Skip to content

The Power of Hope with Kon Karapanagiotidis

When

Event Status

In The Power of Hope, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre founder Kon Karapanagiotidis describes how he prevailed over a childhood of racism, bullying and isolation – and went on to create one of Australia’s largest and most influential human rights organisations. ‘Hope is only exhausted if we forsake ourselves,’ he writes. ‘It is both our sanctuary and our destiny to live a life with love, belonging, connection and community.’

To celebrate his heartfelt memoir, Karapanagiotidis will talk about the personally and politically transformative potential of hope – and host a night of hope-driven storytelling with Alisha Fernando, Banok Rind, Abiola Ajetomobi, Leila Gurruwiwi, Jane Vadiveloo and Carolina Cabezas.

Paperback will be our bookseller at this event.

Featuring

Kon Karapanagiotidis

Kon Karapanagiotidis is the CEO and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, the largest independent human rights organisation for refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia. They assist thousands of people each year, with the help of over 1200 volunteers and 125 staff.   Kon grew up in ... Read more

Alisha Fernando

Alisha Fernando is the Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Melbourne where she is responsible for leading the Diversity and Inclusion portfolio across the University, with a strong focus on implementation of programs and initiatives supporting 5 key pillars: Gender, L... Read more

Abiola Ajetomobi

Abiola Ajetomobi is the Director at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) Innovation Hub. Abiola has more than 17 years management experience, in local and state government as well as in not for-profit organisations, both here and in overseas. With a background in business, humanitarian, account... Read more

Banok Rind

Banok Rind is a proud Yamatji Badimaya woman from Western Australia. She is a registered nurse and currently the Deputy Executive Officer at the Koorie Youth Council. Banok has a background in Aboriginal health and wellbeing, and advocacy within the Aboriginal mentoring, leadership and health space... Read more

Carolina Cabezas

Carolina is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. Her research focuses on multilingualism and multilingual education in the early years, exploring how young children, educators and families negotiate and practice languages in early childhood classrooms. Carolina’s inter... Read more

Jane Vadiveloo

Jane Vadiveloo is the founding CEO of Children’s Ground. She has a Masters in Forensic Psychology and has a 20-year history leading reform and services provision with communities experiencing extreme disadvantage and trauma. She has lived in the Northern Territory for 19 years and has over 30 year... Read more

Leila Gurruwiwi

Leila Gurruwiwi is a proud Yolngu woman originally from Galiwinku on Elcho Island in North East Arnhem land. Growing up most of her life in Bendigo, Victoria, Leila finished Year 12 in Melbourne and six months after finishing her VCE was thrown into the deep end when The Marngrook Footy Show was com... Read more

Location

The Wheeler Centre

176 Little Lonsdale Street Melbourne Victoria 3000

More details

Stay up to date with our upcoming events and special announcements by subscribing to The Wheeler Centre's mailing list.

Privacy Policy

The Wheeler Centre acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Centre stands. We acknowledge and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their Elders, past and present, as the custodians of the world’s oldest continuous living culture.