With young people

OUR WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

MYAN engages young people from around Australia, inclusive of regional areas, through state/territory youth advisory structures. We support young people to represent the rights and interests of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds nationally and internationally. We do this by appointing and supporting the National Youth Ambassadors Network and hosting the national multicultural youth leadership summit, FUSE.

Get Involve

National call for MYAN’s Youth Ambassadors 2022!

MYAN is now recruiting members for Youth Ambassador Network (YAN) 2022.

YAN has up to 16 members (1-2 representatives from each state and territory) from a diversity of faith, gender, age, linguistic, ethnicity, migration, life, and educational experiences. They are agents of change working within their state or territory with MYAN Australia’s partners and in the national arena through MYAN Australia.

To know more about our past YAN members click here.

Who can become a MYAN Youth Ambassador?

You can be the next Youth Ambassador if you are:

Aged between 18 and 25;
From a migrant, refugee or asylum-seeking background (this includes young people born in Australia with migrant parents);
Committed to the values, purpose and expectations of the YAN and MYAN Australia
Ability to work well within a team with fairness, integrity, and respect for a diversity of opinions, cultures and values,
Demonstrated leadership skills and/or experience in leadership activities that promote the needs and issues facing young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

Applications close 9am (AEST/Melbourne time), Friday 29 April 2022.

YAN2020

Apply now

Follow the YAN’s activities on social media

Youth Ambassador

MEET OUR YAN

Supported through MYAN Australia and our state and territory partners, YAN members are active advocates and actors working to influence the national agenda for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

The YAN are not representatives of all refugee and migrant young people in their state or territory, but provide a perspective of young refugee and migrant Australians to MYAN Australia. They also work on practical activities within their state or territory and serve as advocates, amplifying the voice of others, in a range of national and state/territory forums.

domina

MARIA DOMINA AUGUSTINE

I am thrilled and humbled to be a part of the YAN representing NSW. I am honoured to learn from diverse young people and ensure their voices are heard and taken seriously. I have had wonderful opportunities to volunteer for MYAN and Bankstown Intensive English Centre, and for RacetoRaise fundraising for a Sri Lankan village. I have also been selected to attend the University Scholarships leadership Symposium and the Peace Summit at the United Nations. I am eager to grow in this role and hopefully create a meaningful, sustainable impact with the YAN cohort.

New South Wales
22 | South Indian

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision,
then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” - Audre Lorde

mary

MARY MASELINA HARM

I am a proud Samoan/Chinese-Fijian passionate about the power of storytelling in creating social change. During my studies, I played a key role in establishing The University of Queensland’s first ever South Pacific Islander Association (UQSPIA) and was the first female to be elected president of the Asia Pacific Youth Parliament for Water, held in South Korea in 2017. Since attending FUSE 2019 I have joined the Multicultural Youth Queensland Council advocating for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

Today I am serving as the Brisbane Coordinator for a group of young community leaders known as the Pacific Climate Warriors. By elevating the stories of those on the front-lines of the climate crisis, we are shifting the power to First Nations people and changing the narrative of Pasifika people from mere victims of climate change to warriors of the Pacific.

Queensland
25 | Samoan/Chinese-Fijian

“Love anyway. Love even though. Love just because.” - Anon

mfaume

MFAUME KAKOZI

I’ve been finishing year 12 this year whilst doing a Certificate II in construction training, and after I graduate my aim is to gain an apprenticeship to be a boilermaker. As part of the National Youth Week Film competition 2017, I was one of five young people invited to Melbourne for a filmmaking workshop. There I produced a short film about my life story and my passion for music and this was aired on SBS VICELAND and NITV. I really value staying positive and believe that you should never let someone else put you down. Being part of the YAN is an amazing opportunity for me, because I get to learn about leadership and advocating for young people whose voices are never heard enough in the community. I will help to empower them and stand by them so their voices can be heard.

Northern Territory
21 | Congolese

“Negativity may knock at your door, but that doesn’t mean you have to
let it in.” - Anonymous

zahra

ZAHRA AL HILALY

I am currently studying a double degree in Law and Journalism, hoping to work in the human rights and refugee field. After watching my parents struggle with the repercussions of their journeys settling into Australia, I am adamant in working to ensure that immigrants and refugees are given the same opportunities as everyone else to exponentially grow. I am currently a part of the Global Youth Task Force with United Nations Women, where I represent Australia in the fight for gender equality across the globe. I further work with the Youth Affairs Council of WA as a Shout Out Speaker and as a youth consultant, delivering trainings to young leaders from refugee and migrant backgrounds to help them develop leadership skills.

Western Australia
19 | Muslim Palestinian Iraqi

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers
to turn on the light” – Albus Dumbledore

mostafa

MOSTAFA KARIMI

I am of Afghan Hazara Ethnicity and I am currently studying a Diploma of University Studies in Science at the University of Tasmania. I am passionate about volunteering and helping others, which led me to be a volunteer at the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) North as an interpreter and helping drop-ins. I am a member of the Youth Advisory Network in MRC North and a MYAN member, as well as a member of Get Outside with Community Leaders program. Recently, I initiated a youth group Afghan Youth Association Network (AYAN) for young people in my community. I organise and plan events and recreation activities for them, such as International Women’s Day and Girl’s Day events, Sport tournaments and a Kite Festival. I am also a sporty person and play in a local futsal competition every Sunday night. Other hobbies of mine include travel, swimming and camping.

Tasmania
19 | Afghani

“Good thoughts, good words, good deeds” -Zoroaster

chanceline

CHANCELINE KAKULE

I’m in my second year of nursing and my third year of psychology and criminology at two different universities. I'm passionate about giving back to the community. I understand the struggle of coming from a refugee background and moving from a whole new country where everything is different. I am most proud about opening up a conversation within my community around the issue of racism. A big part of this has been through E-raced, which has been a steppingstone into turning an unmentionable issue such as racism into an everyday conversation through its aims to minimise racism one story at a time.

South Australia
22 | Congolese

fatima

FATIMA TLAA

I’m a very confident person and I want to instill confidence in other young people as well through the events and programs at MYAN. I also want to bring my facilitation skills and public speaking skills gained through my previous role as a UN Youth Facilitator and my roles in the AMRC’s (Australian Migrant Resource Centre) Youth Leadership program as a YAN representative as well. It is not often that organisations get young people from different states to work with each other so I’m looking forward to working with the YAN to deliver national youth events such as FUSE. I also want to share the issues that need to be heard in the “mainstream” society and work on actions to resolving them.

South Australia
26 | FIlipino/Iraqi

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Get in touch with the YAN at myanprojects@myan.org.au

Follow the YAN’s activities on social media

FUSE

Hosted by MYAN, FUSE is Australia’s bi-annual national multicultural youth leadership summit. With the themes Connect, Ignite and Trailblaze, FUSE is a unique and transformative opportunity for young Australians from refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking backgrounds to build and apply leadership and advocacy skills, expand their networks, and connect with peers from across Australia.

Over 3 days, delegates participate in skills-building workshops, hear from experienced advocates working in diverse sectors, explore key issues and solutions facing young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, and engage with decision-makers and MPs from the state and federal level.

FUSE is designed to equip delegates with the skills, confidence, knowledge and networks to engage in creating changes in their local communities, and at the state and national levels. Post FUSE, delegates are supported to apply their skills and knowledge at the state and local levels through MYAN’s partners. Many have gone on to be leaders in their state/territory and have joined MYAN’s Youth Ambassador Network (YAN).

Read the FUSE 2019 Report here

Read the FUSE 2016 Report here

Read the FUSE 2014 Report here

See FUSE delegates featured in ABC News

Photo Gallery

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LIFE IN AUSTRALIA: CELEBRATING YOUNG PEOPLE FROM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT BACKGROUNDS

MYAN’s short film series was launched at the MYAN conference in November 2017. The short films capture young people’s stories and experiences of settling in Australia. Produced in partnership with Dr David Corlett, acclaimed filmmaker and host of SBS’ Go Back To Where You Came From, the 9 films feature young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds talking about leaving their country, arriving in Australia, what helped them settle in Australia, belonging, identity and aspirations for the future. These films are part of MYAN’s resources supporting the National Youth Settlement Framework.

“YAN members share their views on Cultural Diversity Week and what it means to them”

Story sharing is a powerful tool to present the perspectives of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds living in Australia. Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia ( MYAN ) has engaged members from the Youth Ambassador’s Network (YAN) to share what Cultural Diversity Week means to them via different mediums such as art, dance and conversation.

NSW Youth Ambassador, Maria ‘Domina’ Augustine, speaks to Ramya Prabhakaran – a dance choreographer – about how dance has formed a deep connection to her roots and culture. Ramya speaks about different dance forms, how they can showcase cultural aspects, and what cultural diversity means to her as a Tamil dance choreographer raised in Australia.

SA Youth Ambassador, Chanceline Kakule, interviews MYAN’s FUSE Youth Delegate, Celestina Rabi, about Cultural Diversity Week. Chanceline explains, “Every year on the 19th-27th of March, we as a nation recognise the significance that this week holds, for all people who come from the four corners of the world. Multiculturalism is a core part of the Australian identity and our way of life.

Mary Harm- MYAN’s Ambassador from Queensland, narrates Pacific Climate Warriors’ initiative to create a colouring book with images that could be conversation-starter for intergenerational discourse on matters that affect Pacific Islanders.