This practice and policy resource, authored by SETSCoP in collaboration with MYAN, addresses transport challenges faced by young refugees and migrants. It identifies barriers such as limited public transport, high costs, and difficulties in obtaining driving licences, especially for those in outer urban and regional areas. These issues restrict access to education, employment, and community services.
The report highlights programs like driving mentorships and public transport pilots aimed at improving mobility and social inclusion. It also offers recommendations for policymakers to increase funding for transport initiatives and for practitioners to build trust and offer flexible, accessible services.
- Published in 2024
- Health and Wellbeing, Social Cohesion
In 2018, Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia (MYAN) and the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST) (Foundation House) established the National Education Roundtable to address an identified gap in national structures to facilitate discussion and inform policy and programming in relation to education for children and young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, particularly in school settings.
The National Education Roundtable brings together a national, cross-sector group to meet regularly to discuss how primary and secondary school students from refugee and migrant backgrounds are faring and how schools can best support them to achieve their potential. A Steering Group oversees this work, comprised
of representatives from states and territories, academia, policy, and settlement services.
- Published in 2020
- Education
This handbook, titled Engage Respectfully with Young People (From Refugee Backgrounds), is designed to equip individuals working with young people from refugee backgrounds with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes. It focuses on understanding the unique challenges and experiences faced by these young people, including their journey as refugees, settlement processes, and cultural transitions. The handbook covers topics such as adolescence, the refugee experience, good practice in working with refugee youth, and the importance of cultural sensitivity. It also provides guidance on fostering trust, supporting resilience, and ensuring ethical and effective youth work practices.
- Published in 2019
- Youth Engagement
This handbook is designed to support trainers in delivering a course focused on effectively engaging with young people from refugee backgrounds. It provides comprehensive training materials based on the unit CHCYTH001, which focuses on developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to work respectfully and effectively with young refugees. The guide includes detailed background information, suggested activities, and assessment tasks to help trainers equip participants with the competencies needed to address the specific challenges faced by young people from refugee backgrounds, particularly in the context of community services, youth work, education, and related fields.
- Published in 2019
- Youth Engagement
A brief policy review and reflections from providers of the Youth Transition Support services.
This paper has been prepared by MYAN with Youth Transitions Support (YTS)1 service providers through the YTS Community of Practice (COP). The YTS COP was established to support an independent evaluation of the YTS pilot, facilitate collaboration and reflection on good practice and document YTS practice. It was coordinated by MYAN.
This paper highlights the perspectives of YTS providers and draws on MYAN’s policy work to provide an overview of recent research, policy and programming into the acquisition of English language skills in Australia by recently arrived young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. It provides an overview of gaps/barriers and strategies for strengthening young people’s English language acquisition identified by YTS providers.
While building English language skills is not a core element of the YTS, it is a critical factor in both young people’s successful transition from education to employment and to achieving successful settlement outcomes more broadly. Given this, and the role of YTS in assessing and meeting the transition needs of young people between 15 and 25 years of age, YTS service providers have important perspectives on barriers and facilitators to improving young people’s English language acquisition.
- Published in 2019
- Education, Migration and Resettlement
This resource has been developed as a supplement to the MYAN Australia’s National Youth Settlement Framework (NYSF), providing a detailed description of each of the NYSF Good Practice Capabilities and how these are applied in practice.
While it can be utilised as a stand alone resource, it is best read in conjunction with the NYSF, in particular Part 4: Achieving active citizenship through good practice capabilities.
- Published in 2019
- Social Cohesion
This report serves as a resource tool for organisations who are keen to enable young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to participate in decisions that affect them. It highlights barriers and issues that young people from said backgrounds are subjected to and recommendations on how to address them. Good practices and tips are highlighted in this tool as well that organisations can use to continue involving young people with diverse backgrounds to participate.
- Published in 2018
- Youth Engagement
This Report provides an overview of basic demographic data and settlement trends for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds arriving in Australia between July 2017 and June 2018 with a permanent (or provisional) visa. It is based on data from the period 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018 provided by the Department of Social Services, as at 5th November 2018.2 MYAN has also drawn on the data of Department of Home Affairs in relation to asylum seekers living in the community with bridging visas. The Report should be read in conjunction with the stated caveats found under ‘Important Notes’ at the end of this document.
While this Report has a focus on young people arriving through Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program (i.e. the ‘Humanitarian Program’), some of the data presents youth settlement trends across the whole Migration Program (i.e. Family and Skill streams). It also includes a brief overview of some of the issues facing young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds during the settlement process. These issues have been identified by MYAN through its national policy and advocacy work. MYAN has been preparing youth-focused settlement\ trends reports annually as young people make up an important portion of permanent arrivals to Australia and contribute significantly to an increasingly multicultural Australian society. This data report aims to demonstrate the diversity of young people arriving to Australia, not just in terms of demographic factors but also in terms of their arrival pathways and their settlement across Australia.
For an historic perspective, this Report may be read in conjunction with MYAN’s previous Data Report on Youth Settlement Trends in Australia and Humanitarian Youth Arrivals to Australia Information Sheets. These and other MYAN resources are available at www.myan.org.au
- Published in 2018
- Migration and Resettlement
The Multicultural Youth Australia Census (MY Australia Census) is the first national study of
young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.
Australia’s young people are more mobile and culturally diverse than ever before. While this brings many advantages, multicultural young people face challenges that are not well understood by the community or government – such as discrimination, intergenerational conflict and insecurity.
The MY Australia Census examines social, cultural and economic indicators that provide valuable data on how multicultural young people are faring. These indicators have been identified after an extensive review of studies on migration and settlement, cultural participation, youth transitions and social and economic inclusion.
- Published in 2018
- Migration and Resettlement
The Young People Creating Change Toolkit is a resource developed by the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) and revised in partnership with the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN). It is designed to help youth workers and facilitators conduct a two-day training course on advocacy and campaigning for young people, particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It provides sessions on key topics such as advocacy basics, planning campaigns, stakeholder consultation, and using storytelling in advocacy. The toolkit focuses on experiential learning, enabling participants to develop practical advocacy skills while exploring their own experiences and beliefs, with an emphasis on inclusivity and empowering youth to create meaningful change in their communities.
- Published in 2014
- Advocacy
The MYAN was proud to auspice Australia’s first national conference on young people from refugee backgrounds in partnership with the University of Sydney Law School, the Refugee Advice and Casework Services (RACS), Refugee Health SW, Department of Education NSW, the Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) and the Forum of Australia Services for Torture and Trauma (FASSTT).
With over 300 representatives working across the education, employment, health, settlement and migration law fields, the Regufee Youth in Focus forum was a unique and exciting opportunity to engage in the issues facing children and young people in the asylum and settlement contexts and the sectors supporting them.
This combined 2-day event highlighted the importance of collaboration between research, policy and practice and the importance of research informing policy and service delivery with young people.
- Published in 2013
- Others
This paper provides a national overview of the support arrangements for Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors (UHMs) across Australia, as well as an overview of key emerging issues in relation to the care and support of this group of young people. Given the absence of a nationally consistent approach to support and care for UHMs, and the increased numbers arriving through Australia’s on-shore protection system, it is designed to address an identified gap in clear information about the type of care and support available to unaccompanied humanitarian minors in each state and territory. This is a dynamic policy environment, and this paper is the first in a series being prepared by the MYAN on this issue
- Published in 2012
- Migration and Resettlement