September 12, 2014

Student keen to promote cultural intelligence as a pathway to peace and understanding

Marlee Silva is passionate about making a difference in her community and has been given the opportunity to do just that after securing a place on an Oxfam program for young leaders.

The Oxfam ChangeCourse program engages promising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and provides them networking opportunities, as well as leadership skills and training.

Marlee, 18, a first year journalism and creative writing student, secured a two-year place on the program recently after returning from the young leaders conference in Glasgow in July.

“I’ve always thought my path in life would be closely linked with my continual efforts to help in combating the issues I see my people face,” she said.

Coming from a predominantly Anglo-Saxon community, Marlee hopes to develop a program that encourages cultural intelligence among youth in her community.

She says that cultural intelligence – a concept that explores your own and others’ cultures to promote peaceful and productive co-existence – is a concept she learnt about whilst at the 33Fifty conference.

“The issues myself and my family have faced have come in the form of a lack of cultural understanding, education or respect from those around us. My dream is to establish a program that is focused on developing and promoting the concept of cultural intelligence,” she added.

Marlee hopes that as one of the 30 people chosen to be part of this program she can gain all the tools and connections necessary to see her program established.

She will travel to Adelaide in November for an initial meet and greet and orientation of the program.