Khushal (he/him) is a second generation Indian Australian, born and raised on Noongar country and now studying a Bachelor of Laws & Bachelor of International Relations at ANU. He is particularly passionate about amplifying youth voices and ensuring that they are heard and acknowledged by decision makers. Khushal works with a wide range of organisations that advocate on social justice issues including climate action, human rights, and multiculturalism. In addition to MYAN, Khushal holds youth advisory roles for Amnesty International Australia, the US Embassy, ALLKND and Bravehearts.

Manzi Bienvenu is passionate about the voices of multicultural youth. Manzi has graduated from his Certificate IV in Community Service and is now undertaking his Social Work degree. Manzi also comes with experience from Jamaica as a member of Youth National Integrity Action in Kingstone, and a sport trainer for migrant and refugee youth at Reed Sports Service Centre. With leadership knowledge and experience from MYAN’s FUSE Youth Summit, Manzi has developed his advocacy skills and connected with peers from across Australia. Helping young refugees and migrants has become Manzi’s favourite part of his career and as the ACT YAN representative, Manzi believes it is a good opportunity to represent young multicultural people, make positive change and raise the voices of young people to ensure they are heard within the community and on a national level.

Nayonika (she/they) is an Arts/Law Graduate from UNSW, Australia. As a migrant who falls into several intersections, she is passionate about raising awareness about overcoming systemic barriers, authentically representing our multicultural and diversity in an authentic manner and developing resources for culturally and linguistically diverse communities to understand how to find harmony between self-preservation and social growth. Nayonika has extensive experience in working on mental, social and sexual health and well-being campaigns, student and youth advocacy, policy consultations and strategic development and planning. Nayonika is someone who looks at the glass as half full and thinks about how you can share that glass with the community. She is always open to discussing opportunities to collaborate and meaningful ways to create a positive social impact.

Fatima lives on the Gadigal land of the Eora nation. Fatima is a second generation half Burmese (Myanmar), half Pakistani Australian. Fatima has and will always advocate for diversity and helping people of colour feel the most comfortable and proud in their skin. She has always been interested in social justice through volunteering in multiple organisations and charities. Through this role Fatima would love to help multicultural people as best as she can in order to empower and encourage them.

Etabez Donato (she/her) age 23, is born in Ethiopia and migrated to Northern Territory Australia. Etabez is passionate about closing the gap (through women in leader and education). She is the Co-found of Charles Darwin University Women’s Collective for Innovation and Change (CDUWCIC) student group, which aims to empower women, creating networking opportunities between young women, CDU students, local government and the community, as well as offering skill development workshops to help students in job opportunities. She is also the founder of Birtukan projects which gathers support for local schools in her home rural area of Ethiopia.

Mimona was seven years old when she arrived in Australia in 2005. For a girl who grew up in a small hut in a remote village in Sudan, Australia’s beauty amazed her and the opportunities opening up at her feet made her feel invincible. She is a Health and Medical Science graduate from the University of Adelaide. She owns a speaking agency providing speakers of both culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. She works in SA pathology currently however, she is looking to secure a permanent role in the mines in health safety and environment.

Khin Khin (She/Her) lives in Cairns (Gimuy), Queensland. An intergenerational Arakanese-Australian from Myanmar (Burma). She is working in a casual role as a Teacher Aide at Trinity Bay State High School and permanent part time at Cairns Little Seafood Market. She also has her own driving school helping migrant learner drivers with affordable prices. She volunteers on most weekends, including for Cairns multi-cultural communities, Ironman and her own Arakanese community where she advocates for young people as she is eager to help others and is passionate about making changes. Exploration, pursuit and motivation are her framework for success. As mentioned already, she has experience working within her own community as a committee & community member inspiring the youth and adults of different generations in a variety of sectors. Helping others is extremely important to her, and treating all people with respect regardless of their cultural, traditions, background, status, colour and race accords with her values and beliefs and provides her with much satisfaction.

Alia (she/her) is a 1^st generation Pakistani who lives in Nipaluna on the unceded land of Lutrawita. Honoured to be part of YAN, Alia has a deep belief in the power of youth voices in creating and catalysing systemic and social change. It is with the recognition that multicultural youth are often the bridge between two cultures that Alia hopes to ease their journey by highlighting their impact and value. As a person who attempts to bridge this gap herself, Alia intends to use her time in YAN to focus on importance of mental wellbeing, and its freeing power in the face of isolation and adversity. She aims to use her involvement in many different sectors of Tasmania’s multicultural community to inform her work at YAN – along with a love for learning and growing.

Ratu is a fourth generation Malay Singaporean from Victoria and currently pursuing a career in the social work industry. As a young Muslim woman from CALD background , Ratu has always stand up against issues such as racism, inequality, discrimination and other unaddressed issues young people experience. She has worked collectively with a range of organisations as a volunteer to provide safer and equal access for people of CALD backgrounds. Ratu’s experience working with the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania, and being a delegate for FUSE 2021 youth summit has provided her a platform to advocate for issues affecting young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Ratu is passionate about supporting young migrants and refugees, especially newcomers to access and navigate support services in Australia.

Being a Muslim girl wearing the hijab in an all Anglo-Australian school, she was seen as ‘not normal’ by some students and struggled to fit in. But by being proud  about her culture and religion and sharing information to her peers, this created better understanding and a more inclusive space for other students. Despite the challenges, Ratu was recognised for her dedication to the school and community as a leader and received prestigious awards at the age of 16. Through her leadership experience in school and communities, Ratu aims to empower young migrants to take on opportunities and embrace and be proud of their diversity. Ratu believes that no matter how big or small a help we can provide to people, it matters and creates a positive change for the community.

Hashwina (Hush-wina) is a proud Tamil Woman and migrant to Australia. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Sustainability and is an environmental social scientist and researcher. She has worked with organizations such as CMY, Orygen, The Earthwatch Institute, Oxfam and Climate for Change to help create, facilitate and co-design, social-change based programs. She is also a Create Change Fellow at Democracy in Colour – Australia’s first racial and economic justice organisation led by people of colour. As a Youth Advocate, Hashwina is driven by her passion for systemic change and uses her lived experiences and knowledge to lead projects relating to climate justice, women’s safety , migrant’s rights and inclusion.

Hanienah (she/her) is of Malaysian heritage, and currently a Psychology student keen to share her interest in mental health and inclusive education. As a first-generation migrant, Hanienah is highly motivated about finding ways to make her community a better, more progressive, and more inclusive place. Through her advocacy, she aims to shed light on the unique dispositions of CALD individuals and its unaddressed mental health challenges on young people’s quality of life.

Over the years, her volunteering and work commitments see her actively engaged with various local and national organisations in advisory, facilitation, and co-design capacities. Hanienah wants to ensure that multicultural perspectives are “a core part of all discussions”, and is deeply passionate about the importance of collaborative work with communities that strive for representative and meaningful outcomes.

Sadeqa is a Muslim Afghan Australian female who grew up in Boorloo(Perth). Sadeqa aims to shine light on specific challenges that young people, specially from multicultural backgrounds face. Sadeqa is also a full time occupational therapist who is passionate about helping individual across the lifespan reach their goals. Sadeqa has a passion for advocacy and believes every young person can be a vehicle for change.

Jorge (He/Him) lives in Western Australia on the Whadjuk Nyoongar people’s Land. Jorge has attained valuable experience in community development, leadership, and the multicultural sector through various roles. Jorge is passionate about empowering the next generation of change-makers through community capacity building. Jorge highlights the importance of CaLD participation in social, economic, and cultural life to unlock individuals’ potential.