In 2025, MYAN conducted a national survey asking young people what terms resonated with them. The two most common terms used in public policy and advocacy are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) and Culturally and Racially Marginalised (CARM). With the limitation of language in being able to capture complexities and nuances in simple terms, both terms present their own challenges and tensions. This survey report outlines the responses of how multicultural young people identify with terms used to represent them, and the approaches MYAN will take with a youth-informed perspective.
MYAN would like to thank the following experts for their contributions to this paper: Courtney Green – Brotherhood of St Laurence, Duncan Smith, Distinguished Professor Fethi Mansouri, Dr Gelareh Holden, Hakan Akyol – Australian Multicultural Foundation, Professor Karen Block and Gemma Tarpey-Brown – University of Melbourne, Nesreen Bottriell – Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights, Dr Teresa De Fazio, Zahra Al Helaly.
