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 June 2008
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NEWS AND VIEWS
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INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: ECONOMIC COMMODITIES OR FUTURE AUSTRALIANS?
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By Hayden Nicholls, CMYI Communications Officer
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The public perception has, for some time, been that international students are a ‘cash cow’ for Australian universities. And it’s not hard to see why! Foreign students are estimated to bring around $11 billion a year into the Victorian/Australian economy, making higher education a bigger export industry than traditional staples of the Australian economy like wool, wheat and beef.
The assumption that accompanies this, though, is that the students themselves must all be from wealthy families to attend Australian universities, which is debatable. Demographic shifts over the past 20 years mean that today’s international student is much less likely to be the child of a wealthy family. Recent ABS statistics show that students from south or north-east Asia represent 59 per cent of all education arrivals, with students from China making up nearly a fifth of all arrivals.
Such a large increase in Asian student numbers could be linked to the emergence of a larger middle class in countries that have always placed a high value on education. However, though there is a greater level of affluence, meeting course costs for an Australian tertiary course can be a huge financial strain on families from this group. For example, some families take on debt to help send their child overseas to study. The pressure to succeed in this type of situation can be enormous.
Until recently, while it was possible for international students to apply for residency after completing their studies in Australia, many found it difficult to meet the requirements of the skilled migration program by finding sponsored work in their area of study in Australia. However, chances have improved with the introduction of the subclass 485 (18-month skilled graduate) visa in September 2007. This visa allows overseas students who do not meet the criteria for a permanent General Skilled Migration visa to remain in Australia for 18 months to gain skilled work experience or improve their English language skills. It places no restrictions on work or study, so is ideal to build skills and gain work experience with a view to improving chances of gaining permanent residency. Over 95 per cent of the respondents to a recent Cambridge International College study said they planned to apply for permanent residency upon completion of their course (p. 10).
With Australian residency being the goal of many International Students, and if the new Visa subclass facilitates this transition from student to resident, many questions are left unanswered regarding how International Students are supported to effectively ‘settle’ in Australia, when the process between arriving as a student and gaining residency is a long journey for many.
So, what are the issues currently confronting international students? Recent studies indicate that many international students are struggling to find the appropriate supports and services in the Victorian community, outside of educational institutions that may or may not be well linked with other services.
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- Social Isolation – being separated from family and support networks, and adapting to life in an unfamiliar country, takes a toll on the mental health of many international students. The Cambridge International College study surveyed 1155 students at three tertiary institutions based in Melbourne. It found that 70 per cent of respondents had suffered loneliness and/or depression during their time in Australia (p. 15). A more in-depth look at this topic can be found in 'Loneliness and International Students: An Australian Study'.
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- Housing – the deaths of three Indian students in a house fire in January 2008 brought attention to the difficulties that international students are having with gaining suitable accommodation. A recent submission on housing needs faced by international students, by The National Liaison Committee for International Students in Australia, claims that: “Due to their lack of understanding of rights and responsibilities, average age and inexperience in living away from home and/or renting properties in Australia, international students […] are often exploited, discriminated against and through this, face many diverse problems when securing adequate housing and residing in Australia.” (p. 2)
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- Financial Difficulties – In order to make ends meet, many students are working low-paid casual jobs while studying. This can put a student in a difficult situation – work more hours and leave less time for study; work less hours and have less money to pay the bills. 70 per cent of respondents to a Monash University study said they’d had financial difficulties while studying in Australia (p. 3).
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- Lack of support services – The Cambridge survey also suggests that, despite the economic benefits of luring international students to Melbourne, that there appeared to be "a lack of desire to create services or systems to address the needs of newly arriving international students" (p. 28), specifically mentioning psychological welfare, personal health, social integration, accommodation, employment and transport as areas to target. These needs are not being met by mainstream community services; there may be a perception that university support services are catering to these issues; but these services, already stretched by funding cuts arising from voluntary student unionism, are less likely to be able to effectively support the increasing numbers of international students who are presenting with these problems. And as their numbers are projected to rise further in the next 20 years – from 163,000 in 2005, to 291,000 in 2025 –the issues discussed need to addressed before they worsen.
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The upcoming meeting of CMYI’s Statewide Multicultural Youth Issues Network (SMYIN) aims to further explore the topic of International Students in Our Community. In considering issues, gaps, service needs and responses, the meeting will explore the perspectives of international students, university student services, and local government services.
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Date: Thursday 26 June
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Time: 9am to 12pm (with registrations from 9am to 9.30am)
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Location: Co.As.It. (189 Faraday Street, Carlton)
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 download the invite (162kb)
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RSVP: CMYI on (03) 9340 3700 or info@cmyi.net.au by Monday 23 June. Visit the SMYIN section for more information.
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Funding announcements for refugee and migrant young people in the 2008-09 Federal and State Budgets
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CMYI has welcomed positive immigration, settlement and youth initiatives announced in the 2008-09 Federal Budget. In particular, the government’s announcement that it will end the temporary protection visa (TPV) system is an important step towards restoring the nation’s commitment to providing ongoing protection to people who have fled persecution.
The $49.2 million announced for enhancing vocational English language training for migrants is another welcome initiative which will further assist in developing sustainable employment pathways for newly arrived communities. CMYI hopes that some of this will be invested in programs tailored to the needs of post-compulsory school age young refugees (18-24 y.o) as a sub-group who can be ‘lost’ between the adult and youth education, training and employment support systems.
A small increase in the number of places in the refugee and humanitarian program (750 additional places) and an increase of 6,500 family reunion places in the family migration stream are also welcomed, particularly as the importance of family reunification cannot be underestimated in terms of their settlement outcomes and general wellbeing of refugee and migrant communities.
CMYI joins YACVic in commending the Rudd Government for its announcements of $6.9 million for the establishment of an Office for Youth and $8 million over four years for the establishment of an Australian Youth Forum, enabling ongoing communication to be established between young people, the youth sector and the government. Ensuring young people from diverse backgrounds have an effective voice in these new structures will be an important next step.
In the Victorian State Budget, CMYI has warmly welcomed a $19.7 million package to support refugees settling in Victoria have better access to health, justice, education and improved interpreting and translating services. The 2008-09 State Budget funding for the Refugee Support Strategy includes:
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- $8.2 million over four years for early intervention programs, information campaigns and multicultural liaison officers to improve access to justice services;
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- $6.5 million over four years to schools and communities to meet refugee students’ needs, including Homework Programs (In Victoria there are more than 80 homework programs run by volunteers at schools, libraries and community locations; CMYI is pleased to announce we has been funded to coordinate this vital program which benefits thousands of students across the state. This funding is in addition to a pilot homework program being run this year in five locations in Melbourne’s west) and School Support for Refugees (This initiative will continue the support for refugee students provided since 2004 by the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc. Funding for this work by a private philanthropic trust ends in June 2008).
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- $3 million over four years to expand the Refugee Health Nurse Program. The program focuses on early health assessment, referrals and health promotion.
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- $2 million would go towards strengthening the interpreting workforce through increased recruitment, better training and better staff retention.
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Want to read more?
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Number of Humanitarian arrivals settling in regional and rural Victoria increases
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A new report released during April confirms many of the reported settlement trends in rural and regional Victoria and sheds light on some of the reasons why they might be taking place. The national report, Country Matters: 2008 Social Atlas of Rural and Regional Australia, shows that new settlers continue to contribute to the growth of communities and the workforce in regional Victoria. Significantly, the number of immigrants settling in the state’s regional centres increased by 47 per cent between 2001 and 2006, on the previous five years to 2001.
For some regional centres, the ratio of new settlers to the total population is high compared to the national average for regional areas of only 1.5 per cent. For example in Cobram, in northern Victoria, Iraqi born represent about 10 per cent of the total population.
The report shows that a key factor in attracting new arrivals is that housing in regional areas is more affordable than in urban centres.
Australia-wide, the growth in the number of new settlers in the five years to 2006 (compared to the previous five years to 2001) was strongest in regional centres, increasing by 39.1 per cent. Growth was also strong in small towns, with an increase of 26.9 per cent, but remained much lower in rural areas at only 12.5 percent. These figures reflect a level of success in attracting more new arrivals from overseas to live in regional areas. (The Atlas defines regional centres as 1000 to 100,000 people, small towns as 200 to 1000 people, and rural areas as fewer than 200 people).
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(source: DIAC Regional Settlement Digest newsletter, February-April 2008)
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Citizenship Test results published
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The first snapshot report of the controversial Australian Citizenship Test shows that in the first three months of operation, 93 per cent of people who sat the test passed on their first or subsequent attempt.
The snapshot, taken from 1 October and 31 December 2007, reveals that 97 per cent of people who sat the test under the skill stream migration program passed the test, 90 per cent of people under the family stream migration program passed, while only 80 per cent of people in the humanitarian program passed.
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said the federal government would commission a review of the citizenship test to assess its operation after six months’ experience. Results for the first three months of the test are available from the Government’s Australian Citizenship website.
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(source: DIAC ‘Diversified’ newsletter, Autumn 2008)
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WHAT'S NEW AT CMYI?
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What's in a name? CMYI becomes CMY...
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 On 1 July 2008, the Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI) will be dropping the 'Issues' and will officially become the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY).
This change of name coincides with a shift in our organisational structure and marks the 20 year anniversary of the organisation (which began in 1988 as the Ethnic Youth Issues Network). For the past 8 years, CMYI has been auspiced by the Australian Multicultural Foundation. As of 1 July 2008, CMY will become its own separate entity with a new CMY Board of Management, PBI and DGR status (which means we will now be able to accept tax-deductable gift donations), and we will have a fresh new logo.
So, what does that mean for our partner organisations and how we work? Very little! CMY will continue to deliver and operate as a community organisation committed to working with, and advocating for, young people from diverse backgrounds. Our principles of Participation, Diversity and Human Rights remain. We will continue to deliver the same services and programs, and look forward to continuing to work in partnership with young people, communities, government and services.
Please bookmark our new website address - www.cmy.net.au - and note that all CMY staff email addresses will be changing to the format: first initial last name@cmy.net.au. For example, Louise Olliff will become lolliff@cmy.net.au.
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CMYI Refugee Theatre Performance – ‘Under Construction’
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Over the past few months Rachel Murray from CMYI has been busy supporting a group of very talented young refugees from ‘The Hope Group’ and ‘A-MCs’ based in Melbourne’s South East, to collaborate with professional theatre practitioners. Together they’ve developed a theatre experience like no other…
Based on the individual visions of refugee youth, ‘Under Construction’ is a one-hour multimedia installation and hip-hop theatrical set in 2040 - the imagined future.
“It’s 2040 and the children of today’s refugees are now well and truly Australian… Or are they? Welcome to the launch of our common future and its many possibilities… You're part of it, whether you like it or not!”
‘Under Construction’ is a story of hope, progression and the importance of solidarity. It explores these ‘building blocks of the future’ and ultimately, how they could fit in to Australian society in years to come.
Please come and show your support for these talented young people ‘telling it like it is’ during Refugee Week!
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Dates: Thursday 19 June - Saturday 21 June @ 8pm; Sunday 22 June @ 5pm
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Location: North Melbourne Town Hall (Errol Street, North Melbourne)
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Cost: $12.50 (adult) or $8 (concession)
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download flyer (248kb)
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Purchase tickets from the Malthouse Theatre box office on 9685 5111 or www.malthousetheatre.com.au.
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Wyndham Youth Roundtable: Towards a Bright Future
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This forum has been convened by the Wyndham Humanitarian Network Education Working Group to explore the education and training issues for refugee and humanitarian entrants in Wyndham who are aged between 20 and 24. This group of young people face particular challenges in negotiating and accessing appropriate education, training and employment pathways.
The forum is designed for young people, community members and workers and will provide opportunities to:
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- Hear directly from young people about the challenges they face in negotiating appropriate education, training and employment pathways;
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- Clarify Job Network requirements;
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- Identify existing challenges regarding employment obligations and access to appropriate education and training and;
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- Identify possible solutions to these challenges.
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Date: Thursday 19 June
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Time: 1pm to 3pm
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Location: Wayaperri House (106 Duncans Road, Werribee)
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download the invite (131kb)
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RSVP: by Monday 16 June - contact Louise Olliff on (03) 9340 3700 or louise@cmyi.net.au.
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Project reports from young people
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It’s been a hive of activity around the CMYI offices lately! Our Youth Participation Team in particular has been conducting several programs around Melbourne with diverse groups of young people. We asked some of the young people who took part in these programs to report back on their experiences - these are their stories!
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Hands With A Voice
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This program evolved from the 'Voices of Young Australians' leadership program from 2007, which worked with diverse young people to promote social cohesion across local government areas of Victoria. Five Year 10 students from Sunbury College who took part in that program took what they'd learned back to school and devised a series of activities to combat discrimination.
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download Michael P and Macloed S' report (47kb)
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Youth Multifaith Forum
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Another initiative from young people who took part in ‘Voices of Young Australians’, this event took place at Roxburgh College on 26 May, and aimed to help young people at the school achieve a greater appreciation for different faiths and cultures.
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download Michelle Sabe's report (42kb)
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Pacific Youth Voices forum
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This forum, held in Melbourne on 24 May, provided an opportunity for young people from Pacific island backgrounds to come together and identify issues that affected them and pose solutions, and to showcase the talents of young people from the Pacific community.
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download Siniva Vaeluaga's report (45kb)
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Young mothers’ program in the south-east
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CMYI is currently in the initial planning stages for a group for young women focusing on building social connectedness. This is a ten-week program run in the south east (Dandenong), for up to 30 young women who have, or are expecting, children. The group will be utilising recreational activities such as art, sewing and jewellery making to explore the themes of healthy relationships, sexual health, well being and child rearing. For more information, contact Rebecca Lean (rlean@cmyi.net.au) or Noemi Garcia (ngarcia@cmyi.net.au).
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Professional Development and Training Calendar now available
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CMY‘s Professional Development team delivers high quality training to the youth and community sectors, government bodies, schools and educators, sport and recreation providers, young people and community leaders, and organisations.
The Professional Development Calendar features training sessions running throughout 2008, including a new three-part program on working with refugee and newly arrived young people in the family context, running over three sessions in October and November. Check it out! (Registration form included.)
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download the calendar (138kb)
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YRIPP needs volunteers
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The law requires that an adult be present during formal police questioning of a young person under 18 years of age. When a parent or guardian is unavailable, an Independent Person (IP) is required. The role of the Independent Person is to observe the interview process and to ensure that the young person is supported and that his or her rights are protected.
CMYI, as the lead provider in the Youth Referral and Independent Person Program (YRIPP), is seeking volunteers in the North, West and South East of Melbourne to donate their time to undertake training and become Independent Persons to assist in the interview process between police and young people.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like to find out more about the program, please contact Francesca Pagani, YRIPP Program Administrative Officer on (03) 9340 3777 or admin@yripp.org.au. You can also take a look at the YRIPP webpage to find out more about the program.
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POSTCARD FROM GIPPSLAND
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Each newsletter, we ask one of our team to write about emerging issues and new initiatives they’ve been involved with. In this edition, youth participation officer Rachel Murray discusses the Young Leaders of Today program that took place in Gippsland.
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On Thursday 15 May, 20 young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds graduated from the Gippsland Young Leaders of Today program.
The young graduates delivered some great speeches sharing their diverse experiences to a packed out Council Chambers filled with Councillors, teachers and principals, service providers, youth workers, community leaders, family and friends. We had some great feedback commenting on the development of the young people and the great energy of the night. Parents and teachers expressed an immense amount of pride in their children/students, truly seeing the great leaders that they all are.
The program included a lawn bowls session (with some long term members from the Morwell bowling club), a bridging afternoon with a mainstream leadership program and youth council committee, a circus workshop, and numerous activities developing leadership skills.
Cr. Lisa Price said she insists the program should be run again next year (on council expense) and is keen to get assistance from CMYI in setting up programs including hip-hop, theatre, traditional dance and bridging programs between the locals and newly arrived members of their community. The Mayor, Cr. Bruce Logheed is keen to get the young participants to present their issues and solutions formulated during one of the modules to the entire Council at their bi-annual information session, and local radio station Gippsland FM wants three young people from the course to run an hour long program.
There are many issues facing the young people, with the most pressing being the amount of racism and discrimination they are facing on a daily basis. However there is also strength, courage and hope, along with key people who are committed to creating a diverse, healthy and inclusive Gippsland.
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For more information about Young Leaders of Today, contact Rachel (rmurray@cmyi.net.au).
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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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- ‘A Fairer Victoria’ publications – The Victorian State Government’s ‘A Fairer Victoria’ initiative has produced two publications. ‘Achievements so far’ reports on the first two and a half years of A Fairer Victoria, while ‘Strong People, Strong Communities’ details the new focus of the initiative, targeting four priority areas. Both can be downloaded from the Department of Planning and Community Development website.
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- ‘Comparative Analysis of South Sudanese Customary Law and Victorian Law’ discussion paper - Since early 2006, Springvale Monash Legal Service (SMLS) has conducted legal education seminars with a number of newly arrived community groups on a range of topics, in partnership with various organisations. Through a combination of feedback from participants in these seminars, identified needs from the day-to-day legal casework conducted by SMLS staff and advice from a number of experts, SMLS embarked upon an ambitious project to document broad aspects of South Sudanese customary law and draw a comparison with Victorian (and Australian) law. This paper has been prepared in consultation with members of the South Sudanese community, as well as a number of workers who have close involvement with this group. Download a copy from the SMLS website.
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- Families and the law in Australia - The Family Court working together with new and emerging communities - The Family Court of Australia implements many initiatives that improve access to court services. One of these initiatives, aimed specifically at improving services to culturally and linguistically diverse clients, is the Living in Harmony Partnership. Through the Partnership, community-driven education strategies around the Australian legal system, particularly family law, were developed. This report shares the learnings from the Partnership and gives a practical insight for other organisations and government agencies that are thinking of developing their own engagement strategies. Download a copy from the Family Court website.
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- Multicultural Resources Directory now available – The Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) has released an important new resource to help people access services across Victoria. The easy-to-use directory lists the details for more than 1700 interfaith networks, language service providers, government agencies, chambers of commerce, consulates and community language schools and is available in printed form at libraries, community and information centres. It can also be accessed online from the VMC website.
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- Report on Victorian human rights charter - This year marks the full operation of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities (the Charter) in Victoria. In the lead up to the full operation of the Charter on 1 January 2008, a lot of work had to be done by Victoria’s courts and tribunals, State government departments and statutory agencies, local councils, Ministers and the Parliament to organise the way they worked to make sure they were in line with the intention of the Charter. This summary report looks at the preparations that these bodies have made during 2007 to make sure they are ready for their human rights obligations under the Charter. Full and summary reports are available from the VEOHRC website.
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Training, Conferences and Forums
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- John Byrne Memorial Lecture - Wednesday 2 July, Australian Catholic University - the third annual John Byrne Memorial Lecture features Fr. Peter Hansen as Guest Speaker, launching a report based on his research into the support needs of Vietnamese families of drug users. For more information contact Annette Byrne-Phillips on (03) 9740 8438 or annpet@iprimus.com.au. Download flyer (PDF, 168kb).
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- Are we there yet? Where we are up to in the struggle for refugee rights - 17 June, Federation Square, Melbourne - A public forum during Refugee Week. Find out what has changed under the Rudd Government and what still needs to be changed to achieve full rights for refugees. Presented by Multicultural Arts Victoria. Fore more information, contact Khaled Abdulwahab on (03) 9417 6777.
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- Connecting Schools and Communities: exploring the use of schools and community facilities for creative community outcomes - various dates and locations in June - How are school and community facilities contributing to creative and connected local communities, lifelong learning and successful local partnerships? This series of one day conferences to be held in metro Melbourne and regional Victoria locations seeks to explore the use of schools and community facilities for creative community outcomes, by informing and inspiring all stakeholders about possibilities for their own context. Visit the Cultural Development Network's Events page for more information.
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- From the Middle East to Asia Pacific: Arc of Conflict or Dialogue of Religions and Cultures? - 30 June to 3 July, Trinity College, Melbourne - The seventh Globalisation for the Common Good conference explore the far-reaching ramifications of conflict in the Middle East. For more information visitthe conference website.
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- International Unity In Diversity Conference: People, the workforce and the future of Australia - 13 to 16 August, Townsville - This conference addresses the need for collaboration, communication and cooperation across diversity and barriers. Drawing together an expert panel, it will explore solutions for the skills shortage, social cohesion and the full participation of all people in our growing nation. More information is available at the Townsville Culture Fest website.
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- Partnerships for Social Inclusion conference - 15 and 16 October - Social exclusion is not only a social issue but an economic issue as well. Increasing social inclusion requires a joined-up approach that cuts across policy departments. Effective action means that the public sector should re-think the way it operates, moving from a traditional hierarchical model to one characterised by multi-sectoral partnerships and flexibility in policy delivery. The Centre for Public Policy at the University of Melbourne is currently calling for papers to present at this October conference – if you’re interested, visit the conference website for application guidelines.
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- Who polices the police? - 26 June, Allens Arthur Robinson (530 Collins Street, Melbourne) - Josephine Cafagna (ABC Stateline) hosts a free forum examining the vexed issue of police accountability. Experienced panel members discuss possible ways to prevent, monitor and respond to police corruption in Victoria. RSVP to Belinda Lo on 9419 3744 or blo@fitzroy-legal.org.au. Presented by the Police Issues Working Group, Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic).
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Events
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- Refugee Week 2008 - 15 to 22 June - This year the theme of Refugee Week is 'A Place to Call Home’. It encourages people to think about the global themes of protection and human rights by focusing on the fundamental right to a secure place to call home. It encourages Australians to think about our common obligations to people who have no secure home, as well as to acknowledge the 700,000 refugees and humanitarian migrants over the past 60 years who have made Australia their home. For more information, see the RCOA website’s dedicated Refugee Week section.
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Funding
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- Spark Fund applications now open - the Foundation for Young Australians’ Spark Fund provides funding for individuals and small groups of young people aged 12-25 years old to ‘ignite an innovative idea’, which makes a positive contribution to the community and enhances young people’s skills and experiences. Applications close Monday 30 June.
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- Your Eyes Only applications now open - a creative funding opportunity for young people aged 12-15 years. By submitting a creative image, which demonstrates and celebrates the strengths of their community from their point of view, successful applicants to Your Eyes Only will nominate a community group who work with young people in their community such as a school, youth group or sporting group, to receive a donation. This donation can then be used by the community group to further its work by either purchasing much needed equipment or adding funds to an existing program. Applications close Tuesday 2 September.
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FROM THE SECTOR
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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 info@cmyi.net.au
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New Projects, Programs and Services
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- New website for strategies and resources for working with refugee young people - The South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre (SERMRC) recently held forums to assist service providers and schools in the City of Casey to enhance their understanding of the refugee experience and to improve their awareness of strategies and resources for working with refugee young people. A website has been created to provide links to further resources, with a particular focus on working with refugee young people from the Afghan and Sudanese communities. Take a look at the Casey Connect website, and feel free to suggest other resources that you think might be useful.
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- ‘I need an interpreter’ cards now available - Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) has recently produced a new resource - 'I need an interpreter' cards. The wallet sized card, featuring the National Interpreter Symbol, is designed to assist non-English speakers to request an interpreter when they need to communicate with government agencies, community groups and businesses. Cards can be ordered from the TIS Client Liaison and Promotions Section - contact tispromo@immi.gov.au or 1300 655 820.
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- Supporting separated families from diverse backgrounds - The Australian Government’s Child Support Agency (CSA) support separated parents to transfer child support payments for the emotional and financial wellbeing of their children. A new Child Support Scheme will start on 1 July 2008; the new Scheme aims to better balance the interests of both parents and be more focused on the needs and costs of children. For more information about the CSA, the Child Support Scheme and support services for families, visit the CSA website.
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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@cmyi.net.au
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A new voice for refugees (Wyndham Leader newspaper, 21 May 2008)
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Refugees who find themselves disadvantaged and marginalised within the local community are finding their voice, with the City of Wyndham's 2008 Young Achiever of the Year Mohammed Isah giving them the opportunity to speak up.
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> read the article at the Wyndham Leader website
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Race row we didn't have to have (The Age newspaper, 17 May 2008)
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‘When former immigration minister Kevin Andrews sparked a race row over his claims that African refugees were engaged in crime and failing to integrate into Australia he was acting contrary to advice from his own department.’
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> read the article at The Age website
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Volunteers help settler Sudanese speak the word of hope (The Age, 17 May 2008)
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“It is an illustration of the goodwill that exists for these new settlers that nearly 300 volunteer teachers participate in the program. Yet the demand for such tuition also highlights gaps in formal settlement services for the nation's estimated 30,000 Sudanese.”
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> read the article at The Age website
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Breaking the cycle of isolation (Village Voice Australia website, 16 May 2008)
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A series of youth camps in Concord is helping young refugees recover from their experiences and build a new life away from their trouble-stricken past.
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> read the article at the Village Voice website
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Kicking on: a refugee's story (The Age, 4 May 2008)
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"Abdi Artan's journey to Australia came through civil war, a Kenyan refugee camp and almost eight years in New Zealand but he says that Australian Rules was not only his ultimate calling card to fitting in as a black adolescent in inner-city Melbourne, but also a frightening detour."
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> read the article at Real Footy website
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Teach instead of test (The Age, 30 April 2008)
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"The test has made outsiders of people who should be insiders. It has also downgraded the hugely important place of citizenship to sometimes trivial questions about our recent history."
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> read the article at The Age website
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