Culture is something we encounter, navigate, and learn from in our daily lives. Once we recognise its complexity, we can engage with culture in more effective ways.
From classroom discussions to global conversations about technology and cultural identity, this month’s stories explore how we can enhance our understanding and appreciation of the cultures around us.
Discover how schools are building intercultural capabilities, how cultural data can help communities better understand themselves, and how Cultural Infusion is contributing to important conversations about culture, inclusion and representation worldwide.
ANNOUNCING | Cultural Infusion Has a New Home!
We have moved! You can now find Cultural Infusion at Level 1, 1/105 Rupert St, Collingwood, VIC 3066. We are excited to settle in and start this next stage in our new space.
While our address may have changed, you can still reach us through all the usual channels. From cultural programs to Atlas to our growing range of educational resources, we look forward to creating many more meaningful experiences and connections with you!
In This Issue
- Education & Experiences – For teachers & schools
- The Atlas Platform – Cultural data & tools
- Key Events – Where to find us
- Voices of Cultural Infusion – Research & perspectives
- Cultural Infusion Organisation – Internships & careers
- Calendar Spotlight – Dates worth marking
1. Education & Experiences
Bring the Magic of Indonesian Puppetry to Your School
Dalang Sumardi has shared the Wayang tradition around the world for more than 30 years.
As students experience the artistry of Sumardi’s shadow puppetry, including voices and music, they will also have opportunities to step behind the stage and discover the skills and crafts that bring the shadows to life — including seeing puppets up close, some of which are over 100 years old! Younger audiences can also enjoy Wayang Kancil, a playful tale of Indonesian folklore full of humour, animal characters and gentle moral lessons.
Why stop at one performance? Pair it with Demetrius’ energetic Opa! Greek Dance and Culture workshop for a double Cultural Bill — enjoy a discounted rate, with travel fees waived for the tour as well!
* Opa! Greek Dance and Culture is available in WA, SA and VIC only.
Wayang programs are available across all listed states, subject to location and availability.
Touring Dates: October–November 2026 (TBC):
- WA | 12–15 October 2026
- SA | 20–23 October 2026
- VIC | 26 October – 6 November 2026
- NSW | 9–13 November 2026
- ACT | 12–13 November 2026
Dates are limited and availability varies by location, so get in early.
Building Intercultural Capability in Victorian Schools
The Intercultural Citizenship Ambassador Program (ICAP) continues to expand across Victoria, with schools reporting strong engagement and positive outcomes. Funded by the Victorian Government, it’s currently free for students at Victorian government secondary schools. The 2026 calendar is fully booked — we’re welcoming expressions of interest for 2027 and 2028.
Discover the Cultural Story of Your School Community with Atlas
Atlas for Schools provides a secure, ethical way to explore your cultural profile using anonymised data. Schools receive a tailored report covering languages, heritage, countries of birth, belief systems and more — free of charge for a limited number of schools.
2. The Atlas Platform
Help Shape Our Company Values Whitepaper
Do your company values make sense to staff? Are they meaningful, and can they be measured? We’ve embarked on a research piece to inform a white paper and refinements to our products.
We want to hear from HR peeps across regions, industries and company sizes, to get an accurate bird’s eye view. It takes 10–15 minutes, stays anonymous unless you say otherwise, and contributors get our deep thanks plus first access to the whitepaper once it’s ready.
Got a few opinions on how company values shape workplace culture? We’d love to hear them.
Nobody Is 78% Engaged
Preliminary findings from our People & Culture Index (PCI) white paper research explore the gap between company values and lived workplace culture.
Cultural Infusion Product Director Quincy Hall explains that once a score becomes a KPI, organisations can become focused on improving the number rather than addressing the underlying reality it is supposed to measure.
So instead of reducing workplace culture to a single averaged score, the PCI compares survey responses from leaders and staff. This makes it possible to see where their views align and where there is a gap between what leaders believe employees are experiencing and what employees report themselves.
3. Key Events
Building Bridges Between Religious Freedom and Responsible Technology
Day 2 of the 2026 IRF Peace Builders Forum brought civil society, government, business and faith leaders together at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., for America250: Building on the Presence and the Promise of Religious Freedom, marking the launch of the Civil Society Collaborative for Religious Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity.
Cultural Infusion was honoured to be represented by Gold Darr and Ben Christensen, while our CEO was called ‘a brilliant almost rock star’ for caring about faith communities and their freedoms.
Hear Gold discuss how we went from 10,000 species of bananas to essentially two, and why AI is a fundamental battle site for the freedom of thought.
- Listen to the discussion (5 mins)
Atlas at the TechDiversity Awards
For the last nine years, Cultural infusion has attended the TechDiversity awards night, and we’re also a former two-times winner of their merit award. This year, the event took place in Sydney with Cultural Infusion CTO Rezza Moieni representing us, including a live demo of what the actual diversity in the event looked like.
Some of the findings: 34 countries and 58 languages were represented at the event. The three most spoken languages were English, Spanish and French. Mandarin and Arabic, top languages in the Australian census, were very underrepresented. Naming gaps is the first step to closing them.
We also revealed that 34% of this tech savvy room ‘always’ ask whose data an AI has been trained on.
We are official media partners of:
4. Voices of Cultural Infusion
The Fearless Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leadership Experience Series
Ready to turn your commitment to inclusion into meaningful action?
Series Dates
- Wednesday 23 September 2026 | 11am-12.30pm
- Wednesday 30 September 2026 | 11am-12.30pm
- Wednesday 7 October 2026 | 11am-12.30pm
This dynamic online program is designed to help leaders build the confidence and practical skills to drive positive change – and it’s facilitated by some of our best friends, leading DEI experts Roman Ružbacký, Fiona Krautil and Tom Verghese, authors of The Fearless Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practitioner, which has just been published in a new edition.
Places are limited, so register now and take the leap towards fearless leadership.
The Odyssey Controversy
Peter Mousaferiadis weighs in on the controversy surrounding Christopher Nolan’s retelling of The Odyssey, focusing on casting and questions of historical and cultural authenticity. Read his article in the Greek Herald, or hear him discuss it with 3AW’s Tom Elliott.
New Research: Turning Cybersecurity Alerts into Action
A new paper by CTO Rezza Moieni, co-authored with Parisasadat Shojaei, explores how organisations can turn complex cybersecurity information into clearer, actionable insight — bridging the gap between technical security and effective governance.
5. Cultural Infusion Organisation
Intern With Us!
Over the past two months, we have received more than 200 applications for our internship programs, with 10+ interns already commencing placements across various projects and teams. We’ve also expanded opportunities to international students, with support including visa guidance, arrival assistance and cross-cultural learning.
Email: intern@culturalinfusion.com
Interns Workshop with Our CEO
On 4 August, CEO Peter Mousaferiadis delivered an inspiring workshop for our current interns on culture, diversity and intercultural understanding in today’s global workforce.
Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Launch Experience
Kick off your organisation’s reconciliation journey with an impactful, tailored RAP Launch Experience led by a First Nations presenter. 30–60 minutes.
6. Calendar Spotlight
Key dates across the world worth knowing about, and marking on your own calendar.
International Day of Sign Languages | 23 September 2026
The International Day of Sign Languages advocates for the human rights of deaf individuals and celebrates the cultural diversity of sign language users. Established to commemorate the founding of the World Federation of the Deaf in 1951, this day emphasises that sign languages are equal in status to spoken languages.
Sign language, rich in grammar and culture, demonstrates the expressiveness of communication beyond spoken words. Keeping this in mind, here are two of our workshops that explore the power of physical and non-verbal expression:
Thanks for reading! Keep the conversation going, be well, and see you next month.
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Cultural Infusion (CUIN)Address: Level 1, 1/105 Rupert St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Cultural Infusion has its offices based on the ancestral land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge and pay respect to the past, present and future traditional custodians and elders and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia.