Three individuals and organisations making a meaningful contribution to inclusion, participation and community connection have been recognised through the Blacktown City Multicultural Awards. The 2026 recipients reflect the wide-ranging efforts taking place across a city of around 460,000 residents and more than 180 nationalities.
This year’s honours recognise SydWest Multicultural Services, Ruvi Pooliyadde and Dr Kanan Shah, whose work spans employment support, youth leadership, cultural education and the performing arts. Their initiatives demonstrate different ways of helping people participate in community life while creating stronger connections between residents from diverse backgrounds.
SydWest Multicultural Services – Community Project Award
SydWest Multicultural Services was recognised with the Community Project Award for its Employment Accelerator program, an initiative designed to help new arrivals and refugees overcome barriers to employment across Blacktown and Greater Western Sydney.
The program, which began in 2018, brings together more than 50 organisations and stakeholders from different sectors. By connecting services, employers and other community partners, the initiative works to create clearer pathways into employment and improve job opportunities for people establishing their lives in Australia.
The program focuses on practical employment challenges faced by newcomers and refugees, bringing different parts of the community together to address those barriers. Its recognition highlights the importance of collaboration between organisations when supporting people to participate economically and socially in their new communities.
Ruvi Pooliyadde – Emerging Young Leader Award
Young community contributor Ruvi Pooliyadde received the Emerging Young Leader Award for projects she began at an early age. Her community involvement started when she was just nine years old, when she began crocheting poppies for the Blacktown RSL Sub-branch.
The project was created to honour Australian veterans while helping preserve the significance of the Anzac story for future generations. Ruvi’s contribution later expanded into children’s literature, with the creation of The Birth of the Poppy Flower, a bilingual book written in Sinhala and English.
Through the book and her poppy project, Ruvi has connected her Sri Lankan cultural background with an important part of Australian history. Her work provides an opportunity for children from different cultural backgrounds to learn about the Anzac tradition while seeing their own multicultural identities reflected in community activities.
Her recognition also highlights the role young people can play in creating understanding between communities. By combining creativity, cultural heritage and historical education, Ruvi has developed projects that encourage younger Australians to learn from one another and participate in shared community experiences.
Dr Kanan Shah – Multicultural Champion, Individual Achievement Award
Dr Kanan Shah was presented with the Multicultural Champion, Individual Achievement Award for her work through the Nartan Institute of Performing Arts, where she has used creative education and mentoring to encourage participation and belonging.
As founder and director of the institute, Dr Shah has supported hundreds of young people through mentoring while using performing arts as a means of bringing people together. Her work extends beyond performance training, with programs designed to encourage engagement across different age groups and abilities.
The Nartan Institute conducts dance and wellbeing workshops for preschool-aged children, seniors and people with disability. These activities provide participants with opportunities to engage with the arts while developing confidence, social connections and a stronger sense of inclusion.
Dr Shah’s recognition reflects the role that arts and cultural activities can play in strengthening communities. Her approach brings people from different generations and backgrounds into shared spaces, using performance, education and personal mentoring to encourage participation.
Recognising Community Connections Across Blacktown
Blacktown City Mayor Brad Bunting congratulated the three recipients, highlighting the practical impact of their work across the community. He noted that strong multicultural communities are built through everyday relationships and opportunities that allow residents to participate and feel welcomed.
The three recipients represent distinctly different areas of community contribution. SydWest Multicultural Services is supporting newcomers and refugees towards employment, Ruvi is helping younger Australians connect with the Anzac story, while Dr Shah is using performing arts and mentoring to bring people together.
Their recognition comes in a city characterised by significant cultural diversity, with residents representing more than 180 nationalities. The awards provide an opportunity to highlight initiatives that contribute to inclusion while demonstrating how community participation can take many different forms.
The achievements of SydWest Multicultural Services, Ruvi Pooliyadde and Dr Kanan Shah show how employment support, youth-led projects, cultural education and the arts can each contribute to a stronger sense of belonging. Their work continues to create opportunities for people to connect, participate and build relationships across Blacktown City.
