A program designed to help Embrace Diversity, Build on Strengths and Grow Community

Experiencing the PALMS NWB Training has been a unique thing for me, after more than 60 years of Community Development work. The way PALMS thoroughly researches the content, “works the program,” maintains contemporaneity, and facilitates the experiences is thoroughly professional, but also uniquely warm and relational, while being spirit filled.

Dr Robbie Lloyd (Justice & Peace Office, Sydney Archdiocese)

Why:

We are witnessing the emergence of deep divisions in socio-political affairs.  Clearly Australia is not immune from what the Trump presidency revealed in the United States.  Just living in the same neighbourhood no longer provides loyalty to a common social contract.  

We are struggling for an identity that includes all of our citizens: an identity that all can accept as truthful and allows us to work together for the common good of the society as a whole.  Palms experience since 1961 of preparing people for cross-cultural engagement globally teaches us that the frontline of any national struggle is in local communities.  Neighbours Without Borders (NWB) is a dynamic innovation that enables you to uniquely address the struggle as it manifests in your community.

Who needs it?

NWB is a tool for governments, schools, churches, clubs and other community groups finding it harder to engage people.  Evidence exists to suggest that this growing societal wide concern has been exacerbated further during the COVID pandemic.

How does it work?

NWB provides communities with creative frameworks and tools that allow all cultures and sub-cultures to bring their strengths to inclusive community development.  Initial processes ensure a safe space is developed to explore and set aside suspicion and fear of difference.  Activities then turn to creating new excitement for collective community growth.

Vision:

People reaching beyond culture, religion, nationality, gender, class, and individualism, for harmony to achieve a just and flourishing community.

Mission Goals:

  1. Provide diverse stakeholder groups with frameworks and activities that assist to identify:
  • barriers preventing individuals and the community as a whole from meeting their needs and potential;
  • the strengths that diversity provides to engage all in contributing to living a collective vision for community growth.

2. Assist communities to develop strategies that utilise strengths in the community to enable harmonious, sustainable engagements, centered on justice, whereby all enjoy life to the fullest.

Approach and Methodology on linked page.

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom