Welcome to our December 2023 newsletter!
Another eventful year is coming to a close, and we are excited to share our final 2023 newsletter with you!
It has been a privilege for MYAN to spend another memorable year working alongside amazing young people from all over the country. Read on for updates from the team, including our National Multicultural Youth Conference- Navigating Journeys, Empowering Voices, FUSE 2023, and more!
Checkout the contents to know more.
Thanks for supporting our work!
Wish you a prosperous new year.
The MYAN team
KEY UPDATES FROM MYAN
A Heartfelt Thank You for Making Our National Conference a Success!
As we wrap up the year, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who contributed to the success of the MYAN National Multicultural Youth Conference 2023 – “Navigating Journeys, Empowering Voices.”
Over two enriching days in Canberra, we had the pleasure of hosting 200 passionate attendees who came together to engage, learn, and share experiences. The conference was a dynamic platform, featuring incredible panel speakers and thought-provoking keynotes that ignited meaningful conversations around multicultural youth advocacy.
While the MYAN team worked tirelessly to organise the event, its success wouldn’t have been possible without the invaluable support and active participation of our diverse community of young people. We are particularly grateful for the many talented young people who facilitated and supported various aspects of the conference, adding their unique perspectives and energy to the discussions.
As we reflect on the conference, we carry forward the spirit of collaboration and advocacy that defines MYAN. Thank you for being an essential part of this collective effort. We look forward to more opportunities to come together, learn from each other, and drive positive change in the multicultural youth space.
FUSE 2023
This year MYAN brought 45 people together, including many young people to meet with 30 parliamentarians in Canberra. FUSE is MYAN’s bi-annual National Youth Summit specifically designed for young people from refugee, migrant, and asylum-seeking backgrounds. The purpose of this event is to provide a platform for remarkable young individuals to engage directly with policymakers and decision-makers to present their innovative ideas aimed at resolving critical challenges affecting young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in Australia.
As part of this year’s FUSE, MYAN hosted a “Speed Meeting” activity with parliamentarians in the offices of the Australian Parliament House. This occured during the sitting days at Parliament House and provided an opportunity for parliamentarians to hear directly from young people who presented their ideas on addressing key issues faced by themselves and their peers, on a select number of topics.
MYAN’s National Policy and Advocacy Lead elected to the AYAC Board for 2024
We are excited to share that Shannon White, MYAN’s National Policy and Advocacy Lead will be joining the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC), as a Board member in 2024. Shannon is passionate about empowering young people to drive meaningful change in this country and ensuring that youth perspectives are not only heard but also actively incorporated into decision-making processes. In her new role as a member of the AYAC Board, Shannon White will have the opportunity to further shape and influence youth policy, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and strengthening AYAC’s important work.
Farewell to Ricky and Anna- You will be missed!
MYAN is bidding a sad farewell to Anna Ligorio, our amazing Project Support Officer, and Ricky Do, our dynamic Event Coordinator, who are embarking on new adventures beyond the MYAN family. They have been instrumental in shaping the success of our National Conference and FUSE 2023 event. Their dedication, sense of fun, and tireless efforts have left an indelible mark on our team and they will be missed! Join us in wishing Anna and Ricky all the best in their future endeavours.
POLICY AND ADVOCACY UPDATES
Navigating Youth Settlement in Australia: Challenges and Opportunities
MYAN is very excited to share that our new consultation report is out!
Navigating Youth Settlement in Australia: Challenges and Opportunities highlights key settlement challenges faced by young people and settlement sector advocates across Australia as well as ideas for solutions to some of these systemic issues. This report is aimed to fuel the ongoing development of relevant policy, service improvement and program design that is effective and fit-for-purpose to meet the real experiences and needs of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
Click on the report’s cover image to view and read the full report (PDF file).
National Migration Policy Network for professionals working in the migration/settlement/youth/legal sectors
MYAN is setting up a national research, advocacy and policy network in 2024 for those who are interested in connecting with others working in the space and for advancing our common goals. This is in recognition of the lack of opportunities for many of us to connect with others working at this important cross-section of the broader advocacy network, and build the relationships we all know can help us drive innovative thinking and solutions.
The purpose of the network is to encourage the building of connections around our shared purpose and common goals, inspire new ways of working, support our shared advocacy goals, share research and ideas and forge new collaborations that we can pursue together collectively in 2024.
Please register at the link below if you are interested in hearing more, or email Shannon White.
MYAN YOUTH UPDATES
Congratulations to our graduating YAN!
Let’s celebrate the extraordinary contributions of our Youth Ambassadors Network (YAN) over the past 18 months! Our YAN is comprised of diverse young individuals from migrant and refugee backgrounds all across Australia, and our ambassadors have played a critical role in shaping MYAN’s policy and advocacy initiatives. As their YAN term ends, MYANs extend our heartfelt gratitude to each Youth Ambassador for their invaluable advice and advocacy efforts.
To our Youth Ambassadors, you are all brilliant individuals who have demonstrated resilience, leadership, and a profound commitment to making a difference for young people in Australia. As you conclude your term, know that your influence will continue to resonate here at MYAN and beyond. We are confident that you will continue to make positive and lasting change in your respective spheres.
MYAN’S YEAR IN REVIEW
Reflecting on 2023: As we approach the year’s end, join us in revisiting the milestones, achievements, and memorable moments that defined MYAN’s journey. Let’s review our collective efforts and successes that have shaped our community throughout this year.
February 2023
Counting us in: MYAN report on the settlement experiences of LGBTIQI+ refugee & asylum seeker young adults
MYAN released our research report “Counting us in: MYAN report on the settlement experiences of LGBTQI+ refugee & asylum seeker young adults.” With support from the Sidney Myer Fund and Pride Foundation Australia, MYAN undertook national research in an effort to capture the settlement experiences of young LGBTQI+ asylum seekers and refugee.
The report provides insights into how LGBTQI+ refugee and asylum seeker young adults (18-30) arriving in Australia are faring in their settlement journey, including good practice and gaps in support. It provides a summary of key findings from a national sector consultation and individual interviews with LGBTQI+ refugee and asylum seeker young adults and service providers.
March 2023
MYAN Podcast Launch: Multicultural Youth Voice
This podcast showcases young multicultural leaders as they address pressing issues in contemporary Australia. Through in-depth discussions with special guests, each episode offers a unique perspective on a topic of interest. Join the conversation and explore the experiences of MYAN’s Youth Ambassadors navigating the challenges of modern Australia.
May 2023
MYAN’s Youth Ambassadors at the National Youth Enhances (YES) Symposium 2023
MYAN’s YAN representative from Queensland Darcy Ngabire joined MYAN National Manager Rana Ebrahimi to talk about about working with young people in a family context in regards to mental health. Our amazing YCDC members, Iga and Mac were also present and spoke on a panel about intersectionality.
MYAN at the 2023 Welcoming Australia Symposium
MYAN National Manager Rana Ebrahimi, attended the 2023 Welcoming Australia Symposium, where MYAN was represented on a panel along with other incredible community leaders, including Kara Keys from Yes23, Mel Morton from Footscray Hockey Club and Joelle Low from Reconciliation Australia. The theme of the panel was “Over the fence: an invitation to generous conversations.” Rana spoke on the significance of promoting a collective responsibility to promote understanding and support to the national voice.
June 2023
MYAN’s National Manager in Geneva for the Annual Tripartite Consultation on Resettlement (ATCR)
The Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR) event was held in June 2023 in Geneva. MYAN was represented at the event by our National Manager, Rana Ebrahimi. The ATCR allows for open and frank dialogue and strives to produce positive outcomes by forging collaborative approaches to global resettlement. The theme for this year’s ATCR was “The overarching theme for the ATCR 2023 is “Learning in crisis: Building solutions together” and was chaired by the Government of Ireland, represented by the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and co-chaired by Nasc Ireland.
MYAN presented on the theme “Addressing gaps and building on good practice” and spoke about lessons learned from Australia in implementing reception systems for those with diverse needs as well as barriers to integration faced by youth, intersectionality, and best practices for implementing solutions to ameliorate gaps in the system. Rana also presented key findings from MYAN’s recent “Counting Us In” report, on the settlement needs of LGBTQI+ youth.
July 2023
COVID-19 Project: COVID-19 is still around, so let’s stay safe and look after each other!
MYAN continues to work to ensure that the safety, rights, and interests of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds are protected and upheld in the COVID-19 public health crisis.
We are connecting the sector, connecting young people, sharing their experiences, and sharing resources for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds and those who work with them.
Directed by Grace Edward, MYAN YAN Alumni, we shared a campaign video reminding each other to stay safe, to look after each other and remember that the most vulnerable in our communities are still at risk.
MYAN Youth Consultation Series
In the months of May to July of 2023, the MYAN team has been all across Australia meeting with newly arrived young people to consult with them and identify some emerging issues and new examples of good practice. MYAN worked closely with our state and territory partners to deliver in person workshops in the following locations:
Perth, WA
Gippsland, Melbourne metro, VIC
Armidale, NSW
Hobart, TAS
Canberra, ACT
Darwin, NT
Toowoomba and Brisbane, QLD
Adelaide, SA
October 2023
MYAN Co-Design workshop for the Settlement Support for Youth Initiative
MYAN’s held an online Co-Design Workshop for the development of a Settlement Support for Youth model. This workshop will included young people with lived experience as well as representatives of service providers and community organisations.
This workshop was a platform for open discussion as we we believe that young people are the expert of their own lives and can bring invaluable insight in shaping the future of youth settlement.
For any questions about the above, please get in touch at myanprojects@myan.org.au
MYAN HEALTH
Cancer Screening Consultation
Cancer screening is an essential way to check if everything is fine and to find any early signs of cancer, even when people have no symptoms. The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, the Health and Social Care Unit (Monash University) and various organisations are working together to understand how to communicate better about cancer screening with multicultural communities. MYAN supported Monash Health and Social Care Unit to conduct national online consultation with women from CALD communities to locate their experiences of cervical cancer screening in October 2023. The consultation yielded some in depth insights into CALD women’s understanding and approach towards cervical cancer screening. This data feeds into the larger data of cancer screening research to help the Australian Government Department of Health to communicate about the same.
To learn more about the consultation and the findings contact Dr Ali Saha, Communication and Engagement Officer at asaha@myan.org.au
RESOURCES
COVID-19 vaccine information now on Healthdirect website
Need help finding COVID-19 vaccine related service? Check out Service finder which will redirect to the Healthdirect website for easy COVID-19 vaccine bookings, key information on long COVID, symptoms, and available vaccines in Australia under the COVID-19 tab.
Mission Australia Youth Survey 2023
Mission Australia’s 22nd annual Youth Survey was completed between April and August 2023 by 19,501 young people aged 15 to 19 years across Australia to understand the young people’s suggested solutions to the challenges they face. Young people voiced the importance of being comfortable asking for support or advice and having services available to support their school, mental health and relationship challenges.Young people have identified the environment, equity and discrimination, the economy and financial matters and mental health as the top national issues that they want Australia to address in 2023.
Digital experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse customers
Services Australia noted a considerable lack of participation of members from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background in their research. Which results in a gap in understanding CALD customer experiences including their use of digital services that would otherwise be useful to recognise their needs and make sound decisions to improve services and products. Using a range of research methods, Services Australia have developed insights and findings into key research reports and artefacts to support and inform future opportunities for improved CALD customer experiences, allow design teams to become familiar with CALD customers, and meet service delivery obligations as outlined in the Multicultural Servicing Strategy.
To read more about the key research outputs click on the image above or click here.
MYAN key research reports
MYAN regularly consults with young people and relevant sectors, on their experiences and solutions, to inform policy and advocacy. We collaborate with government, key peak bodies, organisations and researchers to develop policy resources and research reports on key concerns/areas of interest affecting young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds living in Australia. Please find below key research reports MYAN has recently produced.
You can scan the codes to read them. You can also download the sheet to QR codes to share.
What more would you like to hear from MYAN?
Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia (MYAN)
304 Drummond Street, 3053, Carlton
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