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L-R MYAN National Coordinator, Nadine Liddy, MYAN Chair, Carmel Guerra and 2018 MYAN Refugee Youth International Leadership Scholarship recipient, Shabnam Safa
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UNHCR NGO Annual Consultations 2018
Joining the Australian delegation, MYAN Australia recently took part in the UNHCR NGO Annual Consultations as one of more than 500 NGOs from 90 countries across the globe which came together to share experiences, dialogue and plan for the future. The agenda for the consultations, in the key theme of Putting People First, was built around the developments of the Global Compact on Refugees and the recognition that NGOs are the “lifeblood of the response to displacement and statelessness” (High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi).
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L-R: Shabnam Safa and Nadine Liddy with Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Volker Turk
Shabnam Safa, recipient of the 2018 MYAN Refugee Youth International Leadership Scholarship, participated in the consultations and other bi-lateral meetings along with MYAN National Coordinator, Nadine Liddy, and MYAN Chair, Carmel Guerra. Shabnam asked Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Volker Turk, about how the rights and capabilities of young people would be recognised in follow-up to the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and asked Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, George Okoth-Obbo, how young people as change makers can best be utilised on the ground in refugee protection.
You can view recordings of the UNHCR NGO Annual Consultations plenaries and panels here and view Arash Bordbar's closing plenary speech here. The International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) have also collated the social media summaries of each day of the consultations: Day 1, Day 2 & Day 3.
Youth Leaders of Global Summit of Refugees
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Young people from Australia participated in the GSR. L-R: Hayat Akbari, Shabnam Safa, Sajjad Askar, Mohamed Junaid, Narayan Khanal, Apajok Biar
The first ever Global Summit of Refugees also took place ahead of the Annual UNHCR NGO Consultations, unifying refugee advocates from around the globe to build a new movement for refugee-led advocacy. The key theme of the Summit, Nothing About Us Without Us, underpinned the conversations aimed at developing structures for a global network of refugees that supports shared responsibility, collaboration and best practice for more effective and sustainable global refugee policy. Several young leaders (pictured above) from Australia took part.
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News from states and territories
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Congratulations MYT - Multicultural Youth Tasmania Program launch
Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania (MRC Tas) celebrated the launch of its Multicultural Youth Tasmania (MYT) program and website during Refugee Week. MYT hosts all MRC Tas’ youth services under the one banner.
“MYT services include both direct client work and sector development in the youth, education and community space to ensure the needs of multicultural youth are being met within mainstream services. Participation in MYT services and programs provides an opportunity for young people to develop a strong sense of belonging and resilience during settlement and beyond.” Said MYT Team Leader Sally Thompson.
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MYAN Youth Ambassador (TAS) Magda Gamar addressed attendees at the launch, which included special guests Hobart City Lord Mayor, Mayor of Glenorchy, funders, stakeholders and young people.
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Magda spoke about why multicultural youth-specific programs that cater for multicultural youth are important. “The support I have received in building my public speaking and leadership skills has boosted my confidence immensely. I have also discovered my passion for helping others.” Said Magda.
Congratulations to MYT on a successful launch. MYAN looks forward to continuing to work together.
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MYAN NSW - Snapshot Humanitarian Youth Arrivals to NSW
MYAN NSW recently released a snapshot of youth settlement to NSW in 2016 – 2017, providing an overview of youth settlement data in the Humanitarian, Skilled and Family Migration Programmes. The snapshot provides insight into a range of settlement data, such as: settlement locations, age, gender, religion, ethnicity and language.
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Refugee Youth Peer Mentoring Participatory Design Project final report
MYAN NSW also released the final report for the Refugee Youth Peer Mentoring Participatory Design project, which outlines key recommendations, including a peer mentoring model, outcomes for young people, support mechanisms for mentors and an evaluation strategy.
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Forging Futures: How Young People Settling in Victoria are Faring
CMY's Forging Futures: How Young People Settling in Victoria are Faring report takes a look back on the settlement experiences of young Victorians who arrived in Australia in the preceding five to ten years. Using the National Youth Settlement Framework as a guide to what successful youth settlement looks like, this paper explores a range of indicators to examine the settlement outcomes of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in Victoria.
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Young people on special category (444) visas
CMY has also published a fact sheet for frontline staff working with young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds that have migrated to Australia on a Special Category (subclass 444) visa, designed to provide workers with insight into the additional challenges young people residing in Australia on a 444 visa may face, as well as their entitlements and the referral options available to them.
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Inquiry into the status of the human right to freedom of religion or belief
The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade is conducting an Inquiry into the status of the human right to freedom of religion or belief (as recognised in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). MYAN will prepare a submission for this inquiry. If you would like to make a contribution please contact Derya Koksal, MYAN’s Policy and Advocacy Officer.
Future of Employment Services consultations
The Department of Jobs and Small Business is conducting a consultation on the Future of Employment Services to shape the future services provided from mid-2020. The Department released a discussion paper and appendices to inform the consultation process. MYAN Australia will make a submission to this consultation based on the feedback we receive from young people on their views related to jobactive and from the sector that assist young people access employment. If you would like to contribute to this submission contact Derya Koksal, MYAN’s Policy and Advocacy Officer by 2nd August 2018.
Changes to lodgement methods for Family Stream visa applications
Department of Home Affairs announced changes for lodging certain family stream visa applications, including for carer, remaining relative and parent visas. See here for more details.
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International Policy
UNHCR releases Final Draft of GCR
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Terri Butler MP appointed Shadow Minister for Young Australians and Youth Affairs
MYAN welcomes the recent appointment of Terri Butler MP as Shadow Minister for Young Australians and Youth Affairs, pledging to take up the fight for young people to improve the state of affairs of employment, worker penalty rates, housing affordability and education funding. This is a very exciting development as Australia has not had a Minister for Young Australians and Youth Affairs since 2013. Read Terri Butler MP's media release.
First graduates of Miss MYSA launched into confidence and careers
A feature in Adelaide's In Daily has applauded the success of MYSA's Miss MYSA accredited training program in collaboration with South Australian consultancy firm Community Corporate, which has supported its first cohort of seven former refugee young women to acquire work in the events planning sector. The training program is the first refugee-specific pilot of the Federal Government’s Launch to Work program and aims to address the barriers to employment experienced by refugees.
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Participants of the Miss MYSA training course with MYSA CEO Tamara Stewart-Jones, Community Corporate founder Carmen Garcia and Federal Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs and Innovation Zed Seselja. Photo source
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Australia's migrant intake plummets to 10-year low
Australia’s annual intake of permanent migrants has fallen to the lowest level since 2007 under the leadership of the Turnbull government, the latest migration data reveals. Despite the cap remaining at 190,000 in the last financial year, the actual intake fell to 163,000. The latest figures for the 2017-18 financial year, which ended on July 1, show the skilled stream fell by 12,468 to just 111,099 this year. But the largest fall was in the family stream, in particular spousal visas, which was cut by almost 15 per cent to 47,732. Read more from SBS here.
Rising concerns over visa cancellations and ongoing detention of young people in Australia
Following recent articles by the New York Times and the Guardian on visa cancellation and immigration detention of a 17 year-old New Zealander young person in Australia since March 2018, recent news reported on the successful appeal of the young person followed by his release from immigration detention. The Guardian also recently published an article about a stateless young person who has been in immigration detention since 2013 and whose visa was cancelled following his recognition as a refugee. MYAN Australia has been following the visa cancellations matter closely and made a submission to the Inquiry on Review Processes associated with Visa Cancellations made on Criminal grounds. MYAN Australia will also appear at the public hearing for this inquiry on 23rd July 2018 in Melbourne to give evidence to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration on the negative impact of visa cancellations on young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
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Opportunities
Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) Conference
There's still time to get your ticket to the 15th Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) Conference held on 25 - 27 July 2018 in Melbourne. MYAN has been working with the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) research team to hold a symposium on Day 3 on 'Young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds in Australia: facilitating the active citizenship'. This will focus on research, policy and practice with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, exploring education, employment, belonging and identity. You can find the Conference program here and register here.
Harmony Alliance survey
Harmony Alliance: Migrant and Refugee Women for Change is conducting a survey to better understand the issues of importance to women from migrant and refugee backgrounds. The survey is available in six languages and open to anyone living in Australia over the age of 18 years old who identify as a woman from migrant or refugee background. You can take the survey here.
Department of Education survey
The Department of Education survey, implemented by the Griffith University together with National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) seeks to discover more about students, parents, teachers and employers’ perceptions about Vocational Education and Training. You can take the survey here.
AMES scholarships
AMES announced two scholarships to support the study and careers of refugees and asylum seekers living in Victoria aged 18 to 30. Two scholarships will be awarded for the 2018 academic year. Deadline for applications are 31 July 2018. See here for details.
RCOA scholarship information sessions
Refugee Council of Australia is organising three information sessions across Melbourne on scholarships for people seeking asylum and refugees on temporary visas. You can see the flyer on information sessions here.
UNHCR Innovation Awards
The UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs Innovation Award celebrates efforts and achievements that advance the innovative delivery of services to refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR. The Award is given to NGOs from any country/territory that demonstrate commitment and creativity to achieving improved efficiency of services for forcibly displaced people. A first prize of USD 10,000 and a second prize of USD 8,000 will be granted to two winners. Submission process closes 31st July. Find out more here.
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