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Welcome to the MYAN wrap for 2016!
We would like to thank you for your support and contributions to promoting the rights and interests of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds across Australia in 2016.
2017 is already shaping up to be another important year for those working alongside young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, with submissions to the first-ever Federal inquiry focused on the settlement outcomes of young people due in late January (read more about the inquiry below).
The MYAN look forward to working with you in taking this opportunity to start the new year with a focus on young people.
We wish you a safe and happy festive season and look forward to another exciting year in 2017!
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FUSE 2016
40 young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds recently came together in Melbourne for FUSE 2016. Building on the success of FUSE 2014 in Sydney, this national multicultural youth summit is an opportunity for young people to develop and apply leadership and advocacy skills, share experiences with peers from across Australia, engage with MPs and learn from experienced advocates working in the human rights arena.
Delegates return to their home states and territories with new skills, knowledge and networks to create change in their communities. Big thanks to Amnesty International, City LLEN and the Victorian Multicultural Commission for their support for FUSE 2016.
For MYAN Youth Ambassadors Zee and Celia, FUSE has been life-changing.
Read their story via ABC online.
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Congratulations Arash
 Arash Bordbar was awarded the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Young People’s Medal. Arriving in Australia as a refugee in 2014, Arash has been an active human rights advocate in Australia, the region and with the UNHCR in Geneva.
Arash is the Deputy Chair of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network Youth Working Group, a MYAN Youth Ambassador, and a volunteer with SSI and Auburn Diversity Services. Having spent 5 years in Malaysia as a refugee, he continues to work for improvements to the lives of young refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia.
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International activities
This year has seen the MYAN share good practice in youth settlement in the international arena, coordinating a session with the Refugee Council of Australia on youth integration at the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement in Geneva, and a session with the UNHCR on youth participation at the UNHCR NGO Consultations in Geneva.
 In partnership with the Refugee Council of Australia, the MYAN was also thrilled to support four young people from Australia to attend these and other high level advocacy meetings with UNHCR staff, as well as participate in the 6th Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Consultation in Bangkok in September.
The MYAN also supported a consultation with young refugees and asylum seekers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Led by Arash Border, with support from the Refugee Council of Australia and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, this was an important opportunity for young people to identify their concerns and possible solutions and share experiences with peers from across communities. We will continue to support the development of a Malaysia Refugee Youth Network as a key outcome of the workshop.
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GRYC in Australia
Part of a global project led by the UNHCR and the Women’s Refugee Commission, the GRYC in Australia was coordinated through a partnership between the MYAN and the Refugee Council of Australia. This project facilitated consultations with over 550 young people from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds across Australia and supported four young people to travel to Geneva in June 2016 to participate in a range of advocacy activities. Three youth delegates recently travelled back to Geneva to present at the UNHCR’s High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges in Geneva, with theme Children on the Move.
The GRYC in Australia Report – Speaking Up – was launched by Thomas Albrecht, UNHCR’s Regional Representative in Canberra, in November. It captures the findings from the consultations and includes a set of recommendations for service providers and government. The MYAN looks forward to working with young people, government and the non-government sectors to progress these recommendations in 2017.
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MYAN Youth Ambassador’s Network
2016 saw the launch of a national MYAN Youth Ambassadors Network (YAN). Established by participants at MYAN’s FUSE 2014, the YAN is a group of young advocates working to amplify the voices of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in a range of national and state/territory forums. In addition to directly informing the work of the MYAN and undertaking state-level advocacy, over their first year YAN members have provided advice to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, presented at the SCOA International Conference in May and played a pivotal role in the Global Refugee Youth Consultations in Australia and FUSE 2016.
YAN (L-R): Paul Joseph (QLD), Celia Tran (VIC), Ziagul Sultani (WA), Mohammed Omar Maroof (ACT), Hadi Rezaie (TAS). With thanks to Atima Alier Deng (SA), Joyce Oyela (NT) and Yai Mario-Ring (TAS). |
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Policy and sector development work
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National Youth Settlement Framework
 The Framework is Australia’s first evidence-based guide for supporting and measuring settlement outcomes for young people. In 2017, the MYAN will continue to support application of the Framework across sectors, with the delivery of targeted workshops and the development of additional resources. Minister Craig Laundy launched the National Youth Settlement Framework in May this year and the MYAN has delivered training workshops on the Framework across Australia.
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Youth Transitions Support Pilot
The MYAN has played a lead role in supporting the implementation of the Youth Transitions Support Pilot. The MYAN coordinates a national Community of Practice with Pilot providers, focusing on sharing and exploring good practice, and is overseeing the independent evaluation of the Pilot.
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ARC Linkage Project – Defining the status of CALD young people
Along with its state and territory partners, the MYAN is excited to be part of the ARC Linkage Project ‘Defining the status of CALD young people’. Led by the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Multicultural Youth, this project aims to critically define the status of CALD youth; develop the first national status reporting framework for this group that will generate new social, economic and cultural indicators; and build a knowledge hub to store and curate CALD youth data.
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Education pathways for refugee students
The MYAN partnered with the Refugee Council of Australia to convene a regular national teleconference on education pathways for young people seeking asylum and on temporary visas and has supported the establishment of the refugee education Special Interest Group – a national network for supporting better education outcomes for students from refugee backgrounds across Australia. For more information or to join up, email Edmee Kenny, MYAN's Policy Officer, edmee@myan.org.au.
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MYAN state and territory developments
The MYAN has continued to support the development of multicultural youth specialist entities across Australia. This year has seen the formal establishment of Multicultural Youth Queensland (MyQ) – auspiced by Access Community Services, MyQ is Queensland’s first multicultural youth specialist organisation. MYAN WA, auspiced by YACWA, continues to convene vibrant network meetings that bring together the youth and settlement sectors, hosted the statewide multicultural youth forum - Catalyst - and launched the Shout Out program (supporting young people in public speaking, adapted from CMY’s program of the same name). MYAN WA also investigated future directions, with further work undertaken towards a multicultural youth specialist entity in WA.
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Federal Government Inquiry into Migrant Settlement Outcomes
Support young people to have their voice heard
On 17 November, the Joint Standing Committee on Migration announced it would be conducting an inquiry into migrant settlement outcomes, with a particular focus on young people.
This is the first-ever inquiry to have a focus on young people in the settlement context and is an important opportunity for those working with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to share their experience and expertise directly with the Australian Government.
The MYAN will be making a submission and are also encouraging young people, their families and communities to also make submissions direct to this inquiry.
For more information, including instructions and a template for supporting young people to contribute their voice to this inquiry please visit the MYAN's website.
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