Melbourne’s Multicultural Hub marked its fifth birthday this week with a celebratory event attended by staff and frequent users of the hub’s facilities.

“We are celebrating half a decade of providing a friendly venue where people from diverse communities can meet, work and learn,” said AMES Manager, Community and Volunteering Maria Tsopanis.

During the celebration the City of Melbourne announced it would match dollar for dollar $150,000 in grants already received to upgrade the hub’s facilities.

Operated by settlement agency AMES in partnership with the City of Melbourne, the hub is an opportunity to help strengthen community connections and foster good will; a central place for the city’s culturally diverse communities to meet, interact, collaborate and create opportunities for the sharing of knowledge.

The hub has hosted many cultural, artistic and learning events over the past five years, including: the inaugural AMES Address, presented by businessman and philanthropist David Smorgon; international folk artists; writers’ forums; food and wine festival events; and, health and wellbeing sessions.

“We at the Multicultural Hub are proud to provide a venue for Melbourne’s emerging diverse communities to come together,” Maria said.

“We have held many memorable events and have provided emerging communities with opportunities for cultural and leisure activities as well as forums and training sessions,” she said.

“We look forward to continuing the work into the future,” Maria said.

The hub regularly facilitates English language and conversation classes, job clubs, music sessions, mothers groups and more.