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Arash helps raise the voices of young refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia
Following his advocacy work in Geneva as an Australian youth delegate to the Global Refugee Youth Consultations (GRYC), Arash Bordbar recently organised a workshop with young refugees and asylum seekers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Over 50 young people participated in the workshop - the first of its kind in Malaysia. It was a important opportunity for young people to meet peers from across communities, share their experiences, identify key challenges and solutions, and plan future activities.
Arash spent 5 years as a refugee in Malaysia before coming to Australia in 2015 and was keen to ensure that young refugees and asylum seekers living in Kuala Lumpur had a similar opportunity to others involved in the GRYC.
Planning for the workshop was supported by the MYAN and the Refugee Council of Australia and Nadine Liddy, MYAN National Coordinator, co-facilitated the workshop with Arash. The MYAN looks forward to working with the youth participants and civil society organisations in Malaysia to progress the outcomes of the consultation.
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APCRR6 - raising the voices of young refugees in our region
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APCRR6 Youth Workshop participants. Australian delegates Sarah Yahya and Arash Bordbar with representatives from Pakistan, Thai-Burma border, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
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Sarah Yahya, Arash Bordbar and Muzafar Ali recently traveled to Bangkok, Thailand for the 6th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights (APCRR6). Supported by MYAN Australia and the Refugee Council of Australia (and following their advocacy work in Geneva), Sarah and Arash reported on the Global Refugee Youth Consultations and Muzafar presented on the Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre in Indonesia.
Hosted by the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), APCRR6 highlighted positive practices across the region, including youth-focused activities, and provided an important opportunity for networking and exploring solutions to the challenges facing refugees, asylum seekers and stateless communities in the Asia Pacific region.
APCRR6 also saw the establishment of a formal Youth Working Group, with Dor Achiek (SSI) elected as Chair and Arash Bordbar (MYAN Australia) elected as Deputy Chair. The MYAN looks forward to supporting the outcomes of the APCRR6, including activities of the Youth Working Group.
Read more about APCRR6 here.
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CONGRATULATIONS to the FUSE 2016 delegates!
MYAN Australia are excited to announce that 32 young people from across Australia have been selected as delegates to attend FUSE 2016, a national multicultural youth summit being held in Melbourne later this year.
Delegates were selected from a large pool of applicants, with the quality and diversity of applicants making this a tough selection process. All delegates will now participate in a pre-departure briefing in their home state or territory before making their way to Melbourne for three days of activities focused on building leadership and advocacy skills.
Read more about FUSE 2016 and stay up to date with all MYAN events via Facebook, Twitter or our website.
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Achieving the best settlement outcomes for young people in Australia
National training on the Youth Settlement Framework gets underway!
MYAN Australia has been partnering with our affiliated state and territory organisations to deliver training workshops across Australia on understanding and applying the National Youth Settlement Framework. Workshops have been delivered in the NT, NSW and WA, with QLD, VIC, SA, and TAS yet to come! The Framework is the first of its kind in Australia and this is an exciting opportunity to learn more about how you can apply it in your organisation or role.
Participant feedback on the workshops to date has been overwhelmingly positive.
"This is a milestone in youth settlement policy and practice in Australia"
"Engaging with the Framework materials has been invaluable, with the opportunity to combine solid conceptual information with concrete, practical application"
"Fantastic training and resources, to use in my everyday practice"
NEXT TRAINING: Brisbane, 2 & 3 November 2016. Click HERE for more information about the training, and how to register for a workshop in your state.
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Applications now open for the 2017 John Gibson Refugee Community Leadership Grant
This annual Leadership Grant supports advocates from refugee backgrounds to take part in high-level international advocacy on refugee issues. The recipient of the grant will have the opportunity to raise issues and concerns with senior UNHCR personnel, liaise with NGO representatives from around the world and learn about current and emerging issues in international refugee protection.
Applications close 5pm Monday 14 November 2016, click here for full details.
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Interpreter Central – new app to help refugee communities
As an outcome of the #hackforrefugees event earlier this year, Australian Red Cross are currently supporting a trial of the winning idea, Interpreter Central. This is an online platform that connecting users, including refugees, with interpreters. The platform is described as 'a matchmaking marketplace for refugees and interpreters' designed to address communication issues. Interpreter Central will give case workers, clients and other users the ability to preview interpreters before they are booked, and to list their preferred interpreter. Find out more here.
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An opportunity to connect - online blog for new arrivals
The Newcomer Blog aims to connect people through stories of positive change which have improved the lives of Australians and contributed to more healthy, happy and harmonious communities. If you are interested in learning more about the Newcomer blog click here.
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Amnesty International release 'Island of Despair' report
This report documents the full findings of Amnesty International's investigation into Australia's "processing" of refugees on Nauru and seeks to humanise the many adults and children impacted by this policy by sharing their personal stories of trauma and resilience across the world. Read the full report here.
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Four Corners report 'The Forgotten Children: The young refugees stranded on Nauru'
This report provides an important and often unseen view of the lives of young refugees on Nauru. Supported by the reports of teachers and child protection workers who have lived on the island, three young refugees share their stories of growing up in limbo. Watch the full story here.
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Investing in Youth, Australia
One in a series of reports from the OECD, this report focuses on youth employment, social support and skills in Australia. The report provides a detailed diagnosis of youth policies in the areas of education and training, social support and employment. Its main focus is on disengaged youth or youth at risk of disengagement. Full report here.
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Refugee resettlement to Australia: what are the facts?
The Australian Parliamentary Library has released an updated version of this important fact sheet providing guidance on refugee resettlement in Australia. The fact sheet provides information on topics as diverse as 'what is a refugee?' to 'how are visas under the Humanitarian Program distributed?' and is an important tool for those working in community advocacy and sector development. Read the full paper here.
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Social Cohesion Project Report
‘Australians Today’ is a summary report incorporating the results of a large-scale online survey (10,000 respondents) with the findings from focus groups exploring social cohesion in Australia. The findings from the research will make an important contribution to public discussion, and will be used by policy makers to inform them of public understanding of social cohesion and immigration issues. You can find the summary report here.
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Forced Marriage: A good practice guide
Any person who works with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, in particular, workers in schools, youth programs, health care and community services, should know how to identify a young person at risk and how to ensure they get the specialised support services they need. This Good Practice Guide provides an introduction to the issue and essential information to help front-line workers respond effectively. Download the guide here.
ABC’s Radio National also did a story on forced marriage earlier this week that you can listen to HERE.
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Building a New Life in Australia: update released
The updated Beginning a Life in Australia booklet is now available on the DSS website. The booklet provides settlement information and links to other websites and resources for newly arrived migrants, humanitarian entrants, and their sponsors and service providers. More information available here
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Australian Human Rights Commission’s Pathways to Protection Report
This report explores a human rights-based response to the flight of asylum seekers by sea and is intended to contribute positively to public debate on alternatives to current third country processing of asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru. Full report here.
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Research reveals new insights into children’s views of safety
A survey of over 1,000 children and young people reveals that over 40 percent would feel uncomfortable talking to an adult at school if they were in a situation where an adult or other young person made them feel uncomfortable.Our safety counts: Children and young people’s perceptions of safety and institutional responses to their safety concerns is the second report from the Children’s Views of Safety project commissioned by the Royal Commission. Read the report here.
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The human cost of Australia's asylum seeker policies
UNICEF Australia and Save the Children recently released the report, At what cost?, looking at the human, economic and strategic cost of Australia’s asylum seeker policies and provides a set of alternatives. Read the report here.
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Australia's growing linguistic diversity
FECCA has recently released a report on Australia's linguistic diversity - Australia’s Growing Linguistic Diversity: An opportunity for a strategic approach to language services policy and practice. It provides an analysis of FECCA’s consultation and research to develop an evidence base on language service provision in new and emerging languages, that is, languages spoken by individuals who came to Australia as humanitarian entrants over recent years. Read the report here.
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