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 June 2006
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NEWS AND VIEWS
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THE BUDGET: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR CLD YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES?
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The Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI) welcomed youth and multicultural focussed initiatives announced by the Victorian Government in the recent budget.
We are very happy to see a range of initiatives that will help culturally and linguistically diverse young people, in particular the three year funding for the Youth Referral and Independent Person Program (YRIPP) which helps to divert young people, including newly arrived migrant and refugee young people, from the justice system.
YRIPP has been a great success and as part of state budget initiatives the Victorian Government announced funding of $2.6 million over three years, which will see the service expand to 101 police stations in metropolitan and country areas. The Government estimates that it will help more than 1300 young people in the first 12 months.
We are also pleased to see that the Government has recognised through budget initiatives the importance of cultural diversity.
“We’re happy to see an injection of funding into interpreter services, multicultural festivals, nursing care for newly arrived refugees, multi-faith initiatives and extra funding to teach English as a second language to refugee students,” says Carmel Guerra, CMYI Director.
CMYI has argued for some time that recognising the diverse nature of Victoria with initiatives that support newly arrived young people and culturally and linguistically diverse members of the community can only help to build stronger communities.
Further announcements made by the Government on funding for young people have also been welcomed by CMYI, with support and assistance focussed on education, training and employment options, including in the launch of A Fairer Victoria: Progress and Next Steps, with its funding for community development initiatives targeting disadvantaged Victorians.
CMYI is particularly pleased with the funding provided to set up 15 Youth Foundations designed to give young people experience in financial management and options that have been developed that give ownership of decision making on grants for youth projects to young people themselves.
We welcome the significant funding towards community renewal programs for the Interface Councils on the fringe of metropolitan Melbourne, but we’d like to ensure that culturally and linguistically diverse young people have a significant focus within that strategy.
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Key announcements in the State Budget 2006-07
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(from Youth Affairs Council of Victoria – www.yacvic.org.au)
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Youth Transition Support Workers
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The Bracks Government has allocated $10 million over four years to engage 22 transition support workers to work with young people disengaged from education and employment, across 11 local government areas. Those areas targeted for the program will show higher rates of unemployment, lower rates of year 12 retention and higher numbers of disengaged youth.
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Strengthening Multicultural Communities Initiatives
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Young people stand to benefit from a host of initiatives aimed at supporting Victoria’s multicultural communities. With particular relevance to young people is a pledge of $1.2 million over four years towards teaching English as a second language to refugee students. It is anticipated that young people will be engaged in the multi-faith initiatives for which the budget allocates $2 million.
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Urban Fringe
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Young people living in some of Melbourne’s urban fringe areas stand to benefit from the government’s investment in infrastructure in growth areas. Some initiatives are:
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- Investment in new schools, replacement schools and extensions of schools
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- Investment in public transport, including the extension of local bus services and Smart Buses, such as the extension of routes, hours of operation (including Saturdays and Sundays) and frequency of services
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- The establishment of a Growth Areas Authority
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For comprehensive details of the Victorian State Budget, go to www.budget.vic.gov.au
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NEWS > OFFSHORE DETENTION OF ALL BOAT ARRIVAL ASYLUM SEEKERS
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The Australian Government recently announced that it would be making changes to refugee policy to allow for all asylum seekers arriving by boat to be processed in offshore locations and resettlement to be sought in ‘third’ countries. This would be accompanied by a tightening of maritime surveillance between Australia and West Papua to ensure that boats carrying asylum seeking would be repelled from Australian waters.
CMYI supports calls upon the Australian Government to reconsider these proposed changes and recommit Australia to adhere to international law and the principles of human rights, and to our moral obligation to help refugees in need, particularly those coming from neighbouring countries.
The offshore processing proposal constitutes a “flagrant violation of numerous international obligations, including the clear-cut prohibition on penalising or discriminating against people on the basis of their mode of arrival - that is, if arrive without formal authorisation having fled directly from threats to their life of liberty. Article 31 of the Refugee Convention is the cornerstone of the prohibition against such practices” (Manne 2006).
CMYI believes that the indefinite, mandatory offshore detention of those seeking asylum in Australia, particularly children and young people, represents an unjust and inhumane policy response to the global population flows that have arisen as a result of the persecution suffered by communities and individuals on the basis of their race, religion, political opinion and social group membership.
CMYI contends that the mandatory detention of those seeking asylum in Australia, as a component of a border protection and asylum seeker deterrence policy, is a contravention of the philosophy that nurtured and promoted Australia as a diverse, multicultural nation.
For find out more about what you can do, go to A Just Australia website: www.ajustaustralia.com
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Read CMYIs Policy Statement on Mandatory Detention
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For more detailed analysis of the Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill 2006, download the RCOA position paper: www.refugeecouncil.org.au/docs/resources/ppapers/pp-migbill-may06.pdf
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Read article by David Manne, Boatloads of Extinguishment?
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NEWS > WORLD REFUGEE DAY
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At the start of 2005, the number of people ‘of concern’ to UNHCR rose to 19.2 million from 17 million the previous year, an increase of 13 per cent. The theme for this year’s World Refugee Day is ‘hope’. As the UNHCR website so aptly puts it:
“Throughout their long and daunting journey from oppression and persecution to asylum and protection, and eventually to a place they can call home, refugees show incredible strength, courage and determination. Their journey is a dangerous and arduous one and every day spent in exile is a day too long.
“But in every step of their journey refugees carry with them an unshakable, unrelenting hope. By hanging on to their hopes for basic survival, sustenance and protection, and for the chance to one day rebuild their lives, refugees defy all odds…
“On World Refugee Day, we ask you to remember the millions of refugees … who are trying to pick up the pieces of once-peaceful lives. As different as they are from each other, one thing connects them all: hope for a better future and a chance to restore lasting peace to their lives.”
For more information about World Refugee Day, go to: UNHCR website
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WHAT'S NEW AT CMYI?
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WORLD REFUGEE DAY EVENT
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| CMYI has been involved in organising a World Refugee Day event at The Castle in Dandenong. A showcase of local performers, hip hop dancers, singers, songwriters, skateboarding, soccer, basketball, games and workshops will be run throughout the day.
| | Tuesday 20th June (first Tuesday of school holidays)
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| | | | The Castle, Dandenong (Princes Highway, opposite Dandenong High School)
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| For more information contact Rach Murray (rachmurray@xsmail.com or 0402 749 441).
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STATEWIDE MULTICULTURAL YOUTH ISSUES NETWORK (SMYIN) MEETING
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The second SMYIN Meeting of the year will be held on Thursday 22nd June to explore issues relating to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) young people and housing.
Presentations have been selected that highlight good practice in the field from Footscray Youth Housing Group, Iramoo Youth Refuge, and Women’s Information Support and Housing in the North.
Following the presentations, participants will move into small groups to identify systemic gaps and possible strategies to address CLD youth housing issues.
Time will be allocated for networking and the introduction of new projects. If you would like to inform the group of a new project or a current youth issue/campaign, please call Alli on 9340 3700. SMYIN participants are encouraged to bring information about their services to the meeting and place it on the information table for distribution.
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| | | | | Treacy Conference Centre, Ambrose Treacy Room, 126 The Avenue, Parkville (near the corner of Walker Street) Melways 29 F12
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| | Joseph, CMYI Administration Officer, by Monday 19 June 2006 on info@cmyi.net.au
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 Download Statewide Network Invitation (319Kb)
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LAUNCH OF YOUTH KIT AND PARTICIPATION INITIATIVES
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| Members of Muslim rap
group, The Brothahood,
speak with the Hon
Andrew Robb AO MP.
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| On 26 May, the Hon Andrew Robb AO MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration & Multicultural Affairs officially launched CMYIs new Youth Kit and Youth Participation Initiatives at the SBS offices at Federation Square.
The Youth Kit, which is available to download or in hard copy, offers a resource for youth group leaders, members and/or young people wishing to set up a new group. The event also celebrated CMYI’s new Youth Participation Register, aimed at engaging young refugee and migrants in a variety of projects.
Muslim rap group ‘The Brothahood’ performed at the launch. Other speakers included Mike Zafiropoulos, General Manager of SBS Radio, and Nosrat Hosseini, CMYI project participant & Moreland Young Citizen of the Year 2006.
| CMYI Youth Participation Register
| CMYI is regularly contacted by government departments and organisations wishing to involve CLD young people in activities or events they are organising. The purpose of the CMYI Youth Participation Register is to list young people aged 16 years and over, who may be contacted when participation opportunities arise. CMYI is interested in enabling the voices of CLD young people to be heard.
To find out more about the Youth Kit and the CMYI Youth Participation Register, go to: www.cmyi.net.au/GetInvolved
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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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| Faten Mohamed - Youth Engagement Officer
| Faten has been working as CMYIs new Youth Engagement Officer for a little over 2 months, providing administrative support to the Youth Reference Committee and participating in activities related to the work of the youth engagement team. This means attending really cool festivals around the state to promote the CLD youth group database, youth participation register and CMYI in general. Faten is also busy completing an Honours degree in Social Science at RMIT, working as a Public Relations Officer for the African Community Development Centre on a voluntary basis, and is involved in various other community projects.
| “Working at CMYI has been great and I hope to continue working on finding culturally appropriate ways of engaging CLD young people in projects.”
| Faten can be found at fmohamed@cmyi.net.au
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| | Willow Kellock – Newly Arrived Youth and Family Worker (Moonee Valley)
| Willow has been working in CMYI’s JPET program for the last 18 months, based in Broadmeadows. Her new role as a Newly Arrived Youth Support Service (NAYSS) program worker will be based in Moonee Valley, where she will work with young people and their families to strengthen their connection to community, to education/training and to one another.
| “It is exciting to be part of a new program that has the flexibility to be responsive to the needs of newly arrived young people and their families.”
| Willow can continue to be contacted at wkellock@cmyi.net.au
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| | Abderahim Gime – Newly Arrived Youth and Family Worker (Brimbank)
| Abderahim will also be working as a youth and family worker with the new NAYSS North West Team, based in St Albans. Abderahim brings to CMYI a wealth of experience, having previously worked as a volunteer caseworker/tutor with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and has postgraduate qualifications in Sociology.
| “I want to see young people achieve.”
| Abderahim will be based in St Albans and can be contacted at agime@cmyi.net.au
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CMYI JPET SERVICE COMES TO AN END
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As a result of CMYIs decision not to re-tender for the JPET program, CMYIs JPET services in the Southeast, Northern and Western regions will cease on 30th June 2006.
CMYI would like to acknowledge Hala Chamas, who leaves CMYI at the cessation of JPET, for her hard work and commitment to supporting refugee and migrant young people. We wish her the very best in her future endeavours.
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NEW RESOURCES
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Youth Kit: a Resource for Youth Leaders
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CMYI has developed a ‘Youth Kit’ for young people wishing to establish or seeking ideas about how to run a youth group. The kit explores issues such as how to recruit members, organise activities and manage finances. Copies of the 'Youth Kit' can be downloaded from this website or contact CMYI for hard copies.
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Download here
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Sports Tip Sheet 5 - Want to join a sports club? Tips for newly arrived young people who want to join a club
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Newly arrived young people can find it difficult to know how to join a club or even where to begin looking. This information sheet is designed to provide some basic information on how to find and join a sports club in your local area.
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Download here
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Sports Tip Sheet 6 - Starting up a Football (Soccer) Club
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This tip sheet includes information about how to go about starting your own football club and accessing sports facilities, including: Incorporating your club; Applying for and sharing a ground; Insurance; Costs; Registering with Football Federation Victoria; and, Useful contacts.
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Download here
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POSTCARD FROM HUME
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Each newsletter, we ask one of our program team to write about emerging issues and new initiatives that are taking place in their region. In this edition, Noemi Garcia, Team Leader and Reconnect Youth and Family Worker, writes about some recent events that have taken place in the City of Hume.
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Iraqi Young Men’s Group
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| Participants from the
Iraqi Young Men's Group
get body boarding lessons
and enjoy the surf at
Phillip Island.
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| Engaging and addressing issues facing newly arrived refugee young people through recreation and social activities continues to be an important focus of CMYI’s program team. Over the last 3 years, CMYI in partnership with VICSEG and Australian Lebanese Welfare have run separate camps with African young women and Iraqi young men. These camps have proved to be an important tool in continuing to strengthen our relationship with refugee young people in our local areas.
Earlier in the year discussions were held with Broadmeadows Secondary College regarding local issues and, in March, CMYI and Australian Lebanese Welfare (ALW) ran a camp for young men of Iraqi background who live in Hume. The 3-day camp was held at Phillip Island and included activities such as mountain bike riding, body boarding, football (soccer) and discussion groups. For many of the young men it was their first time in the surf. Ten young men aged between 16-18 attended the camp.
The camp was followed by 8 weekly sessions co-facilitated by CMYI and ALW. The sessions were attended by some new participants who had not attended the camp but had heard about the group and wanted to join. The sessions were regularly attended by 12 young men.
Sessions covered issues on healthy relationships, including discussions around violence in relationships, conflict resolution and anger management. The sessions also had an employment and education focus, including an industry tour organised in partnership with our LLEN, and a guest speaker from Victoria Police who addressed issues raised by the participants on driving and legal issues.
This group will continue to run in term 2 on request of the young men who wish to continue meeting and covering new topics.
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Grassroots – Muslim Youth Festival
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| 8 African young women
were supported to
attend the Grassroots
Muslim Youth Festival
at Federation Square.
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| CMYI and VICSEG supported 8 African young women living in different parts of Hume to attend the Grassroots Muslim Youth Festival at Federation Square on Sunday 30th April by providing transport. Access to public transport is a barrier for many young people living in Hume, as many bus services do not run on weekends. Travelling alone and into the city is a concern for many CLD young women and their families.
The young women reported having a wonderful time at the festival, which included participating in women’s only hip-hop dance sessions, being entertained by a stand up comedian, discussing issues affecting Muslim youth in the community and, most importantly, getting the opportunity to be in the one space with hundreds of other young people from many walks of life sharing the same faith.
One young woman commented: “It was wonderful to be in a place surrounded by so many brothers and sisters – l didn’t know there were so many Muslim young people in Melbourne.”
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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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- Land That Job in Australia - Successful Job-hunting for Migrants– resource for any migrant looking for a job in Australia, ELS teacher, career counsellor or service provider working with CLD communities. Includes practical steps to fast track migrants into employment. The book also contains a cross-section of various paths to employment success taken from first person accounts of ten migrants who’ve successfully made it. Available from the AMES Online Shop: www.ames.net.au
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- The Transition To Full-Time Work Of Young People Who Do Not Go To University (Australian Council for Educational Research). Crisis accounts of the youth labour market are not supported by the findings outlined in this report. Gary N. Marks also disputes claims that young people who are not fully engaged in full-time work or study are at risk of an unsuccessful school-to-work transition. Interesting statistics on transitions for young people from non-English speaking backgrounds on pages 34-5. Download from: Australian Policy Online
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- Snapshots of Australian families with adolescents (Australian Institute of Family Studies) provides statistics on families such as: parents' employment circumstances; residential location and country of birth; and family type. And for the adolescents: Education and work data, and Issues seen as important, now and in the future. Parents' and adolescents' satisfaction with family relationships is also explored. www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/snapshots/adolescents.html
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- Flashpoints & Signposts: Pathways to success and wellbeing for Australia’s young people (Richard Eckersley, Ani Wierenga, Johanna Wyn) - A project by Australia 21 and the Australian Youth Research Centre, funded and supported by VicHealth. Download report at: www.inllen.org.au/WordDocs/Australia21Report_March06.pdf
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- Noor Events – Muslim Youth Website. The only central place where you can learn about all the latest Muslim youth events in Australia. Be it trips, functions, youth nights or even educational courses, Noor Events has it all covered. www.noorevents.com.au
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- Language Services in Victoria's Health System: Perspectives of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Consumers - This CEH report emphasises the high value that CALD consumers place on effective language service provision in health settings. It not only gives voice to the experiences of consumers, but also provides valuable insights into those areas of language service provision that will require further work in the years to come. A hard copy of the report is also available from the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health. www.ceh.org.au
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- Making It Happen Resource Kit and Diverse Communities Working Together Workshops - The project explored the many strategies and processes Australian-Polish Community Services (APCS) has used, not only to obtain funding but also to raise awareness of the community and its needs, what has worked and not worked, steps taken to overcome barriers, and so on. This information has been collected into a manual and is available to ethnic communities to assist them in their planning and development of services. Includes tip sheets and checklists to assist community groups in the process of developing services and raising their community's profile. Copies of the Resource Kit can be ordered ($10 per copy) by contacting APCS on (03) 9689 9170.
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- The Australian Bureau of Statistics has produced translated Census fact sheets outlining the key points of the Census (taking place in August 2006) in a variety of community languages. Go to: www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/2906.0
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- Newly arrived refugees and drug prevention – DrugInfo Clearinghouse (Australian Drug Foundation). Newsletter, research report, fact sheets, reading and research list and research evaluation report on issues around drug and alcohol prevention and refugees. www.druginfo.adf.org.au
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Training, Conferences and Forums
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- Strengthening Language Services in Health and Community Organisations, Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (21 June). A workshop for language service coordinators and managers looking to improve their language services. Bookings or enquiries enquiries@ceh.org.au or phone 9427 8766.
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- Bullying, Racism and the Law Forum, 14 July, 9am-3.15pm. Youthlaw, Youthlaw@Wyndam Legal Service, and the Federation of Community Legal Centres are combining to host a legal education seminar for teachers entitled “Bullying, racism and the law” to be held at the Footscray Park campus of Victoria University. The forum aims to provide high quality professional development for teachers in the state school system in relation to legal rights and responsibilities and best practice in dealing with bullying and racism. The forum has invited experts in a range of areas to discuss the current state of the law, schools’ responsibilities, the psychological impact of bullying, strategies to identify and help at risk children, and give examples of some innovative projects to addressing racism and bullying in schools. For more information about the forum visit www.youthlaw.asn.au
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- CALD Learning Circle, 20 July, 10am-12pm. This Learning Circle will feature the work of Donna Chesters, coordinator of community development at the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST). Since August 2004 Donna has been working with Sudanese refugees developing a model of recovery using a community development approach. Donna and fellow community development worker Thon Adut will talk about the work of the VFST, their experiences working in partnership with the Sudanese community, the project's outcomes. Please RSVP to the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare by 12 July to Emily Duizend on (03) 9614 1577 or email emily.duizend@cwav.asn.au
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- Youth Consumer Participation in Your Service – What can you do about it? 26 July, Orygen Youth Health (Melbourne). A series of professional development workshops are also being offered by Orygen. For more information and to register, go to: www.orygen.org.au
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- Australia Fair - Symposium, 21 August 2006 - the Centre for Public Policy (University of Melbourne) will be hosting a day-long symposium about policy issues as explored in Hugh Stretton's recent book Australia Fair. The purpose of this symposium will be to review, assess and discussion potential implementation of the polices proposed in Australia Fair. For more information go to: www.public-policy.unimelb.edu.au/events/index.html
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- Place, Power and Privilege: The Challenge for Local Government: Lessons from Cronulla – 23 August, 8am-5pm (Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre). This seminar aims at exploring the politics of public space especially in the way inter-ethnic, inter-racial relations are expressed and managed. This seminar is relevant not only to workers in the local government sector but also to workers in NGOs, State and Federal governments who intersect with local government and impact on the work done at the grass roots level. Places are limited to 120 people only. Full details of the seminar are available on the City of Darebin website: www.darebin.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=3294&h=0
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- Grief a Community Issue – 30 August, The National Association for Loss and Grief Victoria invites organisations and individuals to submit abstracts for presentation at the 2006 NALAG Grief Awareness Week Forum. NALAG requests the presentations at the Forum address one or more of the following themes: Historical perspectives — how communities have supported the bereaved; Loss and grief issues in relation to aged care, children, disability etc; Coping with community attitudes and responses to one’s grief; Cultural, religious and spiritual perspectives; Disenfranchised grief and franchising grief e.g. elderly, same sex relationships, abortion, war veterans, adoption etc; Creative responses to loss and grief.
Please send your proposal, including the title of your paper and a brief abstract of no more than 400 words, by 3 July to NALAG Victoria, Suite 4, Level 1 182 Victoria Pde East Melbourne Vic 3002. Or email to info@nalagvic.org.au
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- Governments & Communities in Partnership: From Theory to Practice conference, to be held between 25 - 27 September, 2006 (Melbourne). Go to www.public-policy.unimelb.edu.au/conference06/ for more information about the call for papers, call for practitioner presentations and the early bird registration discount.
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- The Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council (AGMC) are calling for submissions for the Conference will be held in Melbourne at the Northcote Town Hall, 13-15 October, 2006. General Enquiries: contact@agmc.org.au or (+61) 0431 432 412. Or go to: www.agmc.org.au
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- Towards a Healthy Nation: Meeting the challenges of a diverse society for good health and well-being. October 30 & 31 2006 (Adelaide). The Australian Multicultural Foundation, Diversity Health Institute and South Australian Government will host a pre-conference event, leading into the Diversity in Health conference 2007. To register your interest contact: Conference Secretariat, Australian Multicultural Foundation, PO Box 538 Carlton South VIC, 3053, info@amf.net.au, ph 03 93476622 fax 03 9347 2218
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- Involve 06 aims to reflect and connect the diversity of people who work with and for young people. The conference themes are: creativity, diversity and connection. Involve 06 will be held at Lincoln University, NZ, from 1–3 November, with an additional, optional one-day workshop on 4 November on motivational interviewing. Find out more: www.involve.org.nz
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- From Welfare to Social Investment: Reimagining Social Policy for the Life Course, February 21-22 2007, Melbourne. This conference will build upon themes explored in our highly successful 2005 Transitions and Risk conference which focused on the ideas of Gunther Schmid in relation to labour market transitions as applicable to the Australian context. We will be accepting abstracts until the 31st of October. Email to: Dr Lauren Rosewarne lrose@unimelb.edu.au
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Events
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- FReeZACentral is hosting free, accredited training days around Victoria for young people aged 15 to 25 who are interested in a music industry career. The all-day workshops will be held in Footscray (June 17), Ballarat (June 20), Brunswick (June 23), Morwell (June 28), Frankston (July 1), Mildura (July 5), Geelong (July 8), Shepparton (July 11) and Melbourne city (July 15). FReeZACentral workshops provide young people with information on planning their careers in the music business, plus the unique opportunity to meet industry pros and learn first hand about their day-to-day jobs. Registration is free and includes a free lunch. Register online at www.freezacentral.com.au or contact The Push on 03 9380 1277.
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- EMERGE Soccer Carnival, 17 June, 11am-3pm, Dobson Reserve, Braybrook. Soccer carnival family fun day with 4 teams from emerging communities competing for the EMERGE championship cup and prize money. Plus free halal and vegetarian BBQ and live African drumming. Free Event.
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- EMERGE Festival Main Event, 18 June, 12-5pm, Fitzroy Town Hall & Reading Room. An event for all the family with over three non-stop stages featuring some of our finest international talent: Diafrix, Ethiopian Circus, Jali Buba Kuyateh, Lion of Judah, Khalil Gudaz, King Marong & Afro Mandinke and much more. Experience the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, roam the vibrant cultural marketplace, free creative children’s activities with internationally acclaimed visual artist Amanda King plus sample authentic foods from Africa and beyond. SBS Outside Broadcast will showcase artists with performances, interviews and interactive workshops. Free Event.
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- United Nations World Refugee Day, June 20 is a day to celebrate the courage and contribution of refugees worldwide. This year the theme is ‘hope’ – a sentiment close to all refugees. Resources can be found at: www.unhcr.org.au. If you would like to plan an event to celebrate World Refugee Day this year, please let us know so that we can publicise your event on the Refugee Council of Australia website www.refugeecouncil.org.au
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- Lost Boys of Sudan Fundraiser Screening, 23 June, 7.30-10.30pm, Fitzroy Town Hall. This feature-length documentary follows two Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America. Orphaned as young boys in one of Africa's cruellest civil wars, they survive lion attacks and militia gunfire to reach a refugee camp in Kenya along with thousands of other children. From there, remarkably they are chosen to go to America where they find themselves confronted with the abundance and alienation of contemporary American suburbia. Also on the night Q & A session with Sudanese community leader Zachariah Bul Dhieu and performance by Sudanese singer Ajak Kwai. All proceeds from this event will go towards The Tomorrow Foundation. Tickets: $20/$15
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- EMERGE Women’s Gathering, 24 June, 2-6pm, Brunswick Town Hall. A day for women by women. Women from newly arrived refugee communities come together and share cultures. Henna painting, coffee ceremonies from around the world, massage, cultural dance, open mic story telling, authentic foods, information and cultural displays will be on offer as well as free fun childcare and entertainment. If you require childcare bookings are essential . For more information contact Maria Sangiorgi on 03 9489 8446 or 0419 523 710. maria@dancingisis.com
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- Chick's Theatre Lab Presentation, 25th June 4-4.45pm @ Basement Theatre, Footscray Community Arts Centre, 45 Moreland St, Footscray What will happen? A performance of scored-improvisation by young women from the western suburbs working with artists Sandra Long and Naomi Steinborner; Present ideas inspired by interviews with female role models about their favourite female characters; A chance for you to ask how we’ve approached our work so far, and where it could go next; A chance for you to share your favourite female character with us. Entry by gold coin donation. RSVP to chi@westernedge.org.au, phone 9362 8803 or just come along.
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- NU SCHOOL RULEZ - ALL AGES DANCE PARTY, 1 July, 6-11pm, Maribyrnong Secondary College. A non stop action all ages event for 12 -25 year olds with performances by rising stars Diafrix and Domore (Sudan), DJ battle, 3 round hip hop dance battle with cash prizes, slam dunk competition, street art, giveaways and more. Free Event
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- HURRIYA (To be free), 26-27 July (Upper Broadmeadows Town Hall. $3 entry). A two day Hip Hop, Break, Street funk and traditional dance event for everyone, put on by A.R.A.B (Anti Racism Action Band). Bookings & Battle Applications should be forwarded by 12th July to: Anti Racism Action Band, P.O.Box 219 Dallas, Vic 3047. To find out more call (03) 9309 2435 or email a.r.a.b_vass@bigpond.com
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- Victorian Multicultural Multifaith Youth Forum, 30 July, 10.30am-5pm (Melbourne Town Hall). Following the Multifaith Premier's Summit held in September last year, the Victorian Government will be holding a Multicultural Multifaith Youth Forum for Victorian youth. Attendance is by invitation only. The aim of the forum is to promote ongoing dialogue between young people from a range of faith and cultural backgrounds and strengthen youth participation and leadership in the community. The objectives of the forum are as follows: To discuss key issues for young people from a variety of faith and cultural backgrounds; To explore possible initiatives and strategies for the future; To share stories and promote understanding; To develop interfaith and intercultural relationships and networks; To give government, service providers and faith and community leaders an insight into the issues faced and ideas generated by Victoria's young people. If you have a young person (15-30yrs) in your organisation who may like to attend the forum, please forward their name and contact details (preferably email) to vmc@dvc.vic.gov.au by Tuesday 20 June to include them on the invitation list.
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- Diversity@work Awards 2006 - The Diversity@work Awards recognise and reward the efforts of individuals, teams and organisations that are working to encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Awards will be made for both diversity champions and for initiatives that increase workplace diversity and inclusion. To nominate or for more information, visit www.diversityatwork.com.au. Nominations close 5pm on 11th August 2006. Alternatively, contact Meaghan Hunter on (03) 9608 0900 or email meaghan@diversityatwork.com.au
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- Refugee Week (October 22-28) - RCOA staff, together with refugee communities and agencies have once again commenced planning for Refugee Week 2006. A national event, Refugee Week provides an opportunity for refugee communities, community groups, schools and refugee support agencies to promote the rights of refugees, celebrate the immense contribution refugees make to our community and highlight issues affecting refugee communities throughout Australia. If you would like further information about Refugee Week, please contact the Refugee Council of Australia. Information will also be placed on our website in the coming months. www.refugeecouncil.org.au
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- Children Behind The Razor Wire - GetUp.org is launching a new television ad to oppose keeping children in detention. Click on the link now to watch a preview, and sign the petition today telling the government Australians say no to children behind the razor wire. www.getup.org.au/campaign/NoChildInDetention
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Research and Consultations
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- 2006 State of the Community Survey - As part of the Communities in Control conference, Our Community is running the second annual State of the Community survey. We want to know how your community organisation is travelling, how you think the community sector in general is going, and the issues you think are the most pressing in today’s climate. To take part in the survey, go to www.ourcommunity.com.au/communitysurvey2006
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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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Bilingual Peer Drug Education Program – City of Melbourne (Carlton Housing Estate)
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This free four-session training program is aimed at residents of the Carlton Housing Estate, and will train up volunteers who are interested in supporting or educating their community on drug-related issues. The course will be run on Tuesday nights for four weeks. Call Aubrey Schwarz, Program Co-ordinator, on 0413 962 037 for more information.
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Starting Out: Emerging Communities Radio Program – 3ZZZ
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Starting Out: Emerging Communities Radio Program is a project that will recruit and train members of new and emerging communities in radio broadcasting. Participants will receive training and assistance putting together a weekly radio program which will be a cross-cultural experience, with the participants building on their skills live on air. Participants will then be encouraged to apply to join an existing program or to create a new group and apply for airtime on 3ZZZ. For more information about this new project, go to www.3zzz.com.au
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Human Writes personal essay and Rights in Perspective art competitions - Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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The Human Writes personal essay and Rights in Perspective art competitions are officially open and ready to accept entries. What are human rights? What are the major human rights issues in Australia today? Have you, your friends or your family ever faced any sort of discrimination? Who are the people who have made it their goal to make this country fairer and more just for everyone? How should we celebrate and promote the fact that we all have human rights? The Human Writes personal essay and Rights in Perspective art competitions are an opportunity for young people aged 12-18 to tell us and show us their thoughts and feelings on these topics. Entries close on Friday 11 August 2006 at 5pm. For more information go to: www.humanrights.gov.au/competitions
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Funding
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City of Melbourne Community Services – 2007 Grant Round
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The 2007 grant round will be open from Monday 15 May 2006 until Friday 23 June 2006. This year we have set out some suggestions for developing your 2007 proposal, these along with the application form and explanatory brochure are available from the internet at www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/grants
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VicHealth’s Communities Together Scheme
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The Communities Together Scheme is designed to support the development of inclusive and participatory community festivals and celebrations. Grants up to $10,000 per festival/celebration available. Applications close 30 June 2006. For further information, guidelines and application forms visit: www.vichealth.vic.gov.au or phone: (03) 9667 1333
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VicHealth’s Conference Support Scheme
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Through the Conference Support Scheme, VicHealth provides limited support to conferences conducted by other providers to facilitate knowledge transfer in the field of health promotion. Small grants ($1000 to $10,000) are available to organisations for the purposes of organising and implementing health promotion conferences. This is a competitive scheme with an increasing number of applications being received for each round. Applications close 2 October 2006. For further information, guidelines and application forms visit: www.vichealth.vic.gov.au or phone: (03) 9667 1333
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Vichealth’s Community Arts Participation Scheme
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The Community Arts Participation Scheme is designed to promote mental health and well-being through community arts participation. Grants of up to $30,000 per year are available to organisations to conduct community arts projects. Applications close 20 October 2006. For further information, guidelines and application forms visit: www.vichealth.vic.gov.au or phone: (03) 9667 1333
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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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Boatloads of Extinguishment? Speech by David Manne for Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
(5 May 2006)
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In this speech to a conference organised by the Castan Centre, David Manne outlines the government’s proposal for offshore processing of ‘boat people’, examines its implications in human and legal terms, and argues that the proposal is far more than a mere extension of the Pacific solution.
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www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=80097
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Asylum seekers 'forced into life of poverty' (The Age - April 25, 2006)
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More than 2000 asylum seekers are living in a state of forced destitution without the right to work or access Medicare, according to statistics obtained from the Immigration Department. Under a controversial rule introduced in 1997, asylum seekers on certain visas are provided with no medical or income support and are forbidden from working, forcing them to rely entirely on charities for their survival. Some have been on these visas for years.
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www.theage.com.au/news/national/asylum-seekers-forced-into-life-of-poverty/2006/04/24/1145861286533.html
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