July 21, 2026
Multicultural, monocultural, what even are people talking about? When people don’t define their terms, they often end up talking at cross-purposes. As humans, do we have time for the basic fights that emerge from foggy definitions? In the absence of rigour and consensus, Cultural Infusion relies on our own scientific definitions, which posit that cultural identity is temporal, unique to everyone, multidimensional and interconnected. This means that when more than one person is in a room, that room is multicultural, and intercultural understanding is a vital human capability, not a partisan position. Whew, glad that’s cleared up! Now please read on for more on our latest programs, offerings and provocations!
Education & Experiences News
Experience Wayang Puppetry in 2026
Sumardi, one of Indonesia’s leading master puppeteers, is returning to Australia in 2026 to share an artform inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural heritage of Humanity.
In a one-man theatre performance, Dalang Sumardi animates puppets, voices characters and performs live music. Some of his puppets are more than 100 years old, carrying generations of craftsmanship and story. Students experience the performance from both sides, with a rare behind-the-screen view of wayang in action. Some of Sumardi’s puppets are more than 100 years old, carrying generations of craftsmanship and story.
Students experience the performance from both sides, with a rare behind-the-screen view of wayang in action.
Available Programs
Wayang Kulit 50 min | Schools, Libraries, Community
Traditional shadow puppetry featuring intricately handcrafted leather puppets.
Wayang Kancil 40 min | Early Learning
Engaging animal puppet stories designed for early learners.
Learning Hub Is Live, with More Resources & Tools for Teachers!
Our reimagined Cultural Infusion Learning Hub has officially launched, bringing updated lesson plans, digital tools and teacher resources together to help spark rich conversations and deepen intercultural understanding.
Book a Cultural Infusion program and receive 3 months of complimentary Premium access to our upgraded learning platform. New to Cultural Infusion? Create a free educator account for a 7-day Premium trial.
Building Intercultural Capability in Victorian Schools
The Intercultural Citizenship Ambassador Program (ICAP)* continues to grow across Victoria, with schools reporting strong engagement and positive outcomes from recent program delivery.
Designed by Cultural Infusion, ICAP supports students to develop empathy, intercultural understanding, leadership skills and confidence through facilitated conversations, collaborative activities and meaningful opportunities for student voice.
Thanks to Victorian Government funding, ICAP is currently available free of charge for Year 7, 8 and 9 students at Victorian Government secondary schools. The 2026 program calendar is already fully booked, and we are welcoming expressions of interest from schools planning for 2027 and 2028.
If your school is interested in helping students build the skills to navigate an increasingly diverse world, we would love to hear from you.
👉 Learn more about our approach to intercultural understanding in the classroom.
👉 Enquire here for ICAP 2027 or 2028.
*Available in Victoria only.
FREE for Year 7, 8 and 9 students at Victorian government schools.
Discover the Cultural Story of Your School Community with Atlas
Every school community is shaped by the unique experiences, backgrounds and perspectives of its students, families and staff. Understanding this diversity can help schools strengthen belonging, inclusion and intercultural learning.
Atlas for Schools provides a secure and ethical way for schools to explore their cultural profile through anonymised data collection. By completing a simple survey, schools receive a tailored report highlighting insights into areas such as languages, heritage, countries of birth, belief systems and more, along with resources to support meaningful classroom conversations.
Trusted by organisations and communities across more than 40 countries, Atlas helps schools move beyond assumptions and better understand the people they serve. We are offering Atlas free of charge to a limited number of schools.
Discover New Cultural Experiences for Schools and Communities
Italian Rhythms & Culture | VIC
Dive into the fast-paced joy of the Italian tarantella with live accordion, hands-on tamburello rhythms and dance for a high-energy journey into Italian music and culture.
Afro-Colombian Rhythms & Culture | VIC
Immerse in the vibrant sounds of Colombia’s Afro-Caribbean coast through authentic percussion (drums, tambora, gaita and maracas), learning cumbia and puya rhythms before joining a celebratory group performance.
Intern With Us!
The Cultural Infusion Internship and Fellowship Program is officially open, and this is a chance to gain real experience, real mentorship, and an internationally recognised cross-cultural training by one of Australia’s most awarded cultural organisations. Send these links to someone in your network you know would benefit!
Apply now → https://foundation.culturalinfusion.com/internships/
Email: [email protected]
The Atlas Platform News
Our Atlas platform turns anonymised cultural data into clear, actionable insight for schools, workplaces and communities. Here’s what’s new this month.
AIRI Has Landed
Our AI Readiness Survey (AIRI) is, well, ready! AI is reshaping every workplace but most organisations don’t know how ready they really are, and the gap between what leaders believe and what staff experience is often the biggest risk.
AIRI is a two-stage survey: one set of questions goes to leaders, the other to staff, from which our data scientists build a perception-gap analysis across six pillars, from ‘Preparation’ to ‘Output’ to ‘Crystal Ball’.
Atlas at the TechDiversity Awards
See Atlas in action at this year’s annual awards in Sydney, recognising great work organisations and people are doing. If you haven’t booked your tickets, there’s still time. We’ll be revealing the cultural diversity in the room and contributing to the TechReflects study.
PCI: The People & Culture Index
Not yet fully launched, but already taking many sign-ups: PCI is an anonymous data-collection project on real-world behaviours and cultural norms in the workplace, shaped by hundreds of interviews with HR leaders worldwide.
Getting B Corp Certified Made Easier
This Atlas product is taking off, with multiple customers (mainly in the UK) using it for their B Corp aspirations. As Andy Hawkins of Business on Purpose put it, using our Atlas B Corp evidence collection tool is a ‘no-brainer’, safely and expertly collecting evidence for up to 15 B Lab 2.1 standards.
Events
Cultural Infusion Renews Media Partnership with Global Insight Conferences
Cultural Infusion, through its Atlas platform, is once again an official media partner of Global Insight Conferences for the 8th Annual Diversity & Inclusion Conference, taking place 10 September 2026 at The Copthorne Tara Hotel, London. Building on a successful partnership from the April 2026 edition, the collaboration will help elevate evidence-based, culturally intelligent insights for the 31+ senior D&I and HR leaders expected to attend. The one-day event tackles practical DEI strategy, from neurodiversity and psychological safety to measuring what matters in inclusion.
The Wellbeing Workout, Brighton, England
Cultural Infusion Head of Culture and Engagement Kasia Hayward shares exactly how a disconnect between people data and the real human experience impacts your business, giving you the practical tools to bridge the gap in the following keynote at The Wellbeing Workout, Brighton, England on 15 July:
👉 The CODE for Organisational Fitness: Designing organisational fitness through Culture, Opportunity, Data and Experience
👉 Learn more
Melbourne Build Expo 2026
Cultural Infusion is once again a media partner for the Melbourne edition, and CEO Peter Mousaferiadis takes the stage to share thoughts on inclusion and culture in an industry that affects everyone. Free & open to the public.
Voices of Cultural Infusion
Explore our latest thought leadership on culture, cultural diversity, inclusion, technology and data with fresh perspectives, emerging ideas and practical insights that can help you skilfully navigate our increasingly diverse and interconnected world.
New Research: A Risk-Based Framework for Cyber Assurance in Australia
A new paper from the research team led by Cultural Infusion CTO Rezza Moieni introduces CAGE, a risk-based framework for turning cloud security alerts into audit-ready evidence.
A holistic Response to Australia’s 2024 Multicultural Framework Review
Since Pauline Hanson’s address to the National Press Club of Australia when she advocated for a monocultural Australia, one thing remains clear: we don’t have a shared understanding or definition of multicultural. And, as Peter Mousaferiadis told the Greek Herald, Australia’s future will not be secured by setting one group against another.
A Holistic Response to the 2024 Multicultural Framework Review
Imprecise definitions and understanding of multiculturalism, Peter wrote in a response to the 2024 Multicultural Framework Review (MFR), ‘permeate all levels of government in Australia.’
How Cultural Infusion Got Its Name
Watch Cultural Infusion’s Peter Mousaferiadis and Aphrodite Simopoulos share the story behind our name.
Calendar Spotlight
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, 9 August 2026
Representing less than 6% of the world’s population, Indigenous people speak the great majority of the world’s approximately 7,000 languages. As custodians of thousands of cultural traditions, knowledge and relationships with the environment, Indigenous Peoples protect and enrich our shared human heritage, and many face common challenges in protecting their rights, cultures and identities.
Many of Cultural Infusion’s artists represent Indigenous traditions of the world, and last year Cultural Infusion proudly sponsored meals for 85 representatives of the Munduruku people of Pará, Brazil, who travelled more than 1,600 kilometres from Jacareacanga to COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
If you’re looking for ways to commemorate this day at your school, workplace or your community, we’d love to help. Cultural Infusion’s range of specifically Aboriginal cultural experiences led by First Nations presenters across Australia include Aboriginal Infusion, Aboriginal Culture for a Day, Mini Aboriginal Cultural Day, Aboriginal Storytelling through Art, Aboriginal Mural Creation, Aboriginal Games, Aboriginal Storytelling and Artefacts and Indigenous Sounds and Didgeridoo Storytelling. For teachers and educators, we also have a professional learning workshop that aims to inspire reflection and critical thinking around Aboriginal perspectives in the classroom.
Thanks for reading! Keep your definitions sharp, be well, and see you next month!!
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