Multicultural Center Brusinka Strengthens Its Community and Wellbeing Capacity

Team Update | Community & Wellbeing

At Brusinka, we know that settling into a city is rarely just a matter of paperwork.

People also need language, information, familiar faces, practical guidance and places where they can meet others. In Brno, where many people build their lives through study, work, family, research, culture or international cooperation, this everyday help matters.

Since opening its doors in 2020, Brusinka has worked with Czech and international residents through language courses, educational activities, cultural events, integration services, wellbeing programs and community partnerships.

Over the years, we have seen that community cohesion is built in practical ways: through everyday connections, access to local opportunities and the confidence to take part in life in Brno.

This direction has grown under the leadership of Viktoria Netíková, founder and head of Multicultural Center Brusinka, and is now being strengthened through more clearly defined roles within the team.

Shaun Copple, who has been involved in Brusinka’s work for the past two years, is now taking on a more defined role as Community Cohesion & Integration Lead. We are also pleased to welcome Zlatica F. Bonab to the team as Creative Community & Wellbeing Lead.

Together, they will help us bring more structure, continuity and care to the way we develop community, integration and wellbeing at Brusinka.

Multicultural Center Brusinka is a community space that brings together people with connections to more than 118 countries. We run educational programs, cultural and creative projects, language courses, integration-related initiatives and wellbeing activities, alongside psychological support, coaching and therapeutic guidance. As members of ANNO JMK, the European Network of Cultural Centres, the Anna Lindh Foundation and the CIVICUS Alliance, we also collaborate with local, national and international partners, including Delia Arts Foundation and OUTSIDE Multicultural Magazine.

In our day-to-day practice, we see that people need more than a schedule of activities. They need continuity, familiar contacts, trusted spaces and people who understand how complex it can be to find one’s way in a new city, a new language and a new social environment.

This is where Shaun and Zlatica’s roles will make a practical difference. Shaun Copple – Community Cohesion & Integration Lead

In this role, Shaun will support Brusinka’s activities in integration, outreach, partnerships and local engagement. He will help strengthen cooperation with universities, employers, schools, NGOs and local partners in Brno and contribute to building clearer pathways for people who are looking for orientation, connection and participation in local life. Shaun brings experience in business resilience, coaching, facilitation and multicultural settings, including his work with the Resilience Firewall concept. He understands both the need for structure and the importance of human contact – a combination that matters in integration, where trust is built gradually through cooperation, consistency and real presence. 

Zlatica F. Bonab – Creative Community & Wellbeing Lead

Zlatica joins Brusinka as Creative Community & Wellbeing Lead, with a focus on wellbeing, creative community engagement and daily operations. Her role will focus on developing spaces where people can slow down, express themselves, build emotional resilience and connect with others in a safe and respectful environment. She will also contribute to the careful preparation behind these formats, so that participants feel informed, welcomed and accompanied from the first contact. Zlatica brings warmth, sensitivity and experience in human-centered care. Her work adds an important layer to Brusinka’s approach: attention to the emotional and practical conditions that help people feel more grounded, connected and confident to participate.

Why this matters now

Brno offers many opportunities through its universities, research centers, international companies, cultural life and international networks. These opportunities attract people from different countries to the city – students, researchers, professionals, families, creatives and entrepreneurs.

But arriving in a city and finding your place in it are not the same thing.

Many people are navigating a new language, local systems, schools, work, family needs and social connections at the same time. Practical information matters, but it is rarely enough on its own. People also need continuity, trusted contacts and spaces where they can ask questions, meet others and feel less alone with the stress and uncertainty of transition.

This is where Brusinka can play a practical role within the wider multicultural support ecosystem of the city: by creating accessible, human and culturally sensitive spaces for education, integration, wellbeing and community connection.

Strengthening our team in these areas allows us to respond with more structure, consistency and care.

To our community

To everyone who is part of Brusinka – participants, families, teachers, volunteers, supporters and friends – thank you for shaping this space with us. This team update is also about you: about the people who come to learn, meet, create, ask questions, support one another and make Brusinka a living community.

To our partners and collaborators

We look forward to developing these activities together. If you are a university, employer, school, NGO, cultural organization, public institution or community initiative in Brno active in integration, education, wellbeing, culture or intercultural dialogue, we would be glad to connect.

To Shaun and Zlatica

Thank you for bringing your experience, care and commitment to Brusinka. We are glad to keep building this together.

Multicultural Center Brusinka – supporting creativity, understanding and collaboration across cultures and generations. Making Brno more open, cohesive, and inspiring city for everyone.