Meet Lenard

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My name is Lenard, and I love South Australia’s multicultural communities. As a second-generation Southern Italian-Australian, my family heritage spans two regions in Italy: Molfetta in Puglia and Benevento in Campania.

My love for our diversity of cultures began when I learned Italian at school to better communicate with my Nonna and Nonno. This experience opened my eyes to the power of language in building relationships. Later, as a university student in 2015, I found myself making friends with many international students. It was then that I began wondering: if learning Italian had helped me connect with my grandparents, perhaps learning words from other languages could help me connect with even more people.

Since then, various communities have welcomed me with open arms to collaborate in building a more intercultural South Australia. In 2019, I became President of the Adelaide University Rotaract Club. Our signature annual charity fundraiser, Cultural Night, was growing rapidly as more communities became interested and involved. This event later evolved into the non-profit community organisation, MOSAIC Adelaide, of which I am now proud to be CEO with an amazingly passionate and growing team to create even more intercultural experiences in South Australia.

Through a Rotary connection, I was introduced to Helena Kyriazopoulos, the CEO of MCCSA. Not long after, in August of that year, MCCSA Board invited me to join as a co-opted member. Working with multicultural communities has shown me how much they are full of life, passion, and inspiring stories of resilience. These are stories that need to be shared.

MCCSA has been instrumental in supporting me personally and through MOSAIC Adelaide since 2019. The impact of MCCSA is immense, and I see it as a home for many communities due to the vast support it provides. Through MCCSA’s Community Development workshops, I learned about strategic plans, Memorandums of Understanding, and policy development. These have proven to be valuable tools for community organisations.

MCCSA has been a key supporter of our events. They sponsored our flagship intercultural events in 2019 and 2021, and became an event partner for MOSAIC Adelaide in 2023. This support included event insurance coverage and significant promotional assistance. Additionally, MCCSA served as an incubator for our MOSAIC Cooking Classes held in the Adelaide Central Market. These classes emerged from the Community Development program, in collaboration with multiple multicultural community organisations.

MCCSA has opened up a whole new South Australia to me and given me the opportunity to gain a vibrant extended family through its programs. My networks in the multicultural space in South Australia expanded greatly as a result of my involvement with MCCSA, and from this, MOSAIC Adelaide was born with the support of this same community.

MCCSA’s “Going Places” community bus program has been a valuable resource for our organisation. We’ve used it for community trips to Beerenberg Family Farm near Hahndorf for strawberry picking, and to attend the Frahn’s Farm Tree planting festival in Monarto.

The Leadership and Networking Nights hosted by MCCSA provide a hub for community leaders to connect and empower one another. This is where the magic happens. Community leaders come together to make a difference, collaborate, and build a more united multicultural South Australia. The buzzing energy in the room at these events is fantastic!

The community hall and training rooms at MCCSA serve as a vibrant space for countless occasions. From training sessions and board meetings to various community events, there’s always something happening. Every week, a diverse array of activities takes place, offering a beautiful window into the lives of multicultural South Australians. It’s no wonder that many people call MCCSA their ‘home’.

A deeply personal experience – the loss of my younger brother to suicide – has profoundly impacted my life’s direction. This tragedy has fuelled my commitment to prioritise men’s mental health and support those around me, aiming to prevent others from experiencing such heartbreak. In Australia, the suicide rate is a pressing concern, with 8.6 Australians dying by suicide every day – more than double the road toll. Even more alarming, 75% of those who take their own life are male (ABS, 2022). These statistics underscore the urgent need for targeted support and intervention.

MCCSA has been an unwavering source of support throughout this journey. Their compassion during my family’s difficult time will always stay with me. Recently, I’ve taken on a new role at MCCSA as a project officer for men’s health and wellbeing, working with MCCSA Men’s Council. This position allows me to channel my personal experience into meaningful advocacy – a cause very close to my heart.

This position, alongside MCCSA’s ongoing support for initiatives like MOSAIC Adelaide, demonstrates their dedication to addressing critical community needs. I am profoundly grateful to MCCSA for the countless ways they’ve positively impacted my life and the lives of so many others, empowering us to create a more significant change in South Australia.