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Welcome to MYAN’s June eNews!
As we come to the end of this month, in this edition of MYAN's bi-monthly newsletter we highlight some of the wonderful work that we did. We start with a brief of MYAN at the UN International Migration Review Forum, Youth Summit and the FECCA conference. We also spotlight MYAN's work in collabaoration with FECCA and SAX institute, our research project on LGBTQI+ asylum seeker youth in Australia, MYAN’s 15 year anniversary, our youth in national media and many others. Read below for all the exciting contents and upcoming oppurtunities.
The MYAN team
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Sen Toyotoshi - Project Support Officer
Sen (she/they), recently migrated from Canada in January 2022. They are happy to have joined the MYAN team as a Project Support Officer. They studied Economics and Media Communications for their bachelor's degree in Tokyo and are nowis now completing their Masters of Management at the University of Melbourne. Although they come from a business background, they’re passionate about social issues, in particular those related to youth.
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Kate Yeung Ching Yung - Project Support Officer
Kate (she/her), is a migrant from Mauritius. She first came to Australia in 2019 for University and has now graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. After majoring in Drama and International Relations with a minor in Policy and Politics, Kate was keen to pursue a career in social advocacy. She also works part time as a pharmacy assistant and speaks French, Creole and English.
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Vicky Lee - Volunteer Website Manager
Vicky (she/her) is a freelance web developer with ten years of experience and has worked in a broader range of industries from not-for-profit, SMEs, finance, healthcare and many more. Her life experience of being Deaf and the second generation of Timorese-Chinese gave her a deep appreciation for not for profit organisations and communities’ dedication and efforts to empower our community members to enjoy their lives to the full without barriers. Outside the work, you would find her as a devoted mum to her two cheeky kids.
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Varni Doma - Volunteer Policy Officer
Varni Doma completed a Master's in Public Health in 2021. She also holds a Bachelor’s in Science (with Honours). She is currently working as a Research Officer with the Global and Women’s Health Group at the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University. She has a keen interest in refugee and migrant health and human rights and translating research into policy and practice
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MYAN attends International Migration Review Forum at UN Headquarters in New York
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Shannon White, MYAN’s National Policy & Advocacy Lead recently represented MYAN at the inaugural International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Hosted by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the purpose of the IMRF is to discuss and share progress on the implementation of all aspects of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, including what was agreed to in 2018 as a mechanism for directing global cooperation on improvements to migration management and as it relates to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The forum consisted of four interactive multi-stakeholder round tables, a policy dialogue, and a plenary and resulted in an inter - governmentally agreed Progress Declaration on the final day of the forum. MYAN was also in attendance for an informal interactive multi-stakeholder hearing. Migrant and displaced children and young people shared their views from different regions and spoke about their experiences and recommendations for improved protection, access to documentation, education and services. The IMRF was an important opportunity to network with others to discuss strategies and identify opportunities for advancing the engagement of, and the contributions of children and young people in migration policy, including meeting with colleagues from the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APPRN) which MYAN is a member of.
While at the IMRF, MYAN was able to attend a number of side events relating to young people and children, on topics including Making change for and with children through the GCM: Insights and inspiration for action, Stronger Data, Brighter Futures: Protecting Migrant Children with Data and Evidence and an event at UNICEF House on Working to end child immigration detention through peer learning. MYAN was pleased to see a strong focus on the need to strengthen youth participation, and how a child and youth focused implementation of the GCM is not only possible, but achievable, however work remains to strengthen the voices of young migrants in international and national migration policy instruments, increase their leadership, and improve their representation in consultative processes and inclusion in decision making.
MYAN pledged to share good practice and provide policy and technical support to enhance adolescent and youth-focussed responses in policy and programming in host communities and the forced migration context. In delivering this pledge, MYAN will draw on its expertise as a national leader in delivering and supporting good practice with young people - in policy, programming and capacity building (across sectors and with young people), and in meaningful youth participation.
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Summary report from the Multi-stakeholder hearing, which took place on 16 May, preceding the IMRF. The summary can be found on the Network website here. Please see this webpage to read the full statements from all panelists. The recording of the morning session can be watched here and the recording of the afternoon session can be found here.
On Tuesday, 7 June, the General Assembly formally endorsed by consensus the Progress Declaration of the International Migration Review Forum contained in resolution A/76/L.58 thus setting an excellent precedent for the next International Migration Review Forums - and Progress Declarations - to come. See here for the draft resolution as adopted. For full and detailed coverage of the plenary meeting, please see the UN Web TV recording.
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Our National Manager Rana Ebrahimi was a speaker at this year’s Youth Futures Summit. The theme of the discussion was Diversity, Intersectionality and Power. The other speakers present were, Nyadol Nyuon, Is Hay, Tim Lo Surdo and the session was moderated by Fin Piper.
The conversation covered topics such as diversity in application versus diversity as tokenistic. The speakers highlighted the complacency among the culturally diverse members in upholding the status quo creating a challenging space which is difficult to navigate. They further discussed on the underlying westernised systems, status quo, current power structures and institutions which contribute to the inadequacies in promoting diversity and the need for advocacy. The discussion explored the complexities of intersectionality and its relevance to interacting with communities or individuals that have differing experiences of marginalisation. Rana emphasised that “we must build relationships by uncovering and focusing on the existing similarities we share as individuals with intersecting identities.” Key to the conversation was also the importance of centering purpose so that multicultural leadership has a clear strategy which can be implemented with clear goals, metrics and appropriate resources.
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MYAN National Sector Meeting on the Settlement Experiences of LGBTQI+ asylum seeker youth in Australia
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MYAN is hosting a national consultation on 7th July 2022 at 11am to hear from the youth, settlement, and LGBTQI+ sector about settlement service gaps and challenges for LGBTQI+ asylum seeker youth in Australia.
LGBTQI+ asylum seeker youth face unique challenges, and have particular settlement needs and experiences. However, there is a lack of data capturing their experiences, which can can act as barriers to the design and delivery of effective policies and services. MYAN is conducting research to address this gap.
We want to hear from you about your experiences working with LGBTQI+ asylum seeker youth, their barriers to accessing key services, and recommendations about how services can be improved to ensure that their unique needs are being met.
For more details and to register, click on the link below.
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For any queries, please email MYAN National Policy and Advocacy Lead, Shannon White
Please note, agenda and consultation questions will be shared closer to the date.
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MYAN's health literacy consultations with Arabic speaking youth
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MYAN in collaboration with Fecca and Sax Institute conducted community consultations in June 2022 among Arabic speaking youth (18 to 30 years old) in Australia. The consultation was aimed to collect information that would be important to framing the National Health Literacy Strategy. More than 38 youths came together to discuss health literacy, and identify the gaps in the community specific health services within Australia.
More details will be shared soon
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This year, we are celebrating MYAN’s 15th birthday with the release of our very special MYAN 15 Year Report! Over the years, MYAN has grown from a small organization to a nationally recognised advocacy body. The interactive presentation includes MYAN’s significant achievements and successes in the last 15 years, including major policy submissions, sector consultations, youth leadership opportunities, and international engagement.
For more details and photos, please click on the link.
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MYAN at FECCA Conference 2022
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MYAN’s team was present and involved in the FECCA 2022 conference, advocating for youth-led leadership and connecting with other stakeholders in the sector. The conference’s theme was “Advancing Multicultural Australia” and it was co-hosted by The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), and the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV).
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Jane Chen, our Victoria Youth Ambassador and also from the FECCA Women’s Committee spoke about urging corporate boards to create more opportunities to allow young women to have a voice, and feel supported in their learning journey. In her presentation, she also challenges the conventional notions of confidence and of lean-in philosophy. Instead, she states that “confidence is drawn from the metaphorical villages that have raised me.”
To know more on Jane’s presentation, click here.
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News from Young Leaders at MYAN
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MYAN’s Election Platform and Social Media Takeover
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As part of the 2022 election platform, MYAN facilitated a social media takeover on the Instagram account to allow the youth to take ownership of MYAN’s digital space, express their opinions and share their thoughts ahead of the election.
The takeover was kicked off by Kate Yeung who encouraged the audience to participate in the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition youth forum to engage with key party representatives, ask them questions and share their expectations. Next up was Ali Saha who shared some informative infographics about the importance of voting. She highlighted that elections have great consequences and represent an opportunity for change, therefore it is imperative to be informed and not give up your voice. MYAN’s Western Australia Youth Ambassador, Zahra al, also took to our social media to showcase her experience as a youth ambassador. She provided insight on the policies she prioritises when voting and shared the challenges of being a young advocate. On the last day of our takeover, Sen Toyotshi engaged with our audience with a series of interactive quizzes about humanitarian arrivals and the language diversity that migrants bring to Australia.
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Ahead of the election, many young people from MYAN’s network carried out their own campaign. They gave their perspective as young and informed voters and spoke to the media about their fears and expectations.
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Kate Yeung on the urgency of young people to see meaningful policies for multicultural youth and disconnect of career politicians.
In an opinion piece published in the Herald Sun ahead of the election, Kate challenges the misconceptions that young people are not engaged in politics. She shares her experience working with a network of passionate and dedicated young people and their opinion on the upcoming election.
Read more
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Zahra Al Hilaly on the importance of centering unity to build a better future
Zahra published an op-ed on the importance of unity in The West Australian about her aspirations of a more united Australia. She encourages young people to channel their anger and frustration into working towards carving a space for the under-represented in leadership positions.
Read more
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Concerns of Gen Z for the election
Zahra and Rahim were featured in an article on news.com.au which highlighted the concerns of Gen Z for the election. Along with other young people in the discussion, they expressed their collective apprehension in the lead up to the election, hoping that there will be more accountability and better commitment to issues important for many young people across Australia.
Please click here to read
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SBS feature- Young people of migrant backgrounds in politics
Zahra and Rahim were on SBS radio to talk about young people of migrant background being active in politics. With historically more young people registered to vote, it is clear to Zahra and Rahim that they are looking forward to some real change. Zahra highlighted the importance of representation and cultural competency in fighting discrimination. Rahim says “you always feel like an outsider no matter what”. Having experienced the challenges of integrating in Australian society, he wants the upcoming government to do better.
Read more
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Political landscape in Western Sydney- Interview by Junkie Media
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Ali Sina Yousofi and Fibha Frameen were interviewed by Junkee Media about the political landscape in Western Sydney from their perspective as young people of multicultural background. They urge candidates to be more vocal about the policies that are relevant to young people in Western Sydney. Ali Sina is concerned about the level of inequality that is exposing itself through housing affordability and student debt. Fibha, who is paying attention to policies about climate action and employment pathways, says that politicians seem out of touch with the experiences and challenges of multicultural young people. Representation is long overdue according to her; it is time to move beyond tokenistic ideals of representation and work towards having more young people, more women, and more people of colour in positions of power.
Click here to read more.
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State & Territory Opportunities
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Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) Women With Disability Focus Group Series
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Call for participants for Queensland University of Technology research project
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QUT is conducting a research on Exploring the Wellbeing of Young Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Australians to understand the current wellbeing of young (18-30) culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australians (who migrated to Australia or have a parent who migrated to Australia). It also aims to explore the psychosocial and cultural factors that impact the wellbeing of CALD Australians. For the same, QUT researchers are conducting an anonymous survey and two participants, selected by random draw, will receive a gift voucher for the value of $50 (e.g. Coles-Myer).
Click here to learn more and participate
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COVID-19 Vaccines Disability update
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The Department of Health is committed to making information about COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone in Australia, published four updated Auslan videos
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What more would you like to hear from MYAN?
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