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 December 2008
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NEWS AND VIEWS
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20 YEARS OLD AND STANDING ON ITS OWN FEET
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Queen’s Hall in Parliament House is normally filled with the grave business of government. On Wednesday 10 December, Queen’s Hall shed its gravitas and played host to over 200 young people, government ministers past and present, community and corporate representatives, and a wide range of CMY supporters. The festive occasion marked the 20th anniversary celebration of CMY.
A talented group of young Pacific Islanders, G-range, kicked off the celebration with a performance of their music, while later the A-MCs (African Mic Controllers) had the audience moving along to their beat. The inspiration for their music comes from their everyday lives and the daily battles and victories they live through.
The sounds of laughter also echoed throughout Queen’s Hall with stand-up comedy performances by Hung Le and Sema Kuryuk, who drew material for their performances from their own personal experience of settlement in Victoria. The statue of young Queen Victoria positioned high on her pedestal in Queen’s Hall would have stepped off and joined in the festivities if she could!
The Hon James Merlino, Minister for Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs and as Minister assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs congratulated CMY on 20 years of innovative and invaluable work in the multicultural youth sector.
"In my role as Minister for Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs and as Minister assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs, I have had the privilege to work with CMY on programs and initiatives for CALD young people that span these three distinct, yet equally important portfolio areas. CMY has been an invaluable support in this work and has worked tirelessly for young people and CALD communities. May I take this opportunity to extend my warmest congratulations to all involved in CMY for their efforts over the past twenty years."
Many Voices, One Story: a history of the Centre for Multicultural Youth was launched by Minister Merlino. This booklet tells the story of CMY’s journey over the last 20 years. It was put together as part of the 20th anniversary celebration to reflect on the challenges, achievements and lessons learnt along the way.
The original incarnation of CMY, the Ethnic Youth Issues Network, was formed in 1988. Twenty years on from being a seed of an idea, CMY now stands on a firm platform to build on its achievements.
The journey of the past 20 years has taken the organisation through significant changes in Australian multiculturalism. CMY has weathered the changes by listening to the diversity of voices and opinions, to explore what unites young people as a community, not simply what divides us. It has given rise to a unique range of services and programs for migrant and refugee young people. We are now a robust statewide organisation that enjoys national recognition as a leader in refugee and migrant youth issues.
Our story and journey in the last twenty years would not have been possible without the support and commitment of many individuals and organisations. Most of all, it has been the energy and passion of young people that has continued to inspire us. To have the opportunity to celebrate our twentieth anniversary at Parliament House is a tribute and recognition of the invaluable role young people play, not only in CMY but also in the wider community in which they live.
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Refugee advocate wins Victoria Australian of the Year 2009
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CMY congratulates long-time community advocate Dr Berhan Ahmed, who was named the Victoria Australian of the Year for 2009. Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria Chairperson, Sam Afra, declared the award "a deserved personal accolade and an inspiration for all those striving to overcome adversity and improve the lives of the less fortunate."
Dr ahmed, who fled Eritrea as a teenager and spent time in refugee camps in Sudan and the Middle East, has risen from former Melbourne tram conductor to senior academic at the University of Melbourne, a journey that, according to Mr Afra, "shows how the opportunity for a second chance can produce rewards that benefit the entire community."
“Dr Ahmed’s rise from stateless refugee to state ambassador is even more poignant when one recalls that it was only twelve months ago that Africans were being criticised in some quarters for failing to make the transition to life in Australian society.”
Dr Ahmed is now a national finalist for the Australian of the Year Award itself, to be announced in Canberra on 25 January 2009.
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(source: Australian of the Year Awards media release, 18 November 2008; ECCV media release, 19 November 2008)
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YRIPP nominated for Human Rights Award
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CMY’s Youth Referral and Independent Person Program was recently nominated as a finalist for the 2008 Human Rights Medals and Awards, in the Community Award – Organisation category. Congratulations to the YRIPP team for their nomination!
The the Human Rights Medal was awarded to the international and domestic Indigenous advocate, Les Malezer. The full list of award winners, spanning individuals, organisations and media, can be found at the Australian Human Rights Commission website.
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[source: Australian Human Rights Commission media release, 10 December 2008]
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WHAT'S NEW AT CMY?
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Happy Holidays!
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CMY wishes all our friends and associates a safe and happy New Year. The CMY office will close for the holidays at the end of Tuesday 23 December, and will re-open for the new year on Monday 5 January.
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20 years of CMY exhibition
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As part of our twentieth anniversary celebrations, CMY and the Immigration Museum have teamed up to present CMY: celebrating 20 years. This exhibition celebrates CMY and 20 years of advocating for Victoria’s refugee and migrant young people. It is also a celebration of the achievements of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds and their commitment to working for human rights and social justice. A poster series and video installation, the exhibition describes the work of CMY through the stories of strong and inspiring young people, and is ON NOW at the Immigration Museum until mid-2009.
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Info Sheet 18: Humanitarian Arrivals in Victoria
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Did you know that in 2007-08, there were 691 young people (aged 13 to 25) who entered Victoria under the Humanitarian Program – which is just over 30% of the total number of humanitarian entrants to Victoria for that year? This newly-updated Information Sheet provides a general overview of the primary source countries and settlement trends for refugee young people currently residing in Victoria.
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 download (2.2MB)
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Statewide Multicultural Youth Issues Network update
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CMY presents a report arising from October's Statewide Multicultural Youth Issues Network meeting, Engaging refugee and migrant young people around mental health: Exploring strategies that work.
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download (289kb)
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The report includes guest speakers’ presentations, discussion of strategies to assist service providers work more effectively with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds around issues of mental health, actions to be explored in 2009, and a list of useful resources.
More information on the Statewide Network’s activities can be found at the Statewide Network section of the CMY website.
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Volunteers needed for Ucan2 program
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CMY is seeking volunteers to work with young people from newly arrived and refugee backgrounds, as a part of the successful Ucan2 mentoring program.
We're looking for people aged 18 years and older, who have experience balancing part-time work, study and family life. You will need to volunteer your time for one afternoon a week from February to July in 2009. The program will be held across the south-east (Noble Park and Dandenong) and West (Footscray) of Melbourne.
Download the flyer and application form from the links below; for more information, contact Leanne McGaw on (03) 9340 3700 or lmcgaw@cmy.net.au.
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download flyer (1.18MB)
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 download application form (108kb)
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POSTCARD FROM DANDENONG AND CASEY
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Each newsletter, we take a look at emerging issues and new initiatives that CMY is involved with. In this edition, we take a look at a new project running in the Cities of Casey and Greater Dandenong.
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CMY in partnership with AMES and the South East Region Migrant Resource Centre is currently delivering a Living in Harmony Project, funded by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, in the Cities of Casey and Greater Dandenong.
Living in Harmony is a program that aims to address issues of cultural, racial and religious intolerance by promoting respect, fairness, inclusion and a sense of belonging for everyone.
AMES has undertaken a sustained community based and community driven project that works to build intergenerational and cross-cultural connection in Noble Park by bringing together older members of the established community with newly arrived young people through a range of strategies.
The SERMRC is working with newly arrived young people to develop a series of music events in Casey and Dandenong as a means of addressing social isolation and building community connections.
CMY is delivering a “Integrated Young Women’s Health Support Project” that aims to build confidence amongst young mother’s from diverse cultural groups, and to give them the opportunity to develop friendships, share knowledge and increase their understanding of each other.
All three projects are engaged in Action Research so that the participants and the organisations involved can learn from these endeavours and further the outcomes of promoting respect, fairness, inclusion and a sense of belonging for everyone. A fuller report describing these projects in more detail will be available in the next newsletter.
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WHAT'S NEW IN THE SECTOR
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Details of upcoming events, conferences and new resources in the multicultural youth sector. If you have an event or resource you want promoted through CMY Digest, please send details to info@cmy.net.au
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A regularly-updated list of new resources and upcoming events in the multicultural youth sector
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IN THE MEDIA
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Multicultural youth issues in the media – what are some of the issues that are making it into the news? If you come across media articles you think should be highlighted in this newsletter, please forward to info@cmy.net.au
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Sudanese youth feel sharp end of racism (The Age newspaper, 17 December 2008)
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Sudanese youth in Melbourne experience systemic racial discrimination and are often too scared to go out in public, according to a damning Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission report.
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> read the article at The Age website
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From war-torn Kabul and little English, to Thomastown and near perfection (The Age newspaper, 16 December 2008)
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"When Shaheen Hasmat and his family arrived in Australia from Afghanistan as refugees five years ago, the year 8 student knew only a few words in English, like yes and no [....] yesterday, Shaheen was the dux of Reservoir District Secondary College, with a near-perfect tertiary score, or ENTER, of 99.8 and the promise of a scholarship to study medicine at Monash University."
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> read the article at The Age website
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Muslim women hide from racist taunts (The Age newspaper, 15 December 2008)
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Most Victorians say they hold a mainly positive view of Muslims, but a study from the Islamic Women's Welfare Council of Victoria reports a pattern of sustained racism towards of Muslim women.
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> read the article at The Age website
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Fatal brawl that doused so much hope and potential (The Australian newspaper, 24 November 2008)
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"The death of Daniel Thongjang came a world away from civil war and the struggle for life in refugee camps. However, his death has again raised concerns about how young African refugees, especially from Sudan, are integrating into Australian society." Features comment from CMY's Carmel Guerra.
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> read the article at The Australian website
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