Towards active engagement: Understanding how organisations are using technology to connect with diverse groups during COVID-19

This report examines how organisations working with diverse communities use digital communication and online platforms to bridge social cohesion and inclusion during crisis events. Amid the COVID-19 lockdown periods in Australia, researchers from the Monash Migration and Inclusion Centre interviewed 23 key stakeholders who work directly with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Victoria. These included NGOs, educational institutions, community stakeholders and leaders, advocacy groups, multicultural organisations, local government representatives, and peak bodies. The interviews with these stakeholders provided deeper understandings of how program
and service delivery modes shifted, how technology was harnessed, the strategies employed to connect with diverse groups, and the opportunities and challenges that emerged when transitioning services into the online sphere.

This report presents these results followed by a discussion of immediately relevant and applicable next steps for stakeholders who work with diverse communities.