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Welcome to MYAN's November eNews! From the conclusion of one project and the planning stages of another, with a range of policy and sector events and collaborations in between, MYAN are racing towards the end of 2018 and preparing to take on 2019. We also have exciting news from young leaders involved with MYAN and some fantastic opportunities and resources to share.
Read on to catch up on the latest national news and activities, news from young leaders, our recent work in national policy, updates in the media, upcoming opportunities, and useful resources.
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MYAN & MYAN TAS present National Webinar with Child Family Community Australia
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Over 200 participants attended the webinar from a diverse pool of organisations, engaging in discussion and a Q&A on applying the National Youth Settlement Framework and MYAN's new Youth Participation resource. The webinar will be available soon on the Australian Institute of Family Studies website.
Australian Youth Affairs Coalition National Youth Summit
MYAN had the pleasure of attending the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) National Youth Summit last week to come together with other youth peaks, youth-focused organisations, experts, young people and commissioners from across Australia to discuss action towards putting youth on the national agenda and advocating top policy priorities to address youth issues in Australia.
MYAN was represented by Acting National Coordinator, Andrew Cummings, and MYAN NSW Youth Ambassador Apajok Biar.
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Apajok spoke about the need for a strong national peak body to represent all young Australians, with a strong focus on ensuring young people in all their diversity are listened to and supported, and the need for a human rights-based approach to young people’s participation.
MYAN also had the opportunity to meet with AYAC and Shadow Minister for Young Australians and Youth Affairs, Terri Butler MP, to talk about the need for and importance of, a national voice for young Australians.
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Thanks & Farewell to Youth Transition Support Community of Practice
MYAN concludes its coordination role with the Youth Transition Support (YTS) Community of Practice (CoP) this month. The Youth Transition Support program assists young people from refugee and recently arrived migrant backgrounds to transition to their new life in Australia through support to participate in employment, education, training, and sport.
The providers that deliver the program in NSW, Queensland and Victoria have been supported by a Community of Practice, established by MYAN at the request of DSS in late 2015. Since 2016, the Community of Practice has met regularly, providing a platform for communication with government and independent evaluators, for resource and information sharing; common professional development; and general support and collaboration.
MYAN has enjoyed its involvement in the CoP and thanks the providers and DSS for their collaboration over the duration of MYAN's role. The YTS providers will now continue the CoP, taking on the management and coordination in 2019.
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Pictured: The Youth Transition Support Community of Practice
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National Education Roundtable
MYAN Australia and Foundation House co-chaired a national teleconference this month, exploring the various ways that the educational needs of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds are being addressed across Australia. More than 20 organisations took part in the “roundtable” including settlement services providers, Torture and Trauma services, peak bodies and academics. Following the discussions, MYAN and Foundation House are exploring ways to encourage closer collaboration and information sharing, and the possibility of holding a one day symposium in 2019.
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DSS Announces Peaks Funding
The Department of Social Services recently announced that it will continue to fund MYAN as the national voice for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. MYAN’s funding was announced along with the Settlement Council of Australia and the Migration Council of Australia.
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Australian Human Rights Commission Human Rights Medalist Finalists
Congratulations to MYAN Youth Ambassador Narayan Khanal and MYAN NSW Youth Ambassador Apajok Biar, who have been named finalists in the 2018 Young Persons’ Human Rights Medal. A well-deserved recognition of both young leaders' dedication to advocacy and leadership, Narayan and Apajok are actively making a positive impact through national and international involvement on youth issues and we wish them all the best!
Read more about Narayan's journey to this achievement in a recent ABC article by Nick McLaren, Human rights medal finalist recalls path from Nepal refugee camp to regional Australia
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Pictured: Narayan Khanal presenting to the Senate Inquiry into Jobactive
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MYAN Youth Ambassador presents at Jobactive Inquiry
Youth Amabassador (NSW), Narayan Khanal and Acting National Coordinator, Andrew Cummings recently appeared before the Senate inquiry into jobactive, talking about the need for targeted and specialised support to get young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds into meaningful employment.
Read MYAN's submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment on the appropriateness and effectiveness of the objects, design, implementation and evaluation of job active.
Watch the video below of Andrew and Narayan discussing the jobactive inquiry and the barriers and opportunities relating to youth employment.
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Review of the UNCRC in Australia
MYAN welcomes the National Children’s Commissioner’s submission and Australian Child Rights Task Force’s The Children’s Report, both submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on the upcoming review of Australia by the Committee.
MYAN was heavily involved in the preparation of both reports by providing written submissions, participating in stakeholder meetings, and conducting a survey with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
MYAN is pleased to see that the need for targeted, youth specific settlement services, and the issues around lack of nationally consistent youth specific data; discrimination; and visa cancellations have been covered in these reports.
End Child Detention Coalition (ECDC) Policy Paper
ECDC released a policy paper asking Parliament to legislate alternatives to detention for all children to ensure no child is held in an immigration detention facility on Australian territory in the future. While successive Australian governments have worked to reduce the number of children held in detention facilities in Australia by establishing alternative options, these have not been legislated to prevent the detention of children.
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In the Media
MYAN Youth Ambassadors speak to SBS about settlement journeys and the importance of youth voices
MYAN Youth Ambassador Narayan Khanal and MYAN NSW Ambassador Mariam Akoba spoke to Jalem Hardik of SBS Gujarati at International Metropolis Conference 2018 about their personal journeys and perspectives of settling in Australia as young refugees and their role with MYAN/MYAN NSW as advocates and leaders.
Both Narayan and Mariam attended Metropolis as panelists in the workshop MYAN Australia and MYAN NSW presented, “Listening to young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds: Youth voices on participation and empowerment".
Listen to their interview here.
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Pictured: Narayan Khanal (NSW), Amiel Nub (QLD), Hannah Lai (MYAN NSW) & Mariam Akoba (NSW) at Metropolis
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Growing up South Sudanese in Victoria after the 2016 Moomba ‘riot’
The Centre for Multicultural Youth released a research paper with Monash University and The University of Melbourne, exploring young South Sudanese Australians’ perceptions of how they have been impacted by ongoing negative media coverage since the 2016 Moomba ‘riot’. Young people stated they feel local and national media coverage is heavily racialised and opportunistic, perpetuating harmful narratives, and having a detrimental impact on their lives, and the wider South Sudanese and African communities in Victoria. You can read an article featuring the paper in the Guardian here, and watch the most recent episode of Four Corners focusing on this issue here.
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Applications for FUSE 2019
are OPEN!
To join MYAN and other like-minded young leaders at FUSE 2019, network with public figures and decision makers and learn invaluable skills in leadership, advocacy and community organising, apply between 2 November 2018 and 6 January 2019. FUSE 2019 will be held in Melbourne on 15th-17th April. See MYAN's website for more details and join MYAN's Space for Youth on Facebook to stay updated!
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UNHCR Youth Initiative Fund 2019 - Call for proposals
UNHCR is accepting proposals for "Supporting Youth-Led Protection" to support young people to design, lead and implement community projects. Find out more about the application process here. Deadline for proposals is 3 December 2018.
National Survey on Volunteering and Settlement in Australia
Volunteering Australia and the Settlement Council of Australia (SCoA) seek input from Settlement Sector organisations through this short, anonymous survey in order to progress our research and assist in the development of a strong evidence base for future policy development. Take the survey here.
Online course on digital youth participation
A free online course that introduces the topic of digital youth participation is now available, with the support of the SALTO-YOUTH Participation and Information Resource Centre. The self-paced course consists of six units and focuses on testing concrete tools and ways in which digital youth participation can be implemented. You can access the course here.
Lead 2030
In 2015, 193 countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an ambitious road map to create a better world by 2030. Supporting youth-led innovation for the SDGs, Lead2030 will provide $500,000 to the most impactful youth-led initiatives, businesses or movements that are making a tangible impact on a selected SDG. In addition to funding, each Challenge Winner will be connected with a team of expert mentors from the supporting business and its partners. Apply before 5 January 2019 and read more here.
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What Works: A Manual for Designing Programs that Build Resilience is an easy-to-use guide that is ideal for anyone working with children and families in social service or humanitarian settings, as well as community facilitators, councilors, and policy makers. It includes plenty of case examples of programs.
Findings from the National Temporary Migrant Work Survey indicate that Australia has a large underclass of migrant workers who are paid well below the minimum wage. They often do not have a voice in public debate and policy formulation in part because they live and work on the fringes of Australian society, are often not native English speakers, are young and, for many, are fearful of losing their job or jeopardising their visa if they speak out about working conditions.
A policy paper titled AN UNNECESSARY PENALTY: Economic impacts of changes to the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) commissioned by the Refugee Council of Australia and a number of other organisations reported that almost four in five people seeking asylum in the caseloads of organisations supporting asylum seekers are at risk of homelessness due to change in SRSS policy.
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The SALTO Think Tank on Youth Participation released its first paper, Closer to the edge of participation and activism, focusing on the state of youth participation and explores the models that assist in defining, analysing and evaluating participation. While with a focus on European context, the paper considers the new and emerging trends in participation and youth activism – such as shifting expectations and power and the use of technology as a tool for change.
A recent article in Youth and Policy Journal explores Young people, risk-taking and improving risk communications to adolescents and explains that adolescents experience ‘optimism bias’, causing them to perceive their own risks to be less than those of others. The article suggests using narrative-based risk communication strategies with adolescents, arguing that as young people learn more about another group that has experienced a risk, they will begin to relate to them, recognising their own vulnerabilities, and that their optimism bias will be reduced.
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