Welcome to MYAN's December eNews, our final newsletter for the year!

What a year it has been! As we reflect on our work in 2021 and prepare for 2022, MYAN would like to thank our fabulous staff, Governance Group, state and territory partners, Youth Ambassadors Network, State and Territory Advisory Network, our funding bodies, and all those in our networks across Australia for working with us to promote the rights and interests of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. And of course, a huge thank you to the young people from across Australia who are at the centre of everything we do. 

2021 was a year where the COVID-19 pandemic continued to evolve and impact all of us, particularly those most disadvantaged in our communities. Much of our work in 2021 continued to focus on understanding and responding to the impact on young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds across Australia, including our work on the COVID-19 vaccine roll out.

2021 saw new faces join the MYAN team and our Youth Ambassadors Network and we were excited to end the year with another dynamic FUSE Summit! 

From all of us at MYAN, we wish you a very safe and happy holiday season, and we look forward to working with you all in 2022. 

Rana, Shannon, Martika, Andrew, Ali and Diana

On December 4th and 5th, 2021, FUSE- Australia’s only national multicultural youth leadership summit, once again delivered a transformative 2-day leadership event. In response to the ongoing challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, FUSE 2021 adopted a hybrid on-line and in state approach to bring together 50 emerging young leaders, delegates, field experts, decision makers, and MPs from all across Australia.

FUSE was opened by author Boori Monty Pryor who delivered an Acknowledgement of Country. Following this, FUSE was officially launched by the Hon Alex Hawke, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affair.

Facilitated by MYAN’s Youth Advisory Network (YAN), on Day 1 FUSE delegates had the opportunity to hear from a panel of experienced advocates from diverse backgrounds and sectors on the topics of First Nations’s Rights, Climate Change, Mental Health, and Racism. This was followed by a presentation from Mike Clay, Executive Producer of the current affairs and comedy show 'The Feed' on SBS TV, who shared important tips and insights on how to pitch good stories to the media. 

Afterwards, the delegates participated in a skills building workshop to reflect on issues of concern for refugee and migrant young people in Australia, and prepare ‘pitches’ outlining issues and solutions on the key FUSE topics for the following day’s events. 

FUSE Day 1 Speakers and YAN facilitators-

Panel 1: First Nations Rights

Panellists: Alicia Johnson

                 Boori Monty Pryor

Facilitator: Fatima (SA Youth Ambassador)

Panel 2: Climate Change

Panellists: Robati Harrison

                  Waniki Maluwapi

Facilitator: Mary (QLD Youth Ambassador)

Panel 3: Mental Health

Panellists: Annukina Warda

                  Daizy Mann

                  Zinab Al Hilaly

Facilitator: Chanceline (SA Youth Ambassador)

FUSE Day 2
FUSE 2021 Day 2 on 5th December started with an informal networking session. Delegates had the opportunity to meet with an audience of key decision makers and government officials to present their pitches and talk about the issues and challenges affecting them, and proposed community-driven solutions.

Panellists included Anne Hollonds; the National Children’s Commissioner, The Hon Amanda Rishworth; Shadow Minister for Youth, Sheena Watt MP; Member of the Victorian Legislative Council, Morgan Koegel; Senior Campaigner Climate Council, Elsa Tuet Rosenberg; Co-founder and Director of Hue Consulting, Caterina Giorgi; CEO at the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) and the Hon Luke Howarth; Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services.

MYAN Data Snapshot- Youth Settlement 2020/21

MYAN has once again developed a national snapshot on the number of young people aged 12-24 who arrived in Australia via the Family, Skilled and Humanitarian program streams in the 2020/21 financial year. Using the latest data from the Department of Home Affairs, the snapshot includes information on a range of demographic data, including age, gender, religion, language and settlement location. 

Key points from the snapshot include:

* The total number of youth arrivals during this period was 3,578 -a significant decrease from the 9,474 young people who arrived in 2019/20 and the 13,759 young people who arrived in the 2018/19.

• Young people arriving via the Family Stream comprised 79.5% of all youth arrivals, compared to those arriving through the Skilled Stream-17% and the Humanitarian Stream of just 3.5%

• 41.5% of all youth arrivals were of high-school age (12-17) • 61% of all youth arrivals identified as female

• The top 3 countries of birth for young people arriving under the: Family Stream-Afghanistan, Vietnam and Pakistan

• Skilled Stream-Philippines, Indian and China, and • Humanitarian Stream-Afghanistan, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo

• New South Wales and Victoria continued to settle the largest numbers of young people- 61% of young people from all the migration streams

The 2020-21 data highlights a significant decrease in the number of humanitarian arrivals into Australia compared to Family and Skilled visa holders, even though the quota for the Humanitarian Program was already reduced in the 2020-21 budget. Advice from the Australian Government is that program delivery was impacted due to the multiple challenges presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which meant the Humanitarian Program could not be delivered up to the ceiling.

Click here to see more information on this and the 2020/21 snapshot.

See 2019/2020 data snapshot.

Federal Department of Health: COVID-19 Vaccines Updates

COVID-19 vaccination now open to children 5 years and older: Children aged 5 years and older can now book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. Research shows that the Pfizer vaccine is up to 91 percent effective on the children and can receive the 2 doses of vaccine 8 weeks apart.

Children will be able to receive vaccinations through GPs, state and territory-run clinics, pharmacies, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and Commonwealth Vaccination Centres.
Bookings will be open on 15th December 2021 using the Vaccine Clinic Finder, with appointments available from 10th January 2022.

All you need to do is share your story of 'why COVID-19 vaccines are important' through your artwork- for example, a photograph, video, painting, or any format of your choice. The entries will be judged by the youth artists from MYAN, and the top 5 entries will win gift vouchers. Other entries will be showcased on MYAN’s website and social media pages.

Submissions close 20th January 2022

This art competition is a part of MYAN's #whatsyourwhy campaign, an initiative meant to drive COVID-19 vaccine intake, protect the community and help members of the community to get back to all things we love in the way we love!

Read about #Whatsyourwhy here.

A state-wide multicultural youth consultation was held at the Moonah Arts Centre in Southern Tasmania on July 16, 2021. The event was coordinated by the Migrant Resource Centre, Tasmania’s Multicultural Youth program. The consultation brought together young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds living in northern and southern Tasmania. 

It presented a unique and valuable opportunity for young people to discuss the key issues they face settling and living in Tasmania. A key objective of the consultation was to amplify the voices of multicultural youth. The participants provided recommendations that they wished to be shared with service providers, local and state governments. 

To hear about what young people in Tasmania have to say about mental health, employment, discrimination (racism), transport and education and training, read the report here!

Catalyst is a unique event, based on MYAN Australia’s FUSE National Multicultural Youth Summit that is developed and delivered by young people, for young people. In 2021, Catalyst was held at Curtin University, in partnership with the Centre for Human Rights Education.

The Catalyst Summit brought together 20 young people and 8 young leaders  from CaLD communities to talk about the issues and challenges affecting them and propose community-driven solutions to an audience of key decision makers and government officials including  the Minister for Youth, Dave Kelly, the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Colin Petit, the Director General of the Department of Communities, Mike Rowe, and representatives from the Office of Multicultural Interests, the Mental Health Commission, the WA Police Force and representatives from MYAN WA’s Executive Group.

This report outlines the topics from the day, with a specific focus on the challenges experienced by CaLD young people and the meaningful solutions they have proposed.

Read more about Catalyst here!

Susila Dharma Australia is committed to helping alleviate the barriers faced by refugees and asylum seekers in the pursuit of higher level education and career development. Susila Dharma Australia's Refugee Scholarship Program 2022  provides financial assistance to a person enrolled to study in a tertiary institution on a full time and face to face basis.

Benefits- $2500 stipend is paid in two installments in the academic year. The scholarship is initially for 1 year and may be extended for a maximum of 3 years.

Applications close Friday 4th March 2022

To know more and apply, see here.

•  • Those who did not thrive in the home schooling environment or who faced particular vulnerabilities dropped behind academically.
•  • Younger children were affected by reduced social contact
•  • Parents with low English proficiency and limited literacy experienced language barriers to assisting their children in the home schooling environment.
•   • A substantial number of young people did not successfully transition from school to further education, training or employment.
•  • Younger people—defined as 15–24-year old—made up a large share of those who are unemployed.

Enhanced Support for Refugee Settlement and Integration

 On 17th December 2021, the Australian Government announced a $37.3 million investment in new measures to drive better settlement and integration outcomes for refugees and humanitarian entrants in Australia. The new settlement measures which focus on creating opportunities for more Australians to directly support successful refugee settlement in Australia, include:

•  • A new Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP)
•  • Social Enterprise Grants to support Refugee employment
•  • Improved Refugee and Humanitarian Entrant data tracking and analysis
•  
• MYAN welcomes this initiative to improve settlement outcomes of the refugee and humanitarian entrants.
• Read the full media release.