Twenty-five million people call Australia home – and each person has a story.
Australia has long been recognised as one of the most successful and harmonious multicultural countries in the world. Australia is unique, being home to the world’s oldest continuous culture, as well as Australians who identify with more than 300 ancestries.
But sadly, in times of stress and disruption such as COVID-19, we see this harmony crack, with a rise in acts of racism and scapegoating against people from some ethnic backgrounds.
The Australian National Maritime Museum wants to shine a light on the extraordinarily diverse experiences of immigrants to Australia to promote empathy and compassion and to foster social cohesion.
It’s a chance to focus on what connects us rather than divides us – our common humanity.
What is the Australian National Maritime Museum doing?
We want to bring The UK Empathy Museum’s A Mile in My Shoes, a wonderfully innovative, immersive art-experience which has opened hearts and minds around the world to Sydney. Check out the video below to see visitors experiencing the exhibition in the UK.
The Australian National Maritime Museum wants to bring this project to Sydney next January to tell the story of immigrant Australians but we need your help.
A Mile in My Shoes invites visitors to walk in someone else’s shoes – literally. Inside in a giant shoebox, visitors are provided with a stranger’s pair of shoes and an audio recording and are encouraged to walk a mile to understand where that person came from and what has shaped their personal story.
Our goal is to capture and share up to 35 uniquely Australian stories of immigrants, bringing to life wonderful stories of resilience and generosity. The project will be free to the public and the stories will be available on online for visitors who can’t attend in person.
Why do we need your help?
Like most places, the disruption caused by COVID-19 has affected the museum. We receive around 45% of our operating budget through commercial activities which has, and will continue to be impacted.
The museum, through its Maritime Heritage Fund, is passionate about continuing to develop new and exciting opportunities to address social cohesion and community spirit but we need your help to bring this powerful initiative to life. Explore more of what the museum is doing in the migration and cultural heritage space.
Funds will be used to source, record and produce the stories, fit out the giant shoebox, pay licensing fees for the experience and market and operate the project.
Non-refundable tax-deductible donations to the Migration Heritage Fund will be used for projects such as A Mile in My Shoes to help build understanding and contribute to an inclusive and harmonious society.
Together we can all write the next chapter.
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