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 October 2006
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NEWS AND VIEWS
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FAMILY VIOLENCE AND FORCED EARLY MARRIAGE
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Alli Coelho, Community Policy Officer, CMYI
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It is widely accepted that Intergenerational Family Conflict can lead to negative outcomes that affect young people’s lives in adverse ways including low self-esteem and mental health issues. These issues are often directly linked to the settlement pressures experienced by migrants and refugees and which impact on the lives of all family members. Some contributing factors identified at a recent consultation were:
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- Language: intra-family power shift due to the quick acquisition of language by young people, communication problems due to a reluctance to communicate in first language and having a number of languages’ within a family due to time spend in secondary transitional countries;
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- Reconfigured and blended family living: the associated power shifts and negotiating the emotional impact of interrupted relationships on the family unit (father arrives in Australia from a refugee camp, four years after his wife and four children );
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- The pressure felt by families living within a different culture with unfamiliar and/or contrary concepts, beliefs and structures (socially and institutionally);
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- The experiences of young people who are often isolated from their own communities, often, with an absence of stable and positive male role models within the family. Reverting to violence to resolve conflict through past behaviours leant while surviving overseas.
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Many families who migrate to Australia find their roles change significantly. Many families are totally restructured because of war and migration, with family members missing, separated, or unable to migrate due to death or remarriage. Some families are living together for the first time. The importance of existing family members in Australia is immense given the lack of completion of migration of most families. (CMYI Family Issues Paper, 2004)
The loss of status and social power that many families experience in adjusting to a whole new language and culture often leads to deep loss and shock. Some families experience a complete class shift on arrival. Professionals with overseas qualifications may face unemployment due to a lack of Australian work experience and discrimination.
Financial pressures are also often severe, as unemployment is often high, and families may be paying off overseas debts or sending money to relatives. Refugees usually arrive in Australia with no possessions or financial assets and have to start their lives again. (CMYI Program Team Self Evaluation Report, 03-04)
Just as is the case for many Australian born families, divorce, separation and re-marriage occur frequently for overseas born families, and there are a number of single parent families from CLD backgrounds, and stepfamilies from diverse backgrounds in Australia.
Migrant families face a complex and alien environment. Adults often feel powerless and socially dependent on their children for language assistance. Young people often take on a role as advocate for the family and are often called on to provide assistance with settlement needs and in interpreting with services. This can lead to a power shift, with parents losing dignity and status. This power imbalance has significant long-term consequences for family dynamics and can lead to family conflict. (CMYI DIMIA Issues Paper, 2004)
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CLD young people are often juggling the strong expectations by family members of both success within dominant Australian culture, and the maintenance of their cultural values and first language. Intergenerational conflict often arises from life in a country with often markedly different Western values. Conflict often arises about financial issues, independence, activities outside the home, and sexual relationships. Although they are under- represented in accessing homelessness services, refugee young people have been found to be six times more likely to become homeless than their Australian born peers (Coventry, 2000, Wealth of All Nations Report). One of the most significant factors in this high risk is intergenerational conflict, which often remains a hidden problem.
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Without the necessary culturally sensitive structures of support, and the absence of local networks, and intergentational support mechanisms families experiencing intergenerational conflict can easily fall into cycles of family violence. The link between family violence and youth homeless is incontrovertible, so too is the high incidence of poor mental health outcomes within the youth homeless population. Family violence can manifest in a number of ways with emotional and physical abuse used as the ‘preferred tools’ for attaining power and control. As such, Forced Early Marriage also falls within the parameters of Family Violence, and for the greater part, as with family violence, most protagonists are women and children and most perpetrators are men.
To be clear, when we speak of forced early marriage, we are not referring to arranged marriages. Arranging marriages for young people is currently common practice in many countries around the world and finding suitable matches was commonplace in western societies up until fairly recently. (Coelho, 2006, BSL Social Barometer Conference)
Forced early marriage, is just that, a non-consentual arrangement made by parties (usually family members such as parents) using coercion, deception, intimidation and violence to control the outcomes and behaviors of young people, usually young women. (Coelho, 2006)
Forced early marriage is a hidden and highly sensitive issue, as such is still, a breach of human rights. This issue is an international issue requiring the co-operation of overseas governments and a clear domestic strategy as it breaches a number of domestic laws including the Child Protection Act. A strategy might include:
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- The provision of sensitive and appropriate support to young people who face this issue;
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- A gender sensitive and culturally inclusive approach;
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- That worked with all levels of government and closely with communities;
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- Used international partnerships to advocate for the rights of young people and prevent international child abduction;
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- Increasing resources to institutions such as schools and school nurses to provide support and referral, and to those agencies that utilize the skills and expertise of bi-cultural workers; and importantly
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- A model that is inclusive of lessons learnt from established communities living in Australia.
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An example of an international model attempting to address this issue is the creation of the Forced Marriage Unit in the UK, funded by the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Additionally, adapting models such as the FARAP program, (dealing with an equally sensitive issue like female circumcision) could have a wide reaching affect from a grass roots coordinated approach. (Coelho, 2006)
At present in Australia young people dealing with forced early marriage encounter:
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- The on-going and residual affects of intimidation, deception, coercion and violence;
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- Manifestations of poor physical and mental health issues
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- Schools often struggle to deal with this issue, and there are few resources available that help them support students;
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- Additionally, there is little or no support available for young people due to a lack of a consistent and multifaceted strategies targeting and supporting young people, communities and families;
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- On an individual level, young people are fearful of being shamed, and being perceived as turning their backs on tradition;
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- On a broader level, they fear the shame it will bring to their family and their particular community if they reject their families wishes.
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The following case studies highlight some of the issues experienced by young people and the workers that assist them; they were supplied by a service that works with young people in schools:
K and G were in Year 9, both girls where 14 years of age. They sought assistance from a service provided at their school to discuss the family conflict that each of them was experiencing.
Both girls were from large families and their older sisters were married at a young age.
At the age of 13, G was taken for a holiday to the place where her parents were born. While there, her family and extended family attempted to force her into a marriage with a man she did not know.
Following her refusal, G was subjected to physical violence by her father and brother. She managed to resist the pressure and returned to Australia unmarried.
Family conflict including physical violence continued once back in Australia. A notification to DHS, Child Protection was made following G being taken forcibly from school one day by her brother and a group of young men. The incident occurred in retaliation to G ringing a male friend. Her family found out about the phone call. She was not allowed to ring or associate
with boys again.
G developed an eating disorder which required treatment. She left school in Year 10.
Meanwhile, K had been under pressure to marry an older man. She had expressed to her family that she did not wish to marry and wanted to stay at school.
The family then said that they would take her for a holiday, to the place where they were born and agreed not to force her into marriage.
Prior to K leaving Australia, the worker that had been sought for assistance through the school, contacted DHS Child Protection about their fears that in the family may attempt to force K into marriage against her wishes. However, DHS where unable to intervene as no offence had been committed.
The worker also contacted the Dept. of Foreign Affairs to determine what K could do if she found herself in a difficult situation once out of the country. The department provided the worker with information about the Australian Consulate in the country where the family had planned to holiday, they were unable to do more.
The worker spoke with K and passed on the information. K said that she would be in a village, far from the main city where the Consulate was located. This was to be her first trip to her parents’ birth place making it near impossible for her to navigate and access services offered at the Australian Consulate.
K was forced into a marriage while she was on holiday. The worker later heard that a short time after the marriage she had left her husband, and, for a number of reasons, she was unable to return to Australia.
For further assistance and support please contact The Immigrant women’s Domestic Violence Service: Intake number 8413 6800 and free call: 1800 755 988 or visit www.iwdvs.org.au
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There is also some resources available on the NAYSS website that may be of interest, including an Info Sheet on Family Conflict. Check that out here http://www.cmyi.net.au/NAYSS/PublicationsandResources
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LANGUAGE SERVICES IN VICTORIA
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Louise Olliff, Policy and Communications Officer
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A recent research report by Helen Borland and Charles Mphande, The Numbers of Speakers of African Languages Emerging in Victoria (May 2006, Victoria University), raises a number of important issues relating to language services in Victoria. The report explores recent trends in the settlement of African communities in Victoria and their use and access to language services.
Borland & Mphande’s report highlights some key considerations for service providers, including: the need for services to accurately report and collect data on language needs, the need for better planning and training to ensure new and emerging communities are able to access appropriate language services, and the need for organisations to ‘shop around’ to source comprehensive language services.
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Accurate reporting/collection of data on language needs
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Without accurate information on language needs, it is impossible to plan for and provide the most appropriate and effective services for multilingual clients. Services requesting interpreters should make sure that data collected on preferred languages is as comprehensive as possible.
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- At minimum, agencies need to record both a client’s main home language and their preferred second language (e.g. a lingua franca).
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- Services should carefully record the spelling/name of languages, and distinguish between Arabic and Sudanese or Juba Arabic.
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- Even where language services are not available for some of the smaller language groups (e.g. Nubian, Shilluk, Murle etc), record the preference as well as the lingua franca (e.g. Sudanese Arabic) to ensure these community language needs are not invisible in data collected. More comprehensive data will also assist government and agencies to better identify and plan for meeting emerging language needs.
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Planning to meet the language needs of new and emerging communities
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With a good understanding of the language profile of local communities, services are better able to ensure the effective and equitable provision of information and access to services.
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- Data presented in the Borland & Mphande report provides a useful snapshot of the settlement patterns and language needs of African communities across Victoria. Data on language requests has been broken down by LGA and region. This data can be used by services for planning purposes and to determine priority languages and strategies.
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- With regards to appropriate channels of communication (written, verbal, etc), pages 42-3 of the report highlights some of the complexities relating to literacy and education levels. Services wishing to communicate effectively with newly arrived communities should consider moving away from traditional forms of communication (i.e. producing only written information) to reach groups with diverse educational and literacy levels.
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‘Shopping around’ for language services
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The research into language services provided by agencies in Victoria suggests that those requesting language services need to shop around and not rely on one agency to meet the needs of clients and communities.
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- Organisations seeking interpreting and translating should not assume that just because one agency does not offer services in a particular language, that these services are not available elsewhere. For example, Borland & Mphande analysed data from three language service agencies and found that: “Whilst the three agencies report requests for some of the same languages, it is notable that each agency has different patterns of provision and is supplying services in some languages not offered by the other two. For example, Agency 1 is providing all of the interpreting services in Anuak, Bari, Krio, Lingala and Madi and most of the services for Acholi, Mandingo, Rundi and Swahili. It is also the largest provider of services in Dinka and Amharic, yet it does not provide services in some of the comparatively large Horn of Africa languages, such as Somali, Nuer, Oromo and Tigrigna. In contrast, Agency 2 only is providing interpreting services in two emerging West African languages, Gio and Mano. Notably it is the largest provider of services in Somali and contributes substantially to service provision in Dinka, Sudanese Arabic, Tigrigna, Oromo, Nuer and Tigre…” (p.29)
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- There are significant gaps and scarcity in services for specific language groups, even where there are sizeable populations. For example, Oromo, Tigrigna, Maay, Harari, Rundi and Swahili speakers are currently under- resourced in terms of language services. This is an issue that needs to be addressed through an investment in resources and training, as well as through addressing structural issues such as the employment conditions and remuneration of language service professionals. Again, it is important that services collect accurate data and report on unmet needs, and where possible advocate for more effective investment in language services.
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To access the Borland & Mphande report, go to the VOMA website here
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WHAT'S NEW AT CMYI?
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CMYI TRAINING: JUGGLING EXPECTATIONS – SUPPORTING CLD YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CONTEXT OF FAMILY CONFLICT
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| Wednesday, 15 November, 2006
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| | | | | | Training exploring issues around family conflict and how this relates to the experiences of CLD young people. Session learning outcomes include:
| - Explore changes to migrant and refugee families relationships and dynamics
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| - Identify some causes of and responses to conflict
| - Identify strategies to address conflict between generations in newly arrived families
| - Work towards strengthening family relationships
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| | | | $160 (including GST) - lunch and refreshments provided
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LEISURE CENTRE FORUM - A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR DIALOGUE
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On 4th September, CMYI in partnership with Kinect Australia and the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH), held a Forum on CLD Young People’s Access to Leisure Centres. The forum’s primary aim was to engage staff in the leisure and fitness sector as well as local government who want to increase access to CLD young people. It was also an opportunity to showcase best practice, come up with strategies from discussions at the focus groups, develop recommendations, and produce resources for the sector based on information from the forum. Read more here
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MULTICULTURAL SPORTS NETWORK MEETING
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It has been well documented that culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) young people are under-represented in structured sports activities. The Multicultural Sports Network aims to provide a forum for workers with CLD communities to find out more about the services offered by sporting organisations. The October 25th Multicultural Sports Network meeting will be held in collaboration with Football Victoria Development, who will provide information on the designated staff and programs aimed at assisting CLD communities to participate in football.
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 Download Sports Network Invitation (417Kb)
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NEW STAFF
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CMYI would like to announce the following new staff and changes to our team:
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| Sophie Franet – Coordinator Sports and Social Health
| CMYI would like to welcome Sophie Franet to the team as our Coordinator – Sports and Social Health. Based in the Carlton office full time, Sophie will be picking up from where Assunta Morrone left off with the Multicultural Sport and Recreation Project. Sophie’s role will include representation and participation in policy making committees; presenting at forums and conferences; assisting State Sporting Associations and Local Government to become inclusive of CLD young people, developing and delivering training for the sports sector about issues of inclusion for CLD young people when accessing sport; and developing resources for the sport and community sectors to assist them to increase access for CLD young people to sport. Sophie comes to us from Whitelion, where she was Coordinating the Ramp Mentoring and Personal Development Program for young. Prior to this, Sophie was the Program Director for Carlton/Parkville Youth Services.
| Sophie can be contacted on: sfranet@cmyi.net.au
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| | Rachel Murray – Building Bridges Project Manager (Hume)
| In the beginning of 2006, Rach began her journey with CMYI when she joined the inspiring South East team in Dandenong. There she co-facilitated groups, co-organised the World Refugee Day celebration, ran some great theatre projects with CLD young people, and fell in love with community development. When her contract finished, she knew the journey with CMYI was not over and was excited to find herself employed as the Building Bridges Project Manager in Hume. She understands the challenges of the area and has heard from many about the fragmentation and disconnection in Hume, but looks forward to tackling the challenges and working with young people to break down barriers and build bridges between the various communities.
“I have a strong vision for Hume and am loving being in Broad Meadows. I’m surrounded by a great, supportive team of people who are really excited by the Building Bridges project and I think it will be a great pilot for future projects. There’s just so much potential out here and I’m ready to tap into it".
| Rachel can be contacted on: rmurray@cmyi.net.au
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| | Nadia Mohamed - Programs Officer
| Nadia has been working unofficially with CMYI for sometime with administrative support and has participated in their youth reference group. Now officially Programs Officer based in Broadmeadows, she has previously worked in youth related Events and programs such as National youth week events, youth forums and summits both national and state, she has also founded the Muslim youth website: www.noorevents.com.au
| Nadia can be contacted on: nmohamed@cmyi.net.au
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| | Ryan Earles - Communications Officer
| Ryan Earles will be overseeing CMYIs website, newsletter and other communications-related work over the next four months whilst Louise Olliff is away on leave. Ryan has just moved to Melbourne and previously worked with the East Gippsland Shire Council in Community Development and IT based roles. Ryan comes with experience in all forms of digital media and communications and has keen interests in the arts, music, graphic design and website management.
| Ryan can be contacted on: rearles@cmyi.net.au
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| | Rob Ball - Training Development Officer
| Rob Ball will be working with the Youth Engagement Team for the next three months to develop a training program based on CMYI’s Youth Kit. The training will provide an opportunity for existing and emerging youth groups the strengthen skills in goal setting, communication, financial planning and leadership. Rob will also facilitate an exciting training partnership between CMYI and Environment Victoria that aims to support young multicultural leaders undertake sustainability initiatives in their communities. Rob comes with experience in community development, youth facilitation, training development & delivery and is an active producer of community-based media.
| Rob can be contacted on: rball@cmyi.net.au
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The end of an era
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CMYI is sad to say goodbye to one of our long-term team members, Kate O’Sullivan. Kate leaves behind a strong legacy at CMYI from her six years working here. Through her early days as a Reconnect youth worker, through to establishing CMYIs leadership and mentoring programs, and finally as an integral member of our policy team, Kate has been a committed and passionate advocate for refugee and migrant young people. CMYI would like to wish Kate all the best as she embarks on her new life in Germany.
Following Kate’s departure, we would also like to announce the appointment of our new Sector and Community Development Co-ordinator, Diana Amarto, who begins at CMYI in mid-October.
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AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
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Big Congratulations to CMYI Programs Officer, Nadia Mohamed and regular participant in CMYI activities Khaled Abdulwahab who both received awards this month.
Nadia received a Victorian Refugee Recognition Record (VRRR). The VRRR is an initiative of the Victorian Multicultural Commission as a way for the State Government to officially recognise the remarkable contributions that refugees have made, both to their own ethnic communities as well as the Victorian community as a whole.
Our other award winner this month is Khaled Abdulwahab who was the proud recipient of an Australian Council for the Arts 2006 Young Leaders Award. The Young Leaders awards celebrate Young Leadership in Community Arts and Culture. Khaled has been a regular participant in CMYI activities and is a member of the Youth Engagement Team's Youth Reference Committee.
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NEW RESOURCES
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New CMYI Infosheet 14: Refugee Young People and Resettlement
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 This new CMYI info sheet provides workers with an overview of some of the common experiences refugee young people face in resettling in Australia. It describes the journey refugees make from their country of origin to Australia – from the refugee experience, flight and time spent in refugee camps, to the pressures young people face in negotiating their new life in Australia.
Go to CMYI Infosheet 14: Refugee Young People and Resettlement
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POSTCARD FROM THE NORTH WEST
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Each newsletter, we ask some of our program team to write about emerging issues and new initiatives that are taking place in their region. In this edition, Abderahim GIme, NAYSS Youth Worker and Willow Kellock, Multicultural Youth Worker , write about some recent activities that have taken place through the NAYSS program in the North West:
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Newly Arrived Youth Support Services
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| The North West Team - Abderahim Gime, Willow Kellock and Noemi Garcia.
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| Late last financial year, the CMYI initiated the Newly Arrived Youth Support Services (NAYSS), a program designed to offer support service to CLD young people. The program is funded through the Department of Family and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA). In affording a range of support services to young people (in the age bracket 12-21 year old), the new NAYSS program is both a combination and replacement of the old JPET and Reconnect Programs administered by the Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues. Although, NAYSS encompasses two area teams, the South East (SE) and the North West (NW) program teams, the main focus here is on the activities of the North West NAYSS
NAYSS (NW) is a regional program delivered by three workers, Abderahim, Noemi, and Willow, by each working from Brimbank, Hume and Moonee Valley respectively. The North West of Melbourne is identified as an area with high concentration of young CLD people who face disadvantage due to a host of barriers. Since its inception in May, the program has actively seen the provision of support services to individual young people as well as to groups of young people. Individual client support involves providing services to young people having problems with education, employment, training, family support, responding to conflict, social/recreational activity as well as housing. Working with groups of young people aims at enhancing young people’s skills to be independent and achieve greatly.
| AMES – CMYI Life Skills Initiative
| In partnership and collaboration with AMES, NAYSS (NW) is currently involved in developing cooking skills among young people who attend AMES. Not only are young people taught cooking skills as such but, more significantly, through the project, participants’ attention is drawn to the benefits – budgetary, health and otherwise – of being able to prepare one’s meals. The young people involved have found the project ideally suited to their needs. They have shown interest and also expressed their satisfaction and approval of what they have been able to gain so far.
| NAYSS - Moonee Valley
| In Moonee Valley, CMYI has recently been working with Moonee Valley Youth Services, Doutta Galla & VICSEG to support a young women’s holiday program during the September holidays. Cultural considerations can often make it difficult for young women to access generalist holiday programs and recreational activities. Running a “girls-only” program was seen as an important initiative in order to provide a space for young women from CLD backgrounds to connect and strengthen their relationships with one another – and to have some fun. We intend to continue working with the young women by holding a camp during the summer holidays that is planned by the participants.
As part of Refugee Week, the Victorian Multicultural Commission has funded CMYI, the African Community Development Council and the Eritrean Islamic Society to run a photography project with young people from refugee backgrounds, around the theme of ‘journeys’. We have a professional photographer on board, Lisa Fitzgerald, who is going to train the young people in using digital photography as a means of exploring issues of identity and perception. The photographs will be presented at the Eid festival in Flemington during October.
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WHAT'S NEW IN THE SECTOR
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Details of upcoming events, conferences and new resources in the CLD youth sector. If you have an event or resource you want promoted through this newsletter, please send details to info@cmyi.net.au
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New Resources
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- The Refugee Council of Australia is once again coordinating Refugee Week (22–28 October) in both NSW and Victoria. The Refugee Council will be hosting a Calendar of Events on its website from October 1. The 2006 Resource Kit which contains facts and stats about refugees and asylum seekers, useful web links and a list of refugee related movies and documentaries is now available from the Refugee Council of Australia website at www.refugeecouncil.org.au
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- Lebanese Crisis Hotline 9387 4422 – A Hotline has been setup for Victoria’s Arabic and Lebanese community who have been affected by the Lebanese-Israeli conflict. This Hotline is a joint initiative between Department of Human Services, Victorian Multicultural Commission and Australia Lebanese Welfare. The Hotline will provide answers to all queries for English and Arabic speaking individuals, families or groups regarding the current Lebanese conflict. The Hotline is available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
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- Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services Publications - some very useful resources from a US-based refugee youth organisation, check out their website here
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- Language Services for New and Emerging Communities Report- is available for download from there website. The report makes twelve recommendations including calling for more funding for interpreters in health settings. Download the report at: http://eccv.org.au/doc/LanguagesServicesReport.pdf
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- Strong Communities: Ways Forward – a groundbreaking report that is aimed at assisting Victorian communities and community groups in the years ahead. Download here
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- Harmony and Understanding – A brand new series of non-fiction educational books. Whilst the books focus on guided reading they can also be used for independent reading and research and as such make a valuable contribution to any school library. To find out more about the series contact Blake Education on (03) 9588 4433.
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- Bridging Refugee Youth - BRYC is a US technical assistance project working to broaden the scope of information and collaboration among service providers in order to strengthen services to refugee youth, children and their families. The BRYC website features a Clearinghouse of useful resources relating to refugee young people, including: Growing up in a New Country: A Positive Youth Development Toolkit for Working with Refugees and Immigrants. Go to the BRYC Clearinghouse Website
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- Culture, health and parenting in everyday life - Sharon Chalmers / Centre for Cultural Research, UWS - Family structures and ways of parenting can influence the relationships between health workers and parent/carers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. This study by Sharon Chalmers presents the results of focus groups and individual interviews with parents/carers from Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese-speaking communities, three of the largest culturally diverse groups that access Sydney Children’s Hospital. Read the full text of Culture, health and parenting in everyday life (PDF)
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- Discussion paper: CALD young people, housing and racism by Kate Morioka – The aim is to use the discussion paper as a basis for the ERACISM! forum, which will be held on Friday October 20 in Toowoomba, Queensland. The discussion paper can be downloaded from the website at www.yanq.org.au click on multicultural development. For further reading you can check out a feature article by Kate titled ‘There is no room for racism: CALD young people’s experiences of racism in the Queensland housing sector’ which appeared in the last CMYI e-news.
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- Australia's health No. 10 Australia's health 2006 is the tenth biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. It is the nation's authoritative source of information on patterns of health and illness, determinants of health, the supply and use of health services, and health services expenditure. Australia's Health 2006 is an essential reference and information resource for all Australians with an interest in health. View the report online for free here
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- Working with Children Check – The Victorian Government has introduced a new checking system which will affect some people who work or volunteer with children. The Working with Children (WWC) Check helps to protect children from sexual or physical harm by checking a person's criminal history for serious sexual, violence or drug offences and findings from professional disciplinary bodies. The introduction of the WWC Check creates a mandatory minimum checking standard across Victoria. WWC Checks will be phased in over the next five years. The five year phasing plan details when different categories of child related work are required to obtain WWC Checks. For further information visit the website here
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- Future Directions Youth Policy – YACVic’s Response - During February and March the Office for Youth conducted consultations to inform the development of a new Youth Agenda for the Bracks Government. The refreshed youth policy will provide a policy framework to shape the Governments response to young people in Victoria. YACVic and the Victorian Council of Social Service hosted a forum for youth service providers to have their say on the new policy. The feedback from that forum forms the basis for YACVic' submission to the Office for Youth. Also canvassed in the submission are core issues raised by the YACVic Youth Reference Group and the Victorian Indigenous Youth Advisory Council in response to the agenda. Click here to download YACVic's response
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- Bursting the Bubble - Something not right at home? National research shows that almost a quarter of young people in Australia have witnessed an incident of physical domestic violence against their mother or stepmother (National Crime Prevention 2001). Many thousands of young people are also subjected to abuse or neglect by a parent or care-giver. Bursting the Bubble is a website for young people who are worried about the way family members treat them, or each other. The site aims to assist young people to identify if family violence is occurring in their own homes; to develop safety strategies and ways of dealing with the emotional impact of abuse; and to understand how to seek further support. It provides quizzes to help recognise if they are experiencing domestic violence or child sexual, physical or emotional abuse. It also has stories from other young people, advice and more. See www.burstingthebubble.com
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- When love hurts - “He was my first boyfriend. At first he came across as pretty nice towards me, sort of protective of me, looking out for me. But it wasn't long after we got together that he started this jealousy thing, like he was constantly watching me to see if I was cheating on him…his attitude towards me was like "you're mine", he wanted to control everything I did…. He didn't like me talking to friends…I was just so stressed out all the time, constantly worrying about what he thought, trying to do what he wanted… I was really nervous around him and scared of setting him off…”
This story is from the When Love Hurts website. This site is for young people who are worried about their relationships or who are being hurt by someone they love. Young people can fill in the respect checklist and the relationship quiz to help them work out if they are experiencing abuse from a boyfriend, girlfriend or a partner. The site provides true stories and advice from over 20 young people who have experienced violence in relationships. It also has practical ideas on what to do, who to call, how friends and family can help, and more. The site was the winner of the 2001 Australian Violence Prevention Award. See www.dvirc.org.au/whenlove
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Training, Conferences and Forums
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- 'Good Practice' Community Work in Settlement Forum – FOR COMMUNITY SETTLEMENT WORKERS. The DIMA Settlement Grants Program Training Calendar 2006-07 and Peer to Peer Training & Mentoring Program are seeking expressions of interest from settlement workers/agencies who would be interested to participate in a one day forum on ‘Good Practice Community Work in Settlement’ by conducting a one-hour presentation/workshop on an innovative community work initiative undertaken with local settlement target communities. The forum will be held on Wednesday 21 February 2007 at DIMA offices in Melbourne and is open to community settlement workers/agencies keen to share and learn from each other’s experiences. For more information please contact Pamela Kosij email: hope@vicnet.net.au
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- Refugee Research @ La Trobe – Seminar Series 2006 – Wednesday 1st November 5-30 - 6.30pm Researching the welfare impact of the bridging visa regime on asylum seekers in Australia. Mr Grant Mitchell, Asylum Seeker Project, Hotham Mission.
Wednesday 6th December 5.30-6.30pm The return of seriously ill asylum seekers: Policy, practice, people. Ms Robyn Sampson, Refugee Health Research Centre, La Trobe University.
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- "Palliative Care and Cultural Diversity" on Wednesday 18th - The cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of palliative care patients and their families provides a challenge to palliative care service providers. How do we ensure that we are delivering culturally responsive and equitable services and meeting the needs of our diverse clients in the final stages of life? This workshop will cover: The impact of culture on service provision, Different notions of health, illness, death and dying across cultures, Cultural expressions of pain and grief, Roles of family members. Register your interest to attend here
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- National Youth Affairs Conference: 'Are we there yet?' Melbourne, 1-2 May 2007 - Call for Abstracts – A conference for young people, youth workers, educators, policy makers, academics and researchers, community workers and anyone interested in youth affairs in Australia. This is the first national youth conference in 8 years! If you are interested in presenting a paper or workshop or submitting a poster for display at the conference download the Call for Abstracts information here. Abstracts submissions close 30th October 2006. You can also register your interest and receive regular conference updates by emailing conference@yacvic.org.au with the subject line 'conference e-list'. This conference is hosted by the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria in partnership with YAPA, YANQ, YACWA, YACSA, YNOT, YCACT and NTYAN and supported by the Department for Victorian Communities, Victorian State Government.
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- ERACISM! Forum Friday 20th of October - St Saviour’s College, Neil Street Toowoomba - This year’s state wide ERACISM! Forum will be held in Toowoomba during National Anti-Poverty week. The Forum will focus on young people’s experiences of racism in the housing sector, particularly how racism affects housing outcomes for Indigenous and CALD young people. The forum includes panel discussions, live performances and a photographic exhibition put together by Milpera School students. Young people, youth workers, government officers and multicultural workers are all encouraged to attend!! Please register by contacting YANQ on 07 3844 7713 or at admin@yanq.org.au
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- Refugee Settlement and Support in Australia - 4th November, Victoria University, Footscray Park campus – This forum will present the findings of two ICEPA refugee research projects: Refugee Access and Participation in Tertiary Education & Training and Research into Settlement Experiences of Newly Arrived Humanitarian Entrants. The research will be presented by refugee access co-Chief investigators Dr Michele Grossman and Associate Professor Bertone. Read more here
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- Problem Gambling and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities – For service providers from ethno-specific, multicultural and health sectors wanting to learn more about problem gambling issues for people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. The workshop is an initiative of CEH Statewide Integrated Gambler’s Help Service for CALD communities and will provide participants with an understanding of problem gambling, Knowledge of Gamblers Help services and skills to respond more effectively to individuals affected by problem gambling in CALD communities. Wed 25th October 2006, 9.30am – 1.30pm. $99 inc GST, morning tea and lunch. Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health, 81-85 Barry Street, Carlton VIC 3053. Enquiries - phone 9342 9700 or email: enquiries@ceh.org.au
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- Free Range Drawing: an art making workshop - Visual artist Charley Leader will be running a workshop with free tuition for the 14-16 year age group in October/November 2006, supported through the Princes Hill Community Centre by the City of Yarra & VicHealth. A process of exploring objects and experimenting with materials generates momentum for participants to create a very personal artwork, which in turn becomes one module of an inspiring, site specific group installation; for public exhibition at the end of year art show, pARTicipate at Princes Hill Community Centre.
Dates: 14 October - 11 November 2006
Time: Saturdays 9.30am – 12.30pm
Who: 14-16 year olds all over Melbourne
Tuition: FREE
Materials: participants pay b/n $5 & $45
Venue: Princes Hill Community Centre
Exhibition Dates: 12 November - 26 November (opening 24 November)
Places: 15
Bookings: ESSENTIAL
Enquiries: Charley Leader t: 03 9386 9303, m: 0409 100 071,
or email: clayleader@netspace.net.au
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- ECCV Citizenship Forum ECCV invites all members to attend a forum to discuss the Federal Government's Australian Citizenship Paper. Have your say on Citizenship Do you think stricter English tests are fair? Should people be tested for 'Australian values'? Is extending the waiting time for citizenship from two to four years fair? This forum will inform ECCV's response to this paper. ECCV Room B – 150 Palmerston Street, Carlton, Wednesday October 18, 5 - 6.30pm, RSVP: ECCV 9349 4122
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- Free Training: Working with young people in Turkish and Arabic speaking communities experiencing family violence – Delivered by Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre and Immigrant Women’s Domestic Violence Service. This 1 day workshop explores culturally sensitive and appropriate ways of working with young people in Turkish and Arabic speaking communities experiencing family violence. It will explore the effects of family violence on young people and strategies for working with young people both as witnesses of family violence and as survivors of dating violence. It will include: skills in responding to disclosures, and specific strategies in engagement and risk assessment. This training will be both experiential and skills/activity based. Thursday 2nd November, 9.30am to 4.30pm Details of the venue will be provided to participants Free, lunch will also be provided. Please note: you must be available to attend the whole day. Registrations and further info places are limited: Please call Kate or Mic at Crossroads Reconnect on (03) 9353 1017 or 9353 1015 to register for the training and for further information.
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- Juggling Expectations: Supporting CLD Young People in the Context of Family Conflict – 15 November, CMYI professional development workshop. Learning outcomes include: Explore changes to migrant and refugee families relationships and dynamics; Discuss strategies for working with young people in the family context; Identify some causes of and responses to conflict; Identify strategies to address conflict between generations in newly arrived families; Work towards strengthening family relationships. Find out more here
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Events
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- Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability (MLS) Launch Event- MLS seeks to empower and support young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds as leaders in educating their communities about options for sustainable living. EV and CMYI invite you to the launch of MLS 4.30 - 5.30pm Thursday 26th October SBS Boardroom Level 2 Alfred Deakin Building Federation Square. RSVP by 14th October by phoning 9341 8108 or email Charlie.Davie@envict.org.au
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Download Invitation (390Kb)
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- Ramadan 2006 - Ramadan is the month of fasting during which Muslims who are physically able, do not eat or drink from the first sign of dawn until sunset. It is also a time of forgiveness, goodwill and sharing. Eid-ul Fitr at the end of Ramadan marks the breaking of the fast and is celebrated with family and friends in get-togethers and community festivals. Over 36 per cent of Muslims in Australia were born in Australia. Overseas born Muslims in Australia come from many countries including Lebanon, Turkey, Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pakistan and Indonesia.
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Funding
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New VicHealth Funding Round: Respect, Responsibility and Equality: Preventing Violence against Women
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Grants of up to $30,000 are available to support initiatives to engage a range of community groups, organisations and partnerships to undertake activities that aim to prevent violence against women. Guidelines and Application Form: www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/vaw or phone VicHealth on (03) 9667 1333. Closing date: 13 December 2006
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Headspace - National Youth Mental Health Foundation Call for submissions
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Headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation. The aim of headspace is to reduce the burden of disease in young people aged 12-25 caused by mental health and related substance use. headspace is calling for submissions from organisations across Australia interested in establishing a Community of Youth Services. The Communities of Youth Services strategy is focused on building the capacity of local communities to identify early, and provide effective resources to young people aged 12-25 with mental health and related substance use issues. Small grants will also be provided to organisations or consortia to assist in the development of full submissions for subsequent funding rounds. Applications are required by the close of business on Monday 6th November 2006. Submission information and application forms are available by registering at www.headspace.org.au
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FROM THE SECTOR: PROJECT, PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
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Information and updates on new projects, programs and services in the sector. If you are involved in a project that you would like others in the sector to know about, send details to louise@cmyi.net.au.
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New Projects and Programs
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A-LURE
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Visionary Images is an ART studio based in Richmond where young people with experience of hardship and artists collaborate to make artwork that is exhibited in the public domain. Visionary Images are looking for young people aged 15 ¬ 25 to get involved in the design and making of an exciting new program called A-LURE. The project¹s outcome will be a game created by young people in collaboration with professionals. The game is set to commence in November 2007 and will be played on the streets of Melbourne¹s CBD. Young people can get involved at any stage for as long as they like. This program is open to all young people in Victoria and runs from the beginning of March and runs right through to completion in 2007.
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Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability
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Environment Victoria (EV) and the Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI) have established a partnership project, Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability (MLS). The Program provides training in leadership and sustainability for young people aged 18-25 from migrant and refugee backgrounds. It seeks to empower and support young people as leaders in educating their communities about options for sustainable living. MLS will work closely with local governments to identify communities and young people to participate in the program as well as to develop environmental programs tailored to the needs of the local community. MLS builds on the success of EV’s Vietnamese household sustainability program, Nha Dep (beautiful home) and CMYI’s Young Leaders of Today Program (a partnership with the Australian Red Cross Victoria). It is funded by the Victorian Government, Yarra Valley Water and Fouress Foundation.
For further information contact Leanne McGaw – Senior Policy Officer – Youth Engagement at CMYI on 9340 3700.
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Young Leaders of Today - Statewide Multicultural Leadership Training October 2006
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CMYI's "Young Leaders of Today" Leadership Training program is being run on the 6th, 13th, 19 and 26th of October at the Hume Global Learning Centre. The training will be working with 20 CLD young people from Year 10 from 4 schools in the Hume region. CMYI received funding from the Office for Youth for Young Leaders of Today, a Statewide Multicultural Leadership Course. The program aims to provide young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds in year 10 with the opportunity to gain leadership skills and confidence, and to enhance their participation in community life. The program for 2006 is held in partnership with the Australian Red Cross.
For more information about Young Leaders of Today, please contact Anna Hutchens, CMYI Leadership Training Co-ordinator on 03 9349 3466 or email ahutchens@cmyi.net.au
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Free Your Style - telling stories through the elements of hip hop culture
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Learn how to rap, dj, break, dance, produce music and perform to live audiences. Workshops start: 29th October – 1st February 2007, at Noble Park Secondary College followed by two performances. For more information contact Catherine Sweeney on phone (03) 9412 6666 or Mobile 0401 175 225 or via email to catherine.s@culturalinfusion.com
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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 louise@cmyi.net.au.
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True Colours
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(SBS Insight, 15th August 2006)
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Few words create alarm like the word 'gang' when it's used in relation to crime. Recent reports of gangland killings, gang rapes and gang violence stir up strong emotions. It's led to gangs getting top billing by politicians and the media. So how big a problem are gangs in Australia?
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http://news.sbs.com.au/insight/archive.php#
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Who are the Australians?
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(The Age, September 2006)
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Either we value the migrants who have made this country richer, or we don't, writes Natasha Cica. "It's no accident or exercise in tokenism that three of the eight state and territory young Australians of the year for 2006, gonged for all-round high achievement and community contribution, have names such as Alice Chang, Felix Ho and Alen-Igor O'Hran. Below that bright line, everyone's encountered someone from a migrant family like that. And if they really know that family, they also understand that it functions well in Australian society even though, or perhaps precisely because, at home one or more of its individual members thinks, emotes and speaks in a way that mainstream Australia still considers foreign." Read the full article here
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