It takes a lot of courage and cutlery to welcome 20 strangers into your home, especially when half of them don't share the same first language.
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While many wouldn't entertain the prospect, people across the nation have been taking it up in swaths.
The Welcome Dinner Project is designed to connect newly arrived people and established Australians. It promotes the idea of creating an inclusive community.
Since the initiative rolled out in Canberra last July, more than 270 people have signed up. About 200 of these are established Australians.
Gemma Sweaney took up the opportunity with gusto. After convincing her husband and two daughters, Edith, 5, and Maggie, 4, to join in the fun, Mrs Sweaney signed up as a host.
"We held a lunch, because it worked better for our family," Mrs Sweaney said.
While the project doesn't solely focus on refugees or asylum seekers, she said it was their plight that made her want to take part.
"I was really perplexed by the government's take on newly arrived people in Australia, refugees for example," she said.
"I was really upset about that, I wanted to do something, but I didn't know where to start."
Mrs Sweaney read about the Welcome Dinner Project in a magazine.
After nominating to become a host, the family was chosen to welcome 20 guests into their home, with about half of those being newly arrived people.
In a pot-luck style event, every guest brought their favourite dish to share, which also became a good icebreaker.
Mio Itakura attended the event as a newly arrived person, having come to Australia from Japan to study at the University of Canberra for a year.
Ms Itakura and Mrs Sweaney hit it off, bonding over a shared love of cats.
Ms Itakura said while she tried to make friends when she first arrived about five months ago, the loud music at parties made it difficult for her.
"It is easier for me to have a conversation in the relaxing [environment], so I found [the lunch] really interesting and people were really warm," she said.
The Welcome Dinner Project is looking for people to sign up as facilitators for a community meal they plan to hold later this year. To find out more, visit www.joiningthedots.org