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Global Melbourne

About The Program

The Global Melbourne project ended in 2020. The program was designed to empower multicultural residents and visitors to protect our Bay.

Melbourne is diverse and growing. Over 40% of residents are born overseas and the city hosts 2.5 million international visitors annually. The Global Melbourne project engaged with multicultural communities by removing barriers and increasing opportunities to learn about and take action to protect the Bay. We did this in various ways: partnering with hostels and tour operators to encourage eco-active tourism; recruiting culturally diverse youth as Multicultural Bay Ambassadors; and developing multilingual Baykeepers short films to improve accessibility and community engagement.

EcoCentre educators delivered monthly events for guests at Melbourne YHA and Habitat HQ on local flora & fauna, as well as facilitated volunteering activities to protect our Bay and marine life at St Kilda foreshore. We also worked closely with hostel staff and provided training to support ongoing initiatives to increase environmentally conscious travel.

Walks 101 is partnered with the EcoCentre to run walking tours to explore urban wildlife and Melbourne waterways, by incorporating elements that demonstrated how city life is connected to Port Phillip Bay.

YHA logo.png  Habitat HQ logo.png   Walkslogo-square.jpg

To better understand and engage effectively with Melbourne’s diverse residents, we recruited four culturally diverse volunteer interns as the EcoCentre’s Multicultural Bay Ambassadors. These ambassadors experienced and were trained on a range of Baykeeper activities and championed new engagement events to help the EcoCentre deliver more inclusive programs. Read more about this continuing program!

Baykeepers shorts with subtitles Discover Port Phillip Bay through our Baykeepers short films! Subtitles are available in nine community languages, thanks to the help of our volunteers: Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), French, German, Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese.

 

Baykeepers: Time of Chaos

Humans have long been entrusted to protect Nairm (Port Phillip Bay). N’arweet Carolyn Briggs, Boon Wurrung Elder, shares the Time of Chaos story which tells how Nairm was formed and why we must continue to protect it.

 

Baykeepers: Beauty of our Bay

There are more endemic species below the surface of Port Phillip Bay than there are in the Great Barrier Reef – but the beauty of our Bay is under threat from plastic pollution.

 

Our Catchment

Our city is a wonderfully diverse place full of global citizens doing their part to make a big difference. Stories of four inspiring volunteers taking environmental action converging around the Port Phillip EcoCentre.

Our partners: YHA Melbourne, Habitat HQ, Walks 101, Lutman Flims. This project was funded by the Victorian Government Port Phillip Bay Fund from 2018 to 2020.

"I loved spending time outdoors with the team and helping a great cause, plus learning more about our environment and penguins."

- Victoria, Corporate Volunteer from ANZ

The EcoCentre acknowledges the Kulin Nations, including the Yalukit Willam clan of the Boon Wurrung language group, traditional custodians of the land on which we are located.

We pay respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to other First Nations and Elder members of our multicultural community.