Community Billboard 8th – 14th June

An event that is sweeping people's news feeds in all different parts of the globe, as people let their hair down and literally cover themselves in colour. It might be the hour where you just let everything go and burst back that adrenaline feeling doing something you might have got away with in your youthful days but now it doesn't seem so sensible.

Well on this day, its definitely the sensible thing to do as "Color Me Rad" is coming to Sydney.

It is a is a 5K fun run that fires off in a blaze of colour bombs, colour cannons, colour mortars, and multi-toned courses. You'll start off with a free white t-shirt, and throughout the run, you will be coated with Colour Bombs of blue, green, pink, purple, and yellow until you come out like a tie-dyed hippy on the other side.

So to see what all the fuss is about that has people buzzing with excitement, when they take part or if you just want to finally see one of your friends get a bit of their perfectly trimed hair out of place, this is where it's going to be going full on messiness.

And what a great event to laugh about afterwards as you go get yourself cleaned up, or stay painted if you like the look.

When: Saturday 13th June.

Where: Heron Park, Chipping Norton, Sydney.

Cost: $50.

With Sydney's refugee week starting on Sunday the 14th, there are plenty of events happening revolving around informing the public, and celebrating positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society.

Having started the Sydney week-long events in 1986 and becoming a national event from 1988. It is an annual event close to a lot of people's hearts.

And as we hear about the growing numbers of people seeking refuge, heading for Australia, in the stormy waters in hope of a better future, it couldn't have come at a more suitable time for, a meaningful movie to be showing, an informative film Silenced Voices - Sri Lankans in Exile.

We have all heard of the high profile journalist cases were they have come to a bitter end for only doing their job, and revealing the truth of matter that others want hushed up. But we don't always hear of all the other situations where journalists have come into difficult situations and life-changing paths.

This film tells the personal stories of exiled journalists from the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority communities who have been “silenced” and forced into exile for exposing war crimes, corruption and massacres of civilians that occurred during the Sri Lankan Civil War. These exiled journalists are putting their own lives at risk to tell the truth. There will also be a guest speaker for a question and answers discussion after the film.

While the civil war officially ended over five years ago, the human rights abuses have continued. This film is a powerful reminder of the extreme danger they face in their country.

When : Tuesday 16th June, 6:30pm.

Where: 107 Projects @ 107 Redfern Street, Redfern, 2016.

Cost: Free.

Some may say it's a good thing others a bad thing but the old saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know" will always be the case in a lot of circumstances, it's just the way life is.

Networking is key to reaching your goals, and to rise up the steps of your career ladder, in this day and age with so many competitors available and easily sourced for clients, its even more important to get yourself out there to the world and let your talent be known.

For an evening of learning, networking, drinks and canapés then you'll love this Business Shorts event. With the speaker on the night being Clare Mann who is a renowned Psychologist, Speaker, Bestselling Author and one of Australia’s key agents of change.

Her expertise in communications and psychology has led her to be one of the most sought after psychologists in Australia. Clare Mann is also editor in chief of the digital business magazine Ethical Futures.

A night for you to bring your cards along and meet other business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals in a relaxed environment. This is a stand up style event with time for networking before and after the guest speaker and a chance to win fantastic door prizes.

To better your understanding of the networking circle and bump up your knowledge on how to leverage networking to meet the right people so you don’t waste your time or theirs.

When: Wednesday, 17th June from 5:30pm - 7:00pm.

Where: Servcorp Chifley Tower
Level 29, 2 Chifley Square, 2000.

Cost: $15.

A lot of you might have already heard of the PACT centre for emerging artists, or may have even been to see a performance there, as it was established back in 1964 by a collective of artists, who wanted to improve Australia’s performing arts, film and television industries.

Many high quality theatre shows have been performed here, and this season it is known as Afterglow. This is where some of Australia’s most compelling emerging performance makers bring to light work that explores similar thematic ideas from completely different perspectives.

The first one of the Afterglow season's shows is, Ryan McGoldrick’s, The Great Speckled Bird. It is a new intermedia work about how we write myth, the stories that tell us how we got here.

This new work investigates how our minds think about what we are shown through ‘recording technology’ that dominates our media-saturated culture.

The Great Speckled Bird is an epic new myth combining performance, digital animation, wildlife documentation and live audio composition.

So if you're looking for a performance to head along to, then at the Producers, Authors, Composers and Talent centre (PACT), you will be brought on a journey from one mans idea of the myths that could have been created since the big bang.

When: Wednesday 17th June, 7:00pm - 9:00pm.

Where: PACT centre for emerging artists, 107 Railway Parade Erskineville. 2043.

Cost: $15 pre-sale or $20 at the door.

One of the most common pastimes that uses your imagination and skill is to make crafts. From when we are young to when we are old, creating crafts is something that we get great pleasure out of having a look at the finished project, and all the things you can do with it.

For all fans of crafty pieces and traditional and pictorial styles of art on modern quilts, and everything in between. Then the Australian craft and quilt fair is stopping off in Sydney for a five day event bringing you the latest in all things crafty.

Where there is going to be more than 115 workshops and demos every day, to get you up to scratch on putting together that piece you might be working on. There is also more than 435 members quilts entered in the 2015 Sydney Quilt Show, this year the special ‘Red and White’ challenge will make a spectacular display, more than 110 quilts made using these two perennial favourite colours will be on show.

The Sydney Quilt Show Awards Ceremony will be from 11am on the first day of the event. You can also shop till you drop at the market fair where you will find all the tools you need for your next project.
There are also lots of fabulous opportunities to learn from experts at the fair.

Whether your interest in jewellery making, scrapbooking or patchwork, there are hands-on and seminar-style learning sessions with no booking required. If you're thinking of what personal touch you can put towards your next present to someone, or if you are a full on designer of quilts this is the show for you.

When: Wednesday 17th to Sunday 21st of June, open 9am - 4:30pm.

Where: Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island, 41 James Craig Road, Rozelle, 2039.

Cost: Adults $18 Children $9.

With the United Nations international day of yoga being the 21st of June, just a few days beforehand there is an event dedicated to this day: the Indian Classical Music Concert, with guided Meditations to uplift the Soul.

The artists for the evening will be Pundit Debasis Chakroborty on Indian classical slide guitar, Prof Lovely Sharma on Sitar and supporting musician Sam McNally - Piano/Keyboard. Some of you may already know Sam McNally who is a Sydney based co-writer, composer, producer, keyboard-player, pianist, musical director and music educator. He has long been regarded as one of the finest jazz-funk keyboardists Australia has ever produced.

He made a massive contribution to the success of pioneering JazzFusionFunk band Stylus in the 1970s and has continued to be at the heart of countless superb bands since, including those of John Farnham, Tim Finn, Tommy Emmanuel, Air Supply and Doug Williams.

It is an evening of Indian classical music with a western twist. With both artists coming especially from India for the event it is sure to be the best of its sound around.

Be carried deeply into peace and calm, with guided meditations to help you create more focus in your life. These harmonising meditations and music will calm your mind, body and soul. Enjoy the wonderful journey.

When: Thursday, 18th June from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

Where: City Fringe meditation space, 99 Crown Street, East Sydney, 2010.

Cost: Free.

An Australian artist whose songs and productions have appeared on numerous compilations in Europe and America alongside artists such as, Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, Moby and Bassment Jaxx.

It is sure to be a night of world class music as Julia Messneger will be filling Sydney's jazz hot spot with great vocals. As the Rheinland Post quoted about her “…the genre of Jazz is something that Julia Messenger masters superbly.”

You are sure to be in for a treat as the versatile singer-songwriter and producer with a mesmerising voice and charismatic stage presence will be performing everything from jazz, blues and soul to electronica.

Messenger has been crowned by a few as the queen of chill but with her passion and talent for other genres, you could be brought on a journey from still to swing on this jazz lovers night of great atmosphere.

When: Friday 19th June, 8:30pm - 11:45pm.

Where: The Foundry 616, 616-620 Harris St Ultimo, 2007.

Cost: Adult $25, Senior $20.

Another week, another suburbs great festivals. This time its Marrickville that are lighting up the town as the Open Marrickville festival will unlock the talents and creativity of local communities, and celebrate the many and varied cultures.

For ten days of storytelling, music, dance, art, theatre, food, and simply gathering together will reveal the uniqueness of local lives and stories.

Who doesn't love coming across some great talent they never knew was there, for instance when your walking home and hear the great voice of a busker, and you don't care how much of a hurry you are in to get home you still pause for a awhile to take in there amazing talent and confidence, well here you have a wide range of talent.

With over 57 cultures bringing their shared talent together with Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Chinese cultural festivals, a national anthem singing competition, a short film festival, art exhibitions, a ping pong tournament, an Arabic dance party, a NAIDOC Week event, a museum open day and a children's festival.

When: Friday 19th to Sunday 28th of June.

Where: Marrickville, 2204.

Cost: Free.