Education charity Courage to Care Victoria’s CEO, Mike Zervos OAM, has been inducted into the Victorian Multicultural Honour Roll, recognising more than three decades spent advancing multiculturalism, promoting social cohesion, supporting migrant communities and building lasting partnerships across Victoria’s diverse cultural and faith communities.
The honour comes as antisemitism remains at historic highs nationally and social cohesion is under strain across the country, trends that are felt in schools and communities across Victoria.
The induction was announced at the 2026 Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence, hosted at Government House by Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC, Governor of Victoria. Mr Zervos was one of 23 Victorians inducted this year, as the awards celebrated their 25th year.
Mr Zervos said: “It was an honour to be inducted into the Victorian Multicultural Honour Roll. We have so much to do collectively to celebrate our diversity and ensure we promote social inclusion. I’m inspired every day by our treasured volunteers, who give their time each week to show young people that they can choose to stand up against hate in all its forms.”
Mr Zervos’ recognition follows his evidence to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in July, where he stated that “antisemitism is not a Jewish problem” but a symptom of a broader challenge to Australia’s social cohesion and shared values. He told the Commission that antisemitism has remained at record levels despite significant investment in security and incident response, and that anti-discrimination education must be the foundation of a national response: a preventative strategy that benefits all Australians.
For Mr Zervos, the work is personal. A Greek Orthodox Christian leading an organisation with deep roots in the Jewish community, he told the Commission that his own grandfather had to flee Kalgoorlie in 1915 “because of who he was”, and that this is why prejudice has never been abstract for him.
Courage to Care’s mission is to educate and empower young people to challenge discrimination in all its forms. Founded by Holocaust survivors, its Upstander Programs are grounded in universal values of respect, empathy, fairness and active citizenship, and address antisemitism explicitly through the lived testimony of a Holocaust survivor or their descendants: universal in framing and specific in content. Students learn to recognise the earliest signs of discrimination and that they can choose to act, safely and practically, when they witness hate in any form. Ninety-five per cent of students report increased Upstander knowledge after the program.
Over 33 years, Courage to Care Victoria has reached more than 200,000 Victorian students at no charge to schools, through Upstander Programs delivered by a dedicated team of volunteers.
Volunteers are the heart and soul of Courage to Care: every week they visit primary and secondary schools across the state, sharing lived testimony, leading classroom discussions and helping students understand what happens when hatred goes unchallenged. Their commitment is what keeps the programs free, so that every school can take part regardless of location or resources.
Quote attributable to The Hon. Paul Edbrooke MP, Minister for Multicultural Affairs:
“The Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence are celebrating their 25th year, and this year’s nominees and recipients are not only champions of their community, but leaders that define Victoria’s multicultural story.”
For the full list of award winners, highly commended recipients and Honour Roll inductees, visit https://www.multicultural.vic.gov.au/victorian-multicultural-awards-for-excellence