Conversation at the Crossroads

Conversation at the Crossroads We’re all aware the world is under a lot of pressure economically, politically, environmentally, and socially. Join us at the Crossroads.

Conversation at the Crossroads is a growing community based in Melbourne with both a local and global mission to connect people from all walks of life to address the most pressing issues of our time. Not only are we facing a pandemic that has affected every life on this planet, but unprecedented fires, climate change, threats to civil liberties, and many other interconnected issues loom large. At

Conversation at the Crossroads, our vision is to create diverse communities on a local and global level that empower more people to engage in the social, environmental and political challenges of our time. Our Mission is to bring people back together, to be inspired and energised, and to learn from each other. Through thoughtful and informed conversation, we equip people with the necessary tools, skills and understanding to become drivers of change within their communities.

Only a few days to go!We're delighted to welcome Santino Deng as one of our guest speakers at Approaching Peace and Conf...
02/08/2026

Only a few days to go!

We're delighted to welcome Santino Deng as one of our guest speakers at Approaching Peace and Conflict Through a Global South Lens this Thursday 6 August.

Santino brings a wealth of experience working across community organisations, government, and academia, with a deep commitment to supporting refugee and migrant communities, strengthening families, and building more inclusive and culturally responsive services. His perspective on community-led peacebuilding and resilience is one you won't want to miss.

Together with fellow panellists, Santino will explore how peace can be understood beyond dominant Western frameworks, drawing on the lived experiences and local knowledge of communities in Afghanistan, Palestine, and South Sudan.

Whether you're interested in peacebuilding, social justice, community leadership, or simply looking to hear fresh perspectives, we'd love you to join us for what promises to be an engaging and meaningful evening.

📅 Thursday 6 August 2026
🕕 6:00–8:00 pm
📍 Pilgrim Theological College, Parkville

🎟️ Only a few days left to book your place! Secure your ticket via TryBooking: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1609608

We hope to see you there.

Whose voices shape our understanding of peace and conflict?Join us on 6 August for an evening of conversation that chall...
28/07/2026

Whose voices shape our understanding of peace and conflict?

Join us on 6 August for an evening of conversation that challenges conventional narratives and centres lived experience.

We're honoured to welcome Nour Salman, Anti-Palestinian Racism Project Lead at APAN, as one of our panellists.

As a geopolitical analyst and communications professional specialising in the SWANA region, Nour brings deep expertise in analysing conflict, alongside her lived experience as an active member of the Palestinian community. Her insights invite us to think more critically about whose voices are heard, whose stories are told, and how we understand peace and justice.

Alongside facilitator Ahmad Nisar and fellow speakers Mursal Sadat and Santino Deng, Nour will explore how communities from Palestine, Afghanistan and South Sudan offer different ways of understanding conflict, resilience and peace.

🗓 Thursday 6 August
🕕 6:00–8:00pm
📍 Pilgrim Theological College, Parkville

Whether you're a student, young professional, community organiser or simply curious to hear diverse perspectives, this conversation is for you.

🎟️ Places are limited—register now https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1609608.

🌏 What shapes our understanding of peace and conflict?Join us for an evening exploring peace through Global South perspe...
22/07/2026

🌏 What shapes our understanding of peace and conflict?

Join us for an evening exploring peace through Global South perspectives, with stories and insights from Afghanistan, Palestine and South Sudan.

🎙️ Facilitated by Ahmad Nisar—award-winning youth advocate, founder of Changemaker, and internationally recognised for his work advancing education, gender equality and mental health for Afghan communities.

Joining Ahmad are Mursal Sadat and Santino Deng, who will share their lived experiences and perspectives on peace, leadership and social change.

📅 Thursday, 6 August 2026
🕕 6:00–8:00pm
📍 Pilgrim Theological College, Parkville

✨ Panel discussion | Audience Q&A | Light refreshments

🎟️ Places are limited. Book now: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1609608

🌍 Who gets to define peace?What if the way we've been taught to think about peace and conflict isn't the only way?Join u...
11/07/2026

🌍 Who gets to define peace?

What if the way we've been taught to think about peace and conflict isn't the only way?

Join us for Approaching Peace and Conflict Through a Global South Lens—a powerful panel discussion exploring Indigenous and non-Western perspectives on peacebuilding, justice, and community resilience.

Hear diverse voices and gain fresh insights through discussions centred on Afghanistan, Palestine, and South Sudan, challenging conventional approaches and highlighting the importance of local knowledge and lived experience.

Whether you're passionate about global affairs, human rights, social justice, or simply want to expand your perspective, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

✨ Connect with like-minded people.
💬 Ask questions.
🌏 Discover new ways of thinking about peace.

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now—secure your spot for 6 August!

👉 Book now: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1609608

📢 New date: This event has been rescheduled from 23 July to Thursday, 6 August, giving even more people the opportunity to join this important conversation.

Tag someone who'd enjoy this conversation. 👇

Approaching Peace and Conflict Through a Global South LensHow might we understand peace differently when we centre Indig...
29/06/2026

Approaching Peace and Conflict Through a Global South Lens

How might we understand peace differently when we centre Indigenous knowledge, local experience, and voices from the Global South?

Join Conversation at the Crossroads for an evening of thoughtful conversation exploring how peacebuilding can move beyond dominant Western frameworks and embrace community-led, culturally grounded approaches to peace, security, and justice.

Our panel will examine these ideas through the experiences of Afghanistan, Palestine, and South Sudan, bringing together speakers whose work and lived experience offer unique perspectives on conflict, resilience, and peace.

Our panel includes:

🌿 Santino Deng – Community leader and educator with extensive experience in refugee resettlement, trauma-informed practice, youth justice, and culturally responsive leadership.

⚽ Mursal Sadat – Member of the Afghanistan Women's National Soccer Team, refugee advocate, and public speaker committed to advancing the rights of women and refugees.

🎵 Yousef Alreemawi – Palestinian-Australian scholar, musician, founder of the Averroes Centre for Arab Culture, and long-time advocate for Palestinian communities in Australia.

The evening will include:
• A facilitated panel discussion
• Audience Q&A
• Small-group conversations over light refreshments and drinks

📅 Thursday 23 July 2026
🕕 6:00–8:00 pm
☕ 6:00–6:30 pm: Light refreshments and networking
🎤 6:30 pm: Panel discussion begins
📍 Pilgrim Theological College
29 College Crescent, Parkville VIC 3052

Please note: This is an in-person event only.

Whether you're interested in peace and conflict studies, international relations, human rights, Indigenous knowledge, theology, development, or global justice, we invite you to be part of this important conversation.

🎟️ Book your place here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1609608

⏳ Just days to go!On Tuesday 30 June at 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm AEST, leading researcher Associate Professor Mario Peucker and...
26/06/2026

⏳ Just days to go!

On Tuesday 30 June at 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm AEST, leading researcher Associate Professor Mario Peucker and renowned journalist Lenore Taylor will join us for an important public conversation:

The Decline of Democracy and the Rise of the Far-Right

Around the world, democratic institutions are under pressure and far-right movements are gaining influence. What is driving these changes? How concerned should we be? And what can citizens do in response?

This won't be a lecture. You'll have the opportunity to ask questions, join small-group discussions, and engage directly with the issues.

📍 If you're in Melbourne, we strongly encourage you to attend in person at Newman College. The evening begins with refreshments and offers a valuable opportunity to connect with others who share an interest in democracy, politics and social change.

💻 Can't make it to Melbourne? Join online from anywhere in Australia.

🎟️ Registrations are still open, but don't leave it until the last minute:
https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1594933

Please share with your networks.

16/05/2026

“Australia is the only common law country in the world without a legislated or constitutionally entrenched charter or bill of rights.”

In this powerful excerpt from the Reclaiming Democracy Together launch event, former Human Rights Commission President Gillian Triggs explains why she believes Australia urgently needs a federally legislated Human Rights Act.

Drawing on examples including indefinite detention, deportation laws, due process, and democratic accountability, Triggs argues that human rights protections are not abstract legal ideas — they shape the fairness, dignity, and justice people experience in everyday life.

At a time of growing division and political polarization, she also reflects on how shared democratic values can help hold societies together.

What do you think? Should Australia have a national Human Rights Act?

16/05/2026

“My life’s work [...] has been in education, and I've fought to move education from being oppressor to liberator.”

Speaking at Reclaiming Democracy Together at Melbourne Town Hall, Professor Mark Rose reflected on democracy, identity, unfinished business, and the long arc of responsibility that extends beyond election cycles and political terms.

Mark spoke candidly about the realities of the Westminster system, and how for many First Nations communities, progress can too often be reset every few years as governments and priorities change. “Closing the Gap is not going to be the term of the parliament,” he reminded the audience. “It’s going to take much longer.”

He challenged the audience to think differently about dispossession — not only what was taken from First Nations people, but what all Australians lose when they are not meaningfully connected to the cultural heritage of the land they live, love and work on.

Throughout his address, Mark returned to the idea that democracy must be grounded in both identity and aspiration — honest about our history, ambitious about our future, and willing to confront the unfinished work still ahead of us.

ADDITIONAL 100 TICKETS MADE AVAILABLEEvery so often, a moment arrives when we are called to rethink the foundations of o...
05/05/2026

ADDITIONAL 100 TICKETS MADE AVAILABLE

Every so often, a moment arrives when we are called to rethink the foundations of our shared life.
This is one of those moments.

On 9 May at Melbourne Town Hall, we gather to launch Reclaiming Democracy Together — a bold seven-year initiative to renew democratic life in Australia and beyond.

Join an extraordinary group of speakers, each bringing a distinct perspective on democracy, justice, and public life:

Gillian Triggs — International lawyer and former President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, with a lifelong commitment to human rights, the rule of law, and institutional integrity.

Natalie Kyriacou — Environmental leader and social entrepreneur, working at the intersection of climate justice, biodiversity, and public advocacy for a more sustainable future.

John Keane — One of the world’s leading political theorists, whose work has reshaped how we understand democracy, power, and public accountability in the modern age.

Professor Mark Rose — A respected Indigenous leader and educator, bringing deep insight into Indigenous knowledge systems, education, and the place of First Nations perspectives in public life.

Francesca Albanese — UN Special Rapporteur and international lawyer, known for her principled advocacy on human rights and international law in some of the world’s most contested spaces.

Wendy Brown — A leading political theorist and global voice on democracy, whose work examines neoliberalism, power, and the pressures shaping democratic institutions today.

Alongside these conversations, the afternoon will be enriched by powerful live performances from the Tarab Ensemble — bringing the depth and emotion of Middle Eastern musical traditions — and the Victorian Trade Union Choir, whose collective voice has long been part of Australia’s civic and cultural life.

Together, they will help open a conversation that is urgent, challenging, and necessary.

This is not a one-off event.
It is the beginning of something much larger.

🎟 In-person and online tickets available
📍 Melbourne Town Hall + Live Stream
⏰ 1:30pm start

Be part of the conversation — and the work that follows.

10/04/2026

On the afternoon of 9 May 1901, more than 12,000 Australians gathered at Melbourne's Exhibition Building to witness something remarkable: the opening of the first Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. A democratic nation, born.

It was a genuine act of hope. A belief that ordinary people — not kings, not aristocrats, not the powerful few — should have a say in the decisions that shape their lives. That government should be accountable to the governed. That the common good was worth building together.

That promise still stirs something in us. And it should.

But 125 years later, it's time to take stock. Housing unaffordable. Energy bills through the roof. Wages that don't keep pace. A political system that too often serves the powerful ahead of the people. These aren't separate problems — they're symptoms of a democracy that has drifted from its founding promise.

On 9 May 2026, we gather again at Melbourne Town Hall — to honestly confront what is, and to begin building what could be.

This is the national launch of Reclaiming Democracy Together: a seven-year initiative to renew democratic life in Australia and put citizens back at the centre of the decisions that shape their lives.

It's open to everyone. Reclaiming Democracy starts on May 9th.

Reserve your seat: https://www.trybooking.com/DKDHS

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