The Huddle has collected yet another honour, taking out a Melbourne Award for its contribution to multiculturalism.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle presented The Huddle with its award on Saturday night in front of a packed crowd at Melbourne Town Hall.

North Melbourne’s General Manager of Community Engagement Cameron McLeod said the award was recognition of the amazing work undertaken by those who work and participate in The Huddle.

“We are very humbled to be recognised for the contribution we have made to multiculturalism in our diverse and vibrant community,” McLeod said.

“Our programs and activities all work towards brighter futures for our participants and to strengthen social inclusion in our communities.

“I’d like to thank our participants and the hundreds of volunteers who contribute thousands of hours each year to help support and inspire our community.”

A Melbourne Award is the City of Melbourne’s highest accolade. Now in its 14th year, the Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations that make our city such a unique place to live, visit and do business.

“This is our city’s opportunity to honour and thank some inspiring organisations and to acknowledge that the achievements of a few can motivate and encourage others,” Cr Doyle said.

“The stories behind each of our finalists speak volumes about the passion and indeed the compassion of many in our community.”

The Huddle was established in 2010 as a not-for-profit initiative of the North Melbourne Football Club, the Scanlon Foundation and the Australian Multicultural Foundation.

The Huddle was created to engage, support and empower young people to build on their strengths and to participate in the community.

“The vision of our founding partners and the ongoing support of our donors has allowed The Huddle to become firmly established within the North Melbourne community to support refugee and migrant young people to learn, grow and feel a stronger sense of belonging to their community,” McLeod added.

The Huddle has purposefully created programs that have engaged more than 50,000 young people from culturally diverse backgrounds in North Melbourne, Flemington, Kensington and West Melbourne.

This year, The Huddle has expanded its programs even further and launched The Huddle in Wyndham.

For further information about The Huddle, visit http://nmfc.com.au/huddle