By Kate Yeung, Community Development Officer, MYAN
Over the past year, I had the opportunity to coordinate the youth engagement components of the Youth Identity Project (YIP), a national study by MYAN and the Social Policy Group which explores how multicultural young people understand and experience identity in Australia.
My role involved facilitating focus groups, coordinating the project’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG), and managing the creative expression call-out that invited young people to respond to the question: “Who am I in Australia?”
While the final report captures the findings of the project, this article is really about the young people who helped shape it.
A Project Shaped by Young People
A key part of the Youth Identity Project was ensuring multicultural young people were involved throughout the process, not just consulted at the end.
The YIP Youth Advisory Group brought together ten multicultural young people aged 18 to 29 from across Australia. From the beginning, they played an active role in shaping the direction of the study and helping ensure it reflected the experiences and perspectives of young people.
Over the course of the project, YAG members:
- Co-designed and tested survey questions and focus group discussion guides
- Provided advice on language, accessibility and cultural framing
- Reviewed findings and challenged assumptions or potential misinterpretations
- Attended focus groups as peer supporters
- Identified gaps and alternative perspectives in the data
- Contributed ideas for recommendations and how findings should be shared
- Help shortlist artists for the Creative Expression aspect of the project.
Their input helped shape a national survey that received more than 1,000 responses from multicultural young people across Australia.
As someone who worked closely with the group throughout the project, I was constantly impressed by the thoughtfulness they brought to discussions. They weren’t afraid to ask difficult questions, challenge our thinking or point out what might be missing. The result was stronger research and a process that stayed connected to the realities of young people’s lives.
A huge thank you to the YAG:
- Michelle (Mich) Liao
- Ngoc Bao (Maddie) Ngan Huynh
- Ariam Estifanos
- Ishra Prasad
- Alia Haider
- Alara Karaata
- Yuwaluxshayan (Yuwal) Kannan
- Muskaan Dhirani
- Abel Saji
- Nargis Rezaie
One of their final contributions was writing the foreword to the report. In it, they reflected on why this work matters:
“As multicultural communities continue to grow in Australia and around the world, research of this kind is increasingly important. It helps deepen understanding of the experiences of multicultural young people as a significant and growing cohort, while also identifying challenges and informing practical solutions. We are optimistic about the potential impact of this report. As the Youth Advisory Group for this project, we are confident that, if its recommendations are adopted, it can help drive meaningful progress in improving the experiences of multicultural young people and supporting a more inclusive future in Australia.”
Exploring Identity Through Creative Expression
Alongside the research, the Youth Identity Project included a creative expression call-out for multicultural young people aged 18 to 25.
Young people were invited to share original visual artworks responding to the question:
“Who am I in Australia?”
Across paintings, photography, illustration and mixed media, young people explored identity in different ways. Some reflected on belonging, culture and community. Others explored navigating multiple identities, family histories, migration experiences and personal growth.
Together, the artworks brought perspectives that complemented the research findings and highlighted the many ways identity is experienced, expressed and understood.
Congratulations to the artists whose work was selected for the project:
First Place
Fiona Jiang for Fragments of Self, which was selected as the cover artwork for the final report.
Second Place
Jean-Paul Itembya for Love in the Darkness, featured in the report.
Third Place
Leah Dall-Afford for New Shores, featured in the report.
Honourable Mention
Masoumeh Ghavamjoo, whose artwork was shortlisted. Masoumeh also submitted a poem inspired by the theme “Who am I in Australia?”, which is featured in the report.
Thank you to every young person who shared their work. It takes courage to put a personal piece of yourself out into the world, and the creativity, honesty and talent shown across the submissions made the selection process both difficult and rewarding.
What’s Next?
The Youth Identity Project has been a significant piece of work for MYAN and SPG, and one that we are incredibly proud of.
We’re excited to share the final Youth Identity Project report later this year and look forward to continuing the conversation it helps spark.
To be among the first to hear about the report release and related opportunities, follow MYAN’s and SPG’s channels and stay connected for updates.
In the meantime, a huge thank you to every young person who contributed to the project. Your insights, leadership and creativity are at the heart of this work, and we can’t wait to share the final result with you.
- Subscribe to MYAN’s Newsletter: https://myan.org.au/contact/
- Find out more about the Social Policy Group: https://socialpolicy.org.au/
This project was funded by the Department of Home Affairs.