Tim’s Website

One of the things that I have enjoyed being part of since leaving Strathcona and joining Adobe’s Education Team has been co-directing the Building Bridges program. This week I had the pleasure of visiting two of the Building Bridges Creative Days.

Eastern Region Creative Day at Luther College

East Preston Islamic College student working with Strathcona students at the Central Region Creative Day

Building Bridges is an interfaith dialogue program that has been running for over 10 years and has involved about 30 schools in four regions of Melbourne.

The Eastern Region’s Creative Day was hosted by Luther College and my Uncle Tim Costello (the CEO of World Vision Australia) kindly agreed to speak to the group of about 80 students in Year 10 & 11 from Avila College, Minaret College, Caulfield Grammar School (Wheelers Hill), Mt Scopus, Aquinas College, Luther College, Emmaus College and Donvale Christian School.

Rev Tim Costello speaking at the Eastern Region Creative Day

Tim shared that World Vision has a large population of Muslims and other people from non-Christian backgrounds working for them even though they are a ‘Christian’ organistion. He encouraged the students to keep this commitment of dialogue an friendship going and to make a loving connections in a world were there are lots of disconnects.

Click here to see an article from the Luther College Website

Bialik College hosted The Central Region Creative Day which involved students and teachers from Bialik College, East Preston Islamic College, Sienna Collage, Strathcona BGGS, Melbourne Grammar & Xavier College. Ruth Sandy (Central Coordinator) and Ellie (Bialik Teacher) put on a great program of activities to help conclude a wonderful year of dialogue and relationship building between the faith groups.

Ruth Sandy addressing the Central Region Creative Day at Bialik College

Ruth told the group that the end of the Building Bridges program is only the beginning of a continued commitment to building trust and friendship with each other and breaking through the stereotypes and misconceptions so widely publicised in today’s media. She reminded them that the aim of bridge is to walk on it and overcome the obstacles.

Special thank you to everyone involved in the 2014 Building Bridges Program – long may it continue.