Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)

Kyla is CMY's ABC Youth Intern and has been in her role for a few months now! In her role she works across various projects at the ABC and CMY, with a focus on creating powerful platforms for youth voice to be heard, such as ABC Takeover!

Kyla says: "There's always something new to learn from the people on my team and their support allows me to confidently develop my skillsets. Each day has been refreshing and different, and I look forward to making a positive impact!"

She loves to play D&D, is an avid volunteer and freelances her illustrating. She also has a background in psychology and is also a marathon runner!

Find out more about Kyla's impact with Takeover here: https://www.abc.net.au/takeover

[Image Description: Kyla is an Taiwanese-Iranian woman. She is sitting at a desk with multiple laptops and a desktop screen in front of her. She is sitting in a small office with many shelves above her.]

CMY's Shout Out speakers recently visited ABC's Melbourne studios!

The team got a tour of the TV sets alongside a workshop with past CMY staff members Mahsa and Uma.

Find out more about Shout Out and what they do here: https://www.cmy.net.au/shout-out/

[Image Description: Image 1: 11 multicultural young people are standing behind a large semi-circular news desk. There are bright lights and a large white circle light above the group. Image 2: a young Black man poses behind the same news desk with his arms stretched out beside him. Image 3: The same young people are sitting around a square, wooden table and are listening to a presentation. Image 4: Two multicultural young people are standing in front of the same table presenting to the other young people.]

There are only 2 weeks left for you to register for our upcoming Culturally Responsive Practice training!

Join the course's facilitator Ashlea on Tuesday September 10th and 17th to learn the tools required to work with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds effectively and responsively.

The course is completely online and attendance is required for both of the days.

Know someone else that wants to learn these skills? Share this with them!

You can register here 👉 https://CRP-September-2024.eventbrite.com.au/?aff=FB

[Image Description: White text is on a red background. There is bold text that says "Culturally Responsive Practice. Part 1 and 2." There is a white rectangle with bold, capitalised text inside it which says "2 Weeks to go! Register now!" There is a young white woman in the right corner of the tile. Her name is shown as "Ashlea Henley" and her title is "facilitator." Behind her is a blue and white background made up of chopped-up leaf patterns.]

CMY Ballarat recently won 2 awards at the City of Ballarat Youth Awards!

Their mental health discussion podcast 'Thrive Cast' took out the 'Group Project Award!' Having just launched earlier this year, the full series is now out for everyone to hear!

One of CMY Ballarat's most dedicated young volunteers Thu also won the 'Youth Volunteer Award.' Thu's work is immense at CMY, having worked on Thrive Cast, in our gender-equity program Speak Up and is also a part of CMY Ballarat's Youth Advisory Group (YAG!)

Find out more about the awards here: https://www.cmy.net.au/cmy-news/city-of-ballarat-youth-awards-2024/

[Image Description: 8 people are standing on a black stage. Behind them are different banners for different organisations. Two people in the front are holding a framed award. They are all smiling.]

‘The Unsaid Says a Lot’ stands as an Australian-first campaign dedicated to supporting trans and gender-diverse communities. CMY and Culture Spring are supporters of this campaign.

This campaign addresses the staggering reality that 3 in 4 trans and gender-diverse individuals face unfair treatment due to their gender identity. Every silent gesture and unspoken word carries weight, highlighting the importance of this campaign. It has also welcomed multicultural voices and is available in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.

Find out more about the campaign here: https://www.cmy.net.au/cmy-news/culture-spring-unsaid-says-a-lot/

At CMY, we give multicultural young people the platform and voice to speak on the issues that matter most to them.

CMY Ballarat's podcast 'Thrive Cast' is one of those platforms. It is created, produced and hosted by a diverse group of 20 multicultural young people. The main topic of the program is mental health, a subject the young people of Ballarat are passionate about.

headspace and CMY staff members recently spoke on the origins of the podcast and where the program is headed!

You can learn more about Thrive Cast here: https://www.cmy.net.au/cmy-news/exploring-mental-health-initiatives-for-young-people-in-ballarat/

[Image Description: 5 people are standing in a large, white room. Next to the group of people is a TV screen that says "Supporting multicultural youth and mental health" in black text on a yellow and red background.]

Shout Out speakers Chelsea and Abraham were recently involved in a video shoot!

What's it all for?... Stay tuned to find out 🤫🤫🤫

CMY is disappointed in the Victorian Government’s announcement that they are shelving plans to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14, as initially promised.

"We welcome raising the age to 12 as an important step forward, and are committed to working with the Government, our sector partners and the community to eventually raise the age to 14.”

Read more: https://www.cmy.net.au/cmy-news/cmy-backs-raising-the-age-of-criminal-responsibility-to-12-but-14-is-our-goal

CMY’s two-part online Culturally Responsive Practice training is coming up soon!

This course will empower you with insights into the visible and invisible elements of culture and its influences. It’s designed for anyone working with multicultural youth, their families and their communities.

If you fall into the middle of this Venn diagram and are interested in levelling up your knowledge, register here for Early Bird tickets, available until August 20th, 2024 👉 https://CRP-September-2024.eventbrite.com.au/?aff=FB

[Image Description: There is a Venn diagram made up of 3 purple circles with white outlines. Each circle has a sentence inside it, written in white font. In clockwise order the statements say: "Engage with multicultural young people in daily work, Want to enhance understanding of diverse cultural perspectives, Free on September 10th and 17th." There is a space where the 3 circles intersect. In that spot is just the word "you," in bold white text.]

Today is International Youth Day! 🙌

CMY recently hosted the Harmony Youth Summit, an event where over 140 multicultural young people gathered to dare to dream.

The Youth Summit was an opportunity for young people to be inspired for the future through guest speakers, engaging workshops, and collaborative activities.

It was organised and run by young people, for young people! One young person said: “It's been a great opportunity for me to come here, get my mindset right. They taught me a lot of things on how to chase my goals, chase my dreams and it was a really fun experience. It was really enjoyable.”

Learn more about the Summit here: https://www.cmy.net.au/cmy-news/harmony-youth-summit-2024

[Image Description: A group of 16 diverse people are sitting in front of a painted wall. On the wall, is a bright blue back drop with colourful birds and butterflies. There is a waterway painted on the wall. The group of people is sitting on the floor and are looking at the camera and in many different directions.]

CMY backs the positive first steps of the Youth Justice Bill, which will be debated in the Upper House of Parliament this week.

If passed, Victoria will raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12 – a positive first step we have long been advocating for.

We urge the Government to stand by its commitment to raising the age to 14, in line with international best practice and medical evidence.

Diverting children from the criminal justice system is in the best interests of young people, and the community. It the best way to reduce re-offending and increase community safety.

Read more on the bill at: https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/news/justice/criminal-responsibility

Read more on how the bill could be strengthened:
https://www.cmy.net.au/cmy-news/youth-justice-protecting-the-rights-safety-wellbeing-of-young-people



[Image Description: An orange and red leaf pattern covers the background. Bold white text in the middle of the tile reads "Diverting children from the justice system is in the best interests of young people, and
the community."]

CMY staff members Bec, Edmee and Mohamed attended the launch of the Victorian Youth Homelessness Snapshot by Melbourne City Mission (MCM) at Parliament House on Wednesday morning.

The event included speakers such as the Minister for Housing Harriet Shing, CEOs from both MCM and Council to Homeless Persons, and two young people with lived experience of homelessness.

A key statistic highlighted at the event was that in Australia, only 2.9% of social housing is accessible to young people aged 15-24.

This data is something that CMY youth workers have noticed too, with one of them saying "We take young people to housing services and they tell them they have nothing, so they go and stay at a friend’s house, or they hand them a list of boarding houses that are ridiculously expensive."

In Homelessness Week (5-11 August), we wanted to highlight a campaign CMY is part of, which aims to change these statistics. Home Time is a nationwide campaign of over 100 social justice organisations that is advocating for more support and housing for young people facing homelessness.

You can find out more and take action at: https://www.hometime.org.au

You can also read more about the Snapshot here: https://www.mcm.org.au/news/victorian-youth-homelessness-snapshot

[Image Description: Bec, Edmee and Mohamed are standing in front of a tall bookshelf filled with books. Bec and Edmee are both white women. They are both wearing thick, black jackets. Mohamed is a Black man. He is wearing a business coat and pants and is wearing a blue button-up shirt.]

Do you want to learn the tools for working with multicultural young people?

You should sign up for our Culturally Responsive Practice training! Join us for two days of professional development training covering two important topics:

Part 1: Culturally Responsive Youth Practice

Part 2: Young People and Settlement

Don’t miss out on early bird tickets for, available now until August 20, 2024!

Register here 👉 https://CRP-September-2024.eventbrite.com.au/?aff=FB

Culturally Responsive Practice September 2024 Explore the essential skills and knowledge required for effective work with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

The 2023 MY Education Awards were nearly a year ago to the day!

Last year's awards celebrated lifelong learners through a wholesome event bringing together educators and students from all over Victoria.

The event celebrated champions like Claire who won Outstanding Volunteer for her work with the SMECC Homework Club as part of the Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council. She travelled from Mallee to attend the event!

She said about winning the award last year: "Winning the CMY Outstanding Volunteer Award has made me stop and reflect. I didn’t know that I did so much for my community in so many ways, and I certainly didn’t know it had been noticed."

Read up on how the event went this year: https://www.cmy.net.au/cmy-news/celebrating-lifelong-learners-at-the-my-education-awards/

[Image Description: 17 people are standing on a large stage. There is a large screen behind them. On the screen is a photo of 4 Black students posing in a school setting. Surrounding the photo is a badge graphic that says "MY Education Awards."]

"I wish I had known earlier that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness, and that breaking the silence and stigma around mental health can make a significant difference in someone’s life and might encourage them to seek help sooner than later."

This is Mohammad. He is one of our brand-new Youth Advocates for the REVERB 2.0 program!

REVERB 2.0 is a mental health intervention program focused on providing early support, co-created and run by diverse young people.

In this special partnership, young people use their knowledge of working in diverse communities, youth mental health, and personal experiences to help remove obstacles that multicultural youth face when trying to access mental health services.

Read more about Mohammad and his perspectives on mental health intervention here: https://www.cmy.net.au/cmy-stories/seeking-help-is-a-sign-of-strength-not-weakness/

[Image Description: Mohammad is a young man who has not self-identified himself. He has long black hair. He is wearing a bagging button-up shirt with cream pants on. He is standing in the middle of a park. There are two people standing on either side of him. He is holding a yellow leaf in his hand.]

CMY Ballarat recently hosted a Basketball clinic with Ballarat Miners superstar Majok Majok.

Majok Majok is a South Sudanese refugee who has now played basketball professionally in Australia, New Zealand, Slovenia and college basketball in the United States.

Majok took a small group of young people through a 1-hour facilitated basketball workshop to show them all the basics, learning some new skills and fun drills.

A few weeks later those at the clinic attended the Ballarat Miners home game, where young people had the chance to cheer on Majok Majok from the audience.

[Image Description: 15 young boys are standing in the middle of a basketball court. Some are holding basketballs. They are all making silly faces. Aside from them is their coach. Majok is a tall Black man and he is standing behind the boys.]

We are currently looking for a Senior Communications and Marketing Officer to join our Comms team!

This is a full-time, parental leave role running until May, 2025.

The Senior Communications and Marketing Officer will be a communications professional who will create marketing plans, run marketing activities and support CMY's programs.

Does this sound like you? Do you know someone who would be great in this position? Share this with them!

Applications close August 5th, apply here: https://jobboards.martianlogic.com/CMYJobs/9346046/

[Image Decription: A young Afghan man is standing in a classroom-like setting. he is standing in front of a whiteboard with his arms folded. He is wearing a cream vest ontop of a white shirt. He has short, black hair and has some facial hair. He is smiling at the camera subtly.]

Meet our newest youth advocates for Reverb 2.0!

In partnership with CMY and headspace, Reverb 2.0 is a prevention and early intervention mental health initiative, aiming to address stigma, build cultural responsiveness, and increase multicultural young people’s confidence to seek support.

This dynamic team of 10 will be co-designing and delivering mental health workshops to other young people and mental health professionals, sharing their unique, intersectional and important perspectives to create change.

You can find out more about the Reverb program here: https://www.cmy.net.au/cmy-news/multicultural-youth-bring-expertise-and-lived-experience-to-mental-health/

[Image Description: 14 multicultural people pose for a photo in a park. 6 of them sit on the grass while the other 8 stand up. Behind them are trees and buildings.]

CMY’s Learning Beyond the Bell program assists over 365 different Learning Support Programs all across Victoria!

Formally known as OSHLSPs, these programs provide high-quality support to children and young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds and their families.

Sometimes called Homework Clubs, Learning Support Programs cover a wide range of different models and approaches. Importantly, these programs focus on supporting learning and wellbeing.

If you want to run your own Learning Support Program or already run one yourself, CMY’s Learning Beyond the Bell team can help you!

Find out more about what LBB does to help here: https://www.cmy.net.au/organisations-businesses/education/learning-support-programs/

[Image Descriptions: There are 4 separate tiles. Tile 1 shows two Black school students sitting around a table with stationery and booklets. There is a white teacher at the table supervising them. Above them is a large, bold, white title that says "How can CMY help your learning support program? There is a green and purple background. Tile 2 has a green blob on a purple background. There is a bold, white title that says "Consultation and advice." There is a white subtitle that says "We can provide support to help you build and maintain your own Learning Support Program!" Tile 3 has a purple blob on a green background. The title for this tile is "Networking and information sharing." The subtitle is in black text and says "We share a regular newsletter as well as referrals, and sector-specific resources." The final tile has a green blob on a purple background. The title says "Support for volunteers and coordinators." Its subtitle says "We provide trainings, networking events, and we even have an online hub!"]

"I’ve really enjoyed being able to put myself out there and experience new things, whether that’s face-to-face work with young people or work behind the scenes. I like having creative freedom with the newsletters I’m in charge of."

Say hi to Marie! She is our new Youth Intern.

Marie writes our Youth Volunteers newsletter and our youth newsletter The Mix and also supports many of the youth programs we have here at CMY!

You can see Marie's work first-hand by subscribing to The Mix here: https://www.cmy.net.au/young-people-community/youth-opportunities/

[Image Description: Marie is a Lebanese-Australian woman. She is sitting at her computer where there is a diary, a keyboard and a water bottle. She has black curly hair and her hair is being pulled back by a black and white bandana.]

School is back! Do you know a young South Sudanese person who would love to join a Homework Club?

The club is run in collaboration with the CMY South Sudanese Community Support Group (CSG) and Djerriwarrh.

This program offers tutors and a supportive environment for learning, building confidence and self-esteem, and connecting with families and the community.

It'll run from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm during school terms at 239 Station Road, Melton! It will run on Wednesdays for Secondary students and Thursdays for Primary students.

To find out more you can contact Akoi on 0401 908 711 or email at [email protected] or Geu on 0475 400 449 or at [email protected]!

[Image Description: 3 Black children are sitting in a classroom setting. They are all reading a book together.]

📣 Do you work with multicultural youth? Case managers, youth workers, social workers, teachers, volunteers, health workers: this is for YOU!

🔥 Last chance to level up your skills with our Culturally Responsive Practice training!🔥

🗓️ Next Thursday
🏢 304 Drummond St, Carlton VIC 3053
⏰ 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Only 5 early bird tickets left!🐦💸

You can register for the training here: https://CMY-CRP1-July24.eventbrite.com.au/?aff=FB

Do you work or volunteer at a Learning Support Program?

We want to hear from you about the contribution of volunteers to your program.

Your insights will help mould a research report that seeks to enhance our collective understanding and implement positive changes within the Learning Support Sector.

You can take the survey here: https://forms.office.com/r/K28JNGHbDs

[Image Description: A young Black boy is dressed in a school uniform. Next to him is a young white woman who is pointing to a whiteboard the boy is writing on. They are sitting in a classroom. Above this image is a green and light green pattern. On the pattern is bold, black writing. It says "Take the LBB survey. Help us better understand the Learning Support Program sector."]

💡Young Victorians from refugee and migrant backgrounds make up almost half of Victoria’s youth population. Do you know how to include and support them? Do your programs and services reflect your community?
CMY's Culturally Responsive Practice can make this happen. Embrace diversity, build stronger communities, and make a real difference.

➡️ Who is this training for?
Our Culturally Responsive Practice training is suitable for anyone working with multicultural young people, their families and communities. Librarians, coaches, case managers, and managers have benefited from our training in the past. We don't just cater to groups; we also have select individual training opportunities throughout the year.

Our training goes beyond a single sector, equipping practitioners from government, business, education, health, welfare, justice, and sports and recreation with the tools they need to excel.

Don't miss this opportunity to grow and enhance your professional capabilities.

🎟 Register now for our July half-day training. Don't miss the early bird tickets discount! https://CMY-CRP1-July24.eventbrite.com.au/?aff=FB

CMY Gippsland has recently dropped a brand-new podcast episode! 🎧

In this episode, Ashia and Adeena discuss their own ideas for the future of Gippsland.

The two of them recently presented these ideas at the Gippsland Big Ideas Festival, stay tuned for more information on how that presentation went!

You can listen to the new episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3V4rZ78CTXzt0gFvQvJ2Y5?si=Qlhnku9BQ3eSN4xydMZ6ZA

[Image Description: Ashia and Adeena are two multicultural young people who are standing side by side. Adeena is wearing a blue and white Geelong Cats football scarf and a light blue sweater. Ashia is wearing a brown stitched sweater with a collared shirt underneath. They have long black hair and are smiling at the camera.]

🤔 Do you know how education, policy, family expectations and norms influence culture? In our Culturally Responsive Practice (CRP) training, we will guide you through the visible and invisible elements of culture as well as its influencers.

💡 Who is this training for?
Our CRP training is suitable for anyone working with multicultural young people, their families and communities. Previous participants have included librarians, coaches, committees, case managers, youth workers, social workers, volunteers and other front-line staff as well as managers. We provide professional development for practitioners across a range of sectors including government, business, education, health, welfare, justice, and sports and recreation.

🎟 Register now for our July half-day training. Don't miss the early bird tickets discount!! https://CMY-CRP1-July24.eventbrite.com.au/?aff=FB

Explore the latest insights from CMY's report on 'Youth Arrivals to Victoria' for 2022-23! 🌎

1,326 young people aged 12 to 24 years were granted a permanent visa to settle in Victoria under Australia's Refugee and Humanitarian Program in the 22/23 financial year. Young people made up more than one quarter (27%) of all humanitarian arrivals to Victoria during this period.

Read through the report here:
https://www.cmy.net.au/resource/youth-arrivals-to-victoria-2022-2023/

In case you haven't heard, nominations have opened for this year's MY Education Awards!

These awards spotlight the amazing work of Out-of-School-Hours Learning Support Programs across Victoria!
⁠
Some of the awards on offer include Learning Support Program of the Year (Metro and Rural/Regional), Outstanding New Learning Support Program, Outstanding Student and Outstanding Volunteer. ⁠
⁠
Do you know of a program, homework club, student or volunteer worthy of a nomination? Nominate them here: https://www.cmy.net.au/my-education-awards-2024

[Image Description: The graphic is split in half. On the left half is a purple and dark-purple blobby background. There are also light-green blobs that contain white text inside them. The text says "MY Education Awards. Honouring Achievements in Education. Nominations are now open. On the right half of the image are two young students. They are both holding notebooks and facing the camera.]