeply by local communities. Religious leaders call for interfaith unity after a stabbing in a church leads to rioting. COMPACT has engaged more than 80,000 young people. An independent evaluation finds ‘COMPACT has demonstrated resilience to changes in the community harmony landscape and has withstood challenges to social cohesion brought on by adverse events.’ The statewide COMPACT Alliance convenes to tackle the increasing spread of online hate and disinformation at the COMPACT X DIGI Engage Summit.2025+
COMPACT has more work to do. New threats to community harmony are emerging. The lines are becoming blurred between local and global, foreign and domestic, online and offline. Young people are concerned about hate and polarisation and want to do something about it. In an increasingly uncertain world, COMPACT will continue to be a voice and a force for community harmony in New South Wales.Other articles you might like...
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