The LGSC participants experienced a cultural shock when they took part in a cultural diversity education day. The participants learned the value of building a strong culture in a work place, and the differences in cultures all around the world including the ongoing devastation in the middle east affecting millions of refugees. 

The event started with Lynda Ford explaining the crisis in Syria and the impacts on its people that is directly affecting family’s livelihoods to the extent they have no choice but to leave. Lynda has almost 30 years of experience in human services organisations and local government. She has worked in areas of child protection and community development with disadvantaged youth and families, with migrants and refugees.  Lynda shared her experience with the group and via an interactive session, the participants took part in a role playing exercise which told the heart wrenching story of a family of refugees who through all of the dismay were ‘lucky’ enough to gain access to Australia. 

After the main break of the day the mood took a turn focusing on cultural diversity in the work place. The discussion, led by Greg Wells, specialist business advisor and facilitator.Greg expressed that we should develop staff to be able to make their own decisions and that these decisions need to be safe, profitable and help the reputation of the business.  Greg left the group with an interesting quote to savour ‘at the end of the day your culture is defined by the behaviours that you reward (remember: if you see poor behaviour and you ignore it you are actually rewarding it by default). The standard you walk past is the standard you set.