A rare opportunity for young women and businesses.
CMY recognises the enormous leadership experience and potential in the young women we work with. However, while people from refugee and migrant backgrounds make up almost half of all university graduates, the Human Rights Commission reports that only 5% of these graduates will eventually be appointed to leadership roles in Australia.
SAT will provide an exciting leadership opportunity, featuring a 10-month Leadership Immersion Program to address the under-representation of young women from refugee and migrant backgrounds in leadership roles, which includes:
- Observership Placement on a business Board or Committee, offering young women real-life experience in and exposure to the world of leadership and strategic planning and decision-making in business, associations and companies in traditionally male dominated industries.
- Facilitated training program on governance, finance, risk management, effective communication and other core areas of leadership, where participants will learn from guest speakers, each other and experienced facilitators from The Leadership Centre and CMY. Content will be both practical and adaptive in nature providing participants with skills and knowledge in governance but also providing a safe space for young women-of-colour to share their experiences, successes and challenges, and develop solutions and strategies with the support of their peers, guest speakers and facilitators.
CMY is partnering with Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) and our state and territory partners to deliver the Seat at the Table program in Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia.
Applications for 2023 now open in VIC, ACT, TAS & WA.
Why are we doing this?
CMY recognises the enormous leadership experience and potential in the young women we work with. We see it every day in our advocacy and development programs. But their leadership is far too often outside traditional leadership and governance structures where we know many important decisions are made. As a result, the CMY Board are committed to providing an opportunity for young women to build their skills and capacity, whilst acknowledging the unique challenges society places on them to take up these roles.
Although Australia has seen a substantial increase in the percentage of Board positions filled by women in the last five years, representation in traditionally male-dominated industries are still significantly lower. Moreover, while people from refugee and migrant backgrounds make up almost half of all university graduates, the Human Rights Commission reports that only 5% of these graduates will eventually be appointed to leadership roles in Australia.
Such figures paint a stark picture for young women from refugee and migrant backgrounds who face additional challenges in pursuing their leadership aspirations compared with their peers. Research and CMY’s experience tells us that young women are eager to take on more formal leadership opportunities, however there is a need for culturally responsive and accessible programs to encourage and prepare young women in leadership and governance.
If you’re a young woman
Visit our SAT – Young Women’s page for more info and to apply.
If you’re a business
Visit our SAT – Business page for more info and to apply.
To discuss if this is the right opportunity for you, contact:
Jess Case | Senior Project Officer
E | jcase@cmy.net.au
M | 0475 400 883