The aperitivo organised by the GIA Network on Thursday, November 23 proved to be extremely effective, fostering new relationships among Italians who continue to want to support each other.
Marco Abbondanza, GIA’s coordinator, reflected on the fundamental goal of networking events: to encourage young Italians to integrate, meet others and promote modern Italian culture.
That’s why GIA provides an opportunity to connect Italians who have recently arrived with those who are more established, as well as second generation Italian-Australians.
Networking represents one of the four goals GIA aims to achieve. The others include forming alliances with other Italian associations, collaborating with Italian institutions both in Australia and Italy, creating an information office and implementing a support network for young Italians who need assistance in Australia.
The exceptional attendance at the event was borne of the enthusiasm the new generation brings to this community. During the evening, the youth association cited a statistic from the Australian Bureau of Statistics website that highlights the dynamic demographics of the foreign-born population in Australia.
The main countries of birth, listed in descending order, include England, India, China, New Zealand, Philippines, Vietnam, South Africa, Malaysia, Italy and Nepal.
It is notable that the number of people born in Italy and living in Australia is decreasing, from 200,000 in 2012 to 190,000 in 2017 before dropping again to 161,000 in 2022.
While remaining among the top 10 foreign countries of birth, these declining numbers highlight the changing composition of immigrant communities in Australia.
Considering these figures, the GIA Network is a valuable tool for facilitating the integration of Italians in Australia with the hope of maintaining Italy’s status among the countries contributing most to Australia’s growth.
