It’s May already?

Welcome to the May edition of the MYAN e-news!

This month, we’re sharing our thoughts on the recent 2024 Federal Budget announcements, releasing our FUSE & National Conference 2023 Report and calling for expressions of interests for our brand new opinion piece section. We’re also sharing key health updates and opportunities, including self-advocacy workshops and the chance to join our team as our new Project Manager!

Plus, don’t miss our new feature introducing you to our team behind the scenes 😀
Thanks for being part of the MYAN journey and helping us champion the voices and talents of diverse young people across the country. Enjoy the read!

From the MYAN Australia Team
Rana, Shannon, Kate and Ellysa 💙

MYAN KEY UPDATES

Federal Budget 2024: Where is the relief for multicultural young people who already call Australia home?

The Australian Government released its 2024’s Federal Budget on 14th May and while there were positive initiatives, including news about the additional funding of $120.9 million over the next five years for the settlement sector, we are concerned by what we see as a lack of immediate relief to address a worsening housing, mental health, and cost-of-living crisis for young people, including for multicultural young people who already call Australia home.

Budgets are not just numbers on a page; they present an important opportunity for the government to lay out its priorities for the coming year, and demonstrate what it cares about. For many people, budget night is a pivotal moment—a time to scrutinise, to question, and to understand how the decisions made at the highest level will impact their lives directly.

Rana Ebrahimi, MYAN’s National Manager stated, “The budget is an important indicator for the young people we work with, who are looking to see whether their voices are being heard, and if their needs, aspirations, and potential are being recognised and prioritised. They are likely to feel that in this regard, the budget has fallen short this year.”

Read our statement on noteworthy 2024 Federal Budget measures impacting young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds here.

Annual MYAN Governance Group Meeting 2024

MYAN recently held our annual Governance Group meeting, bringing together our valued partner networks – Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY), Multicultural Youth Tasmania (MYT), MYAN WA, MYAN NT, Multicultural Youth QLD (MyQ) and MYAN NSW, for a productive, collaborative 2 days focused on revitalising our core strategies and advocacy priorities. The event fostered insightful discussions and strengthened our collective commitment to empowering young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

MYAN also had the opportunity to engage with the Department of Home Affairs, where we shared highlights from our work and raised challenges specific to particular states and territories, highlighting the unique experiences faced by multicultural young people across the country. This dialogue underscored the importance of recognising and addressing the distinct needs of diverse communities, paving the way for more tailored and effective support systems.

Watch this space for some exciting new national projects!

FUSE & National Conference 2023 Report is out now!

Last November, we had the privilege of organising our bi-annual FUSE summit alongside MYAN’s National Conference. We thank everyone who was able to attend the events and hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did.

The 2023 FUSE and National Conference report is out now and provides an overview and insight of the activities, highlighting the incredible young people that helped make it happen and the esteemed panelists and guests we had the pleasure to host.

Check out the report

May Spotlight: MYAN’s Community Development Officer, Kate Yeung! 💃

Ever wondered who’s behind the scenes at MYAN Australia, making the magic happen? This month, we’re spilling the tea on our team, starting with the one and only Kate Yeung, our Community Development Officer. We sat down with Kate for a heart-to-heart about her love for connecting people (especially YOU!), her dreams for policy change, and the unforgettable moments that make MYAN so special.

What is your favorite part of your job here at MYAN?
Working at MYAN means wearing many hats because we are a small team with big ideas. My role is very diverse but a lot of what I do involves bringing people together, whether it’s facilitating partnerships on particular projects or staying connected with the young people in our networks to share various opportunities. My favourite part of the job is organising any kind of events with young people, especially in person.

If you could implement one policy change tomorrow that would have an immediate impact on young people in Australia, what would it be and why?
There are so many policy changes that I imagine in an ideal world! Those include policies that have long been advocated by young people from diverse backgrounds including lowering the voting age, freezing HECS, and free and accessible mental health services are just a few.

Can you share a memorable experience from your work at MYAN Australia?
MYAN’s 2023 National Conference and our FUSE event where we went to Parliament House with young people. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and collaboration and felt like a really meaningful way for young people to engage in advocacy by equipping them to speak directly to decision makers about the issues that are important to them and their vision of the future. The National Conference and FUSE report is above this section!

Can you describe yourself in three words?
Chaotic, Grounded and Generous (yes I am a Gemini)

That’s a wrap for our first MYAN spotlight! 🙌 But don’t worry, we’ve got more amazing team members to introduce you to in the coming months. Stay tuned to discover the faces (and personalities!) behind MYAN’s impactful work.

Calling all young people with migrant and refugee backgrounds! 📣

We want to hear YOUR voice. Share your experiences, opinions, and the issues that matter most to you in our new opinion piece section. This is YOUR platform to make a difference.

Interested? Send us an email with a short bio and a writing piece with no more than 400 words to ellysa@myan.org.au and stand a chance to get your story published on our newsletter! ✍️

MYAN HEALTH

Join MYAN’s Health Youth Advisory Group

Every year, when winter rolls around we hear everyone around us starting to feel under the weather. Falling sick is not fun and while some of us may only need some rest to get better, these illnesses can be quite serious for the more vulnerable members of our community. Think of your grandparents, or your disabled friend or your housemate who has a chronic illness or maybe a parent who is immunocompromised.
There are so many small actions that we can implement to strengthen our immune system and keep the community safe, so let’s talk about them! At MYAN’s upcoming forum, we can have a conversation around those small steps that have a huge impact.

The forum will be facilitated by an amazing disability health advocate and supported by a health professional to help with your nerdy questions.

On the agenda we have:
1. Debunking myths, diving into some fun facts and stats.
2. Can we really avoid catching that yearly sniffle, and how?
3. Are the resources for diverse communities in the room with us?
4. Trivia with a prize perhaps? Come along to find out!

Don’t miss it!

Date: Tuesday 28th May 2024
Time: 4:30 – 6:00 PM AEDT Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Where: online through zoom – link provided upon registration

OPPORTUNTIES

MYAN is Hiring!

MYAN is seeking an experienced Project Coordinator to take a lead role in the development, implementation, and coordination of various projects aimed at empowering multicultural youth across Australia. This role involves co-ordinating and monitoring key MYAN projects and coordinating state and territory project support officers with local co-design and consultation efforts.
This position is ideal for someone with a passion for making a meaningful impact in the lives of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds through innovative and inclusive projects.

Hours: 22.8 hours per week (0.6 FTE), Part Time
Location: Carlton, Melbourne
Applications Close: Sunday 26 May 2024, 5 PM
Interviews: to be held in the week beginning 17th June 2024

Apply here

Drop-in Sessions are still ongoing!

Online Class animation 4K. Study from home via Teleconference Web Video Conference Call During Coronavirus Pandemic Outbreak. Students in Emergency School, elearning education Course.

Are you keen to learn more about MYAN and help shape our advocacy work, share your brilliant ideas, and connect with other aspiring change makers? MYAN is throwing open our (virtual) doors for monthly drop-in sessions, and we’d love for you to join us!

These informal sessions are designed for young people aged 18-24 living in Australia from migrant and refugee backgrounds and international students

We’re keen for your input on how to best design these sessions and invite you to fill out this short 4 question survey.

Don’t miss out on this chance to be part of something bigger and help us steer our ship in the right direction. We’re all in this together!

Take the survey

RESOURCES

Empowering and improving self-advocacy skills for people from migrant and refugee communities living with disability, their families and carers

ECCV, in partnership with the Migrant Resource Centre North West, is running self-advocacy workshops and tailored information sessions to provide participants with the confidence to:
Build self-autonomy and self-confidence to voice concerns.
Gain a greater understanding of how to access information and resolve issues.
Improve their ability to make choices and enhance self-management of NDIS plans and support services.
ECCV offers a range of flexible learning options with sessions delivered in small groups in both online and face-to-face delivery.

To learn more or to arrange a workshop, please contact them:

Phone: 0481 589 664
Email: syesilyurt@eccv.org.au

Link to ECCV Website

‘Real Carers, Real Stories – In Their Own Words’ – A digital photographic exhibition of carers, for carers

Most of us are caring for our parents or family members while studying full-time and at times we get overwhelmed along the way.

“Faten, originally from Bangladesh, cares for her mum Nurun, aged 87. Nurun has a physical disability and requires ongoing care. Faten’s caring responsibilities include helping Nurun with personal care, dressing, rehabilitation exercises, and social activities.

Faten felt it was her responsibility as a daughter to help her mother as she aged.

Faten thought she was not eligible for help with her caring role as she believed services would only be available to Australian citizens. That is until one of her friends suggested she contact Carer Gateway.”

Faten’s story is among one of the ten other carers who have shared their lives as a carer through the digital photographic exhibition, ‘Real Carers, Real Stories – In Their Own Words’. This exhibition is available online and features pictures, videos and stories translated in different languages.

Carer Gateway is a free online resource providing safe spaces through online and in-person support groups and counselling sessions. They also provide self-guidance and upskilling coaching and training to those who are unsure on how to be the best carer you can be.

Check out the digital photographic exhibition here