April Newsletter

Join YACWA for WA Youth Week!

For this year's WA Youth Week, YACWA is bringing you a full day of FREE arts and cultural activities! Come down to Leederville to join WA Young Person of the Year, Kamsani Bin Salleh, and contribute to a massive public art piece. There will also be live performances from some of Perth's best young artists, stalls and activities run by young people for young people, and even a free lunch! Look out for deadly activities from the Youth Disability Advocacy Network (YDAN), the YEP Project, the Youth Pride Network (YPN), Millenium Kids, Whitelion Youth Services and join MYAN WA to experience our human library. 

Check out the event!

MYAN WA is hiring!

MYAN WA is looking for a new Project Officer to join our team two-days a week. The Project Officer will work with the MYAN WA Executive Group to:

  • Build the youth and settlement sectors’ knowledge and skills to work effectively with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds
  • Provide opportunities for the youth and settlement sectors to build strong partnerships and collaborate
  • Keep the youth and settlement sectors informed of issues of importance to refugee and migrant young people
  • Advocate for the specific needs of refugee and migrant young people
  • Build the membership of MYAN WAProvide opportunities for young people from refugee and migrant young people to influence

 

Applicants who are from a refugee and/or migrant background are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications close 5pm, Tuesday 23rd April, 2019.

Apply

Events

FREE Health Screening for refugees and asylum seekers

Health in Kind is running free medical screening services for refugees and asylum seekers of all ages which will include:

  • medical and dental screening
  • hearing and eyesight testing
  • blood pressure and blood sugar level checks and health education

 

When: Saturday, 4th May, 10:30am to 12:30pm

Where: Rivervale Community Centre

 

With so many health practitioners together in one place, at one time, attendees can be screened on a broad range of health services. If you have clients or know of members in the community who would benefit from the screening session, ask them to register online or via text for the event. Registration helps to ensure that sufficient medical professionals are appointed on the day and enough take-home lunch packs are supplied for attendees.

Register here

Workshops

YDAN audits, speakers and specialists

The Youth Disability Advocacy Network (YDAN) can help your group, program or organisation to become more aware of the issues of access and inclusion for young people with disabilities. As part of their social enterprise strategy, their services are on a fee for service basis and are all directly delivered by young people with disabilities.

Find out more information here 

Coastal Connections

The City of Stirling is excited to partner with Centre for Stories to offer a series of storytelling workshops. Workshops will take place on three consecutive Saturdays and provide participants with the relevant skills and knowledge to successfully compose their story while developing communication and public speaking skills. Stories will then be recorded to add to the City’s Oral Histories Collection. The City is seeking participants from a range of backgrounds who live or work in the city to share their stories including:

  • Newly arrived migrants
  • Established migrants
  • Aboriginal community members
  • Second generation Australians

 

Dates: 4th, 11th and 18th May from 9.30am to 1.30pm

Where: Mount Flora Museum, North Beach

 

If you have a story to share relating to your cultural or personal connection to the coast/ocean, please contact a member of the Family Services team on familyservices@stirling.wa.gov.au or 9205 8553.

Resources

Federal Budget 2019

MYAN welcomes the continued investment in social cohesion but is concerned that once again this is not a budget for young people. The $64.2 million investment in social cohesion initiatives is a welcome measure and particularly significant given the role that young people play in supporting the integration of their families and communities into Australian society. This includes:

  • $7.3 million over three years from 2018-19 to continue the Fostering Integration Grants Program
  • $1.8 million over two years from 2018-19 for digital engagement initiatives to counter extremism online
  • An additional $22.6 million over four years from 2019-20 to expand and extend the National Community Hubs Program (NCHP) and establish the National Youth Hubs Program (NYHP)
  • $12.6 million over three years from 2019-20 for the Community Languages Multicultural Grants Program
  • $0.6 million in 2019-20 to evaluate the effectiveness of current social cohesion initiatives

 

There is also a further investment of:

  • $23.6 million over four years from 2019-20 for diversity and social inclusion programs through sport in regional Australia
  • $58.2 million investment over four years in the Safer Communities Fund (SCF) grants program, which includes funding for crime prevention initiatives

 

Despite these measures, MYAN Australia is deeply concerned about plans to reduce the permanent migration program by 30,000 over the next four years. They are also concerned about the increased waiting period of 12 months (previously 6 months) for newly-arrived refugees and humanitarian entrants to access Jobactive.

 

“These measures undermine the contribution migrants and refugees make to skills shortages and nation building,” says Carmel Guerra, Chair of MYAN. Once again, young people have been forgotten with no real increase in Newstart and Youth allowance payments in many years, despite the increased cost of living and high levels of youth unemployment. We welcome the following investments, as we know that accessible mental health services and employment opportunities are of the utmost concern for the young people we work with:

  • $737 million investment in mental health and suicide prevention programs, including funding for 30 more headspace centres and for Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health for the development of a new model of care to improve mental health outcomes for young people
  • and$535 million investment in Australia’s VET sector, including in skills development, career advice and better linkages between schools and local industry

 

“MYAN calls on the Federal Government to ensure that all of these initiatives have targeted approaches to include young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds,” says Nadine Liddy MYAN National Coordinator.

Jobactive: failing those it is intended to serve

A recent parliamentary report on Jobactive: failing those it is intended to serve has been released. The inquiry focussed on the appropriateness and effectiveness of the objectives, design, implementation and evaluation of Jobactive. This report includes evidence provided by MYAN, with MYAN Youth Ambassador, Narayan Khanal and Andrew Cummings, MYAN's Acting National Coordinator, appearing before the Senate Inquiry into Jobactive to speak about the need for targeted and specialised support to get young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds into meaningful employment.

Report

Australia's 2019-20 Migration Program discussion paper

MYAN recently made a submission to the Department of Home Affairs on Australia's 2019-2020 Migration Program discussion paper. This submission provides a national perspective, drawing on the MYAN’s breadth of experience working with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, their communities and the youth and settlement sectors across Australia. It has a focus on the rights and interests of young people (12 to 24 year olds) from refugee and migrant backgrounds in the Australian Migration and Humanitarian Programs.

Submission

Jobs

Young Creative Artist
Roots TV is putting a call out for an artist to do an exciting piece of wall artwork for their new Roots TV youth and media space. This will be admired by young people who will be coming to the centre. The work should reflect diversity, energy, and positive role models. Payment is $300. If you are interested, please get in touch with Roots TV on info@rootstvperth.org or call 0408 297 949. The closing date for applications is April 28th, 2019.

Employment opportunity at Edmund Rice Centre WA

The Board of the Edmund Rice Centre WA (ERCWA) is currently advertising for the position of Chief Executive Officer. Information on the position, a copy of the application form and position description is available on the website. For further questions about the position, please contact Mr Stephen Bowman at ERCWA on 9440 0625. Applications close 5pm, Friday 26 April 2019.

More information

Opportunities

Lived Experience Project for the 10-Year Strategy on Homelessness

The Homelessness Strategy Team at the Department of Communities are seeking opportunities to speak to people with experiences of homelessness who are interested in sharing their story. The team can meet with individuals, families or focus groups can also be arranged. If you would like to participate, there is also the option to have your story included in a Lived Experience Story Book that will be launched during Homelessness Week 2019. The Story Book will be a rich source of information for policy and service development and that will help change common misconceptions and stigma about homelessness. People who choose to share their story can remain anonymous if they wish and there will be an opportunity to review anything before publication.

 

If you are interested in participating or would like further information, please email homelessness.strategy@communities.wa.gov.au or contact Kate Waylen on 9222 4721

Surveys

OMIs Strategic Plan 2019–23

The Office of Multicultural Interests (OMI) is about to develop its new Strategic Plan 2019–23 and are keen for you to be involved. You will also be invited to further face-to-face consultations in May 2019. Initially, OMI is seeking your thoughts on four key questions:

  • What community needs or issues are the most important for OMI to address?
  • How should OMI go about addressing these needs/issues? What could OMI do?
  • How would we know that we have been successful? What results/outcomes would we see?
  • What should be OMI’s purpose?

Other comments will be welcome (please note that as a State Government agency, OMI are not responsible for immigration matters). To submit your comments, please email harmony@omi.wa.gov.au or complete the survey by Monday 15 April 2019.

Survey

MYAN WA e-News 
If you would like any of your events, programs, services, or projects that are relevant to refugee or migrant young people and the sector that supports them shared in the MYAN WA newsletters or Facebook page, please send it through to myanwa@yacwa.org.au

MYAN WA, 196 Oxford Street, Leederville, Western Australia, Australia
(08) 9227 5440

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