Students celebrate Commonwealth Games diversity

As athletes from 71 countries prepare to compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, hundreds of people will form a human rainbow on the beach today to support the city’s diverse student population.

Commonwealth Games Minister and Ministerial Champion for International Education Kate Jones led the event at Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast.

“This is about showing the world why international students flock to the Gold Coast in their droves – our diversity is a big part of that,” she said.

“Feeling welcomed, safe and part of a community is extremely important to international students.

“The Human Rainbow event with its embracing diversity message is testament to the Gold Coast as a study destination of choice.

“There are more than 25,000 international students from 130 nationalities on the Gold Coast and this diversity needs to be celebrated and supported – it’s part of what it means to be a truly global city.”

Study Gold Coast is behind the Human Rainbow event. Along with Study Queensland, they are promoting Queensland’s reputation as a safe place to study through an Embracing Diversity campaign launched on Harmony Day.

“We have first-class education providers in one of the most sought-after tourism destinations on the planet,” Ms Jones said.

“That’s why we’re working to cement the Gold Coast as one of Australia’s leading student cities -we’re leveraging the Commonwealth Games to make that happen.

“The investment we’ve made in improving public transport and accommodation ahead of the Commonwealth Games has given us a great platform for growth in this space in years to come.

“The eyes of the world are on the Gold Coast for the next two weeks and we want to use that exposure to boost the city’s reputation as a hub for international students.”

Study Gold Coast Chief Executive Officer Shannon Willoughby said the Gold Coast was recently named the top regional city in the country for international students.

“The ongoing commitment the city is making to our students in terms of the experience they have and the support and opportunities they receive is setting the Gold Coast apart as a study destination,” she said.

“Acknowledging and embracing diversity is a message our students care about deeply and we wanted to celebrate that. The entire project was inspired and championed by them, a powerful example of harnessing the student voice.

Record numbers of international students are discovering Queensland as the ideal study destination and Queensland has again recorded a strong result with international enrolments increasing by 11.6% year on year.

In 2017, Queensland had 123,737 international student enrolments. International education contributed $4.13B to the state in 2016/17, making international education our second largest services export after tourism.

The Queensland Government’s International Education and Training Strategy to Advance Queensland 2016-26 is supported by $25.3 million in funding over five years. 

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