CMY Annual Report 2013-2014

Annual Report 2013 - 2014 A N N UA L R E P O R T 2012 - 2013

1

Contents A message from the Chair and CEO..................................................... 3 About Us....................................................................................................... 4 Our Strategic Framework........................................................................ 5 Strategic Plan Report Card...................................................................... 6 Our Young People...................................................................................... 8 Our Locations.............................................................................................. 9 People and Partnerships....................................................................... 11 My Story...................................................................................................... 16 Working with Young People: Support.............................................. 18 Sport Tackles Isolation...........................................................................20 Working with Young People: Leadership.........................................22 Our Patch Program Raises Young Leaders.......................................23 Working with Other Service Providers.............................................. 24 Employment Pathways in Gippsland.................................................25 YRIPP - Celebrating 10 Years................................................................30 Working with Researchers.................................................................... 32 Working with Decision Makers............................................................ 32 National Connections............................................................................. 35 Media Engagement................................................................................. 35 Governance Statement..........................................................................36 Director's Report......................................................................................38 Concise Financial Report.......................................................................40 Independent Auditor’s Report............................................................43

A Message from the Chair and CEO Welcome to our latest Annual Report and thank you for taking the time to discover how we have made an impact this year. The work detailed in this report reflects CMY’s commitment to the continuous improvement of its services in response to the needs and issues of young people.

Significant changes are either underway or on the horizon for the multicultural and not-for-profit sectors. CMY’s board and management are working to ensure the organisation is ideally positioned to seize the opportunities that these changes offer so we can continue to support young people to reach their fullest potential.

Our ability to learn and develop as an organisation is due in no small part to the strength of our relationships and the talent of our staff.

That is why this year’s report contains a new ‘people and partnerships’ section that reflects the diversity and reach of organisations and people that enable CMY to create change. There is also a greater focus on demonstrating our value across sectors and regions of Victoria.

OUR PROGRAMS The Youth Referral and Independent Person Program (YRIPP) celebrated its tenth birthday this year. What started as a pilot project operating in nine police stations has grown into a state-wide program that places highly trained independent persons at the service of 3,000 young people and 1,000s of police officers in 145 police stations across Victoria, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The success of YRIPP is due to two crucial factors. Firstly, the willingness and ability of its cross-sector delivery partners to work together CMY, the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, Community Legal Centres, UnitingCare and Victoria Police. Secondly, to the power of committed volunteers, 1,000 of which have supported young Victorians over the past 10 years.

Young volunteers, in the shape of our Youth Advisory Group (YAG) are an essential component of strategic decision making. This year the YAG has refreshed its membership, worked closely with the board on strategy and participated in roundtables with key stakeholders.

Our belief in the enterprise, resilience and optimism of young Victorians is reaffirmed through programs like ‘Our Patch’. Working closely with Wyndham and Casey Councils, this program engaged 120 indigenous, Australian born and migrant young people. Seeing these young people working together on community cohesion issues was a real highlight.

This year we partnered with MacKillop Family Services to continue work with some of the most vulnerable young people in Victoria through the Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors Programme. Most clients in this programme are 16-17 year old Afghan Hazara men who despite their traumas are determined to make better lives for themselves in Australia.

Some of these young men alongside other vulnerable young people in Dandenong benefitted from support through the Boyspace project, funded by the Portland House Foundation. With Gandel Philanthropy we created Shout Out, training 20 young people in public speaking.

The philanthropic sector has also supported our focus on employment issues. We are the national support agency as well as a service deliverer for the Youth Hubs program, driven by the Scanlon Foundation. We also completed an important piece of research on employment issues in partnership with Melbourne University and funded by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.

Our two regional offices continue to deliver outcomes for the Ballarat and Gippsland communities. Our Morwell office was affected by the Hazelwood mine fires and we would like to take this opportunity to

thank the Morwell community, particularly UnitingCare Gippsland for their help in temporarily relocating our services to Leongatha. Despite the upheaval the team have delivered a successful employment project in partnership with other local services. Our Ballarat office staff worked with our training team to deliver training to local workers this year.

Working in partnership with leading academics at Deakin and Monash Universities our research team released an Australian Research Council funded publication ‘Social Networks, Belonging and Active Citizenship among Migrant Youth in Australia’. The results of this and other research work will enable us to continue to shape the debate and influence policy direction at local, state and national levels and reinforces CMY’s position as a knowledge leader.

Our national policy advocacy and capacity building work continues apace through our auspice of the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (Australia). MYAN hosted the first-ever national refugee youth conference in partnership with the University of Sydney. Substantial progress was made towards establishing the first multicultural youth specialist organisation in NSW, in partnership with Youth Action and the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

GOVERNANCE This report also reflects our commitment to improving our transparency and accurately measuring our impact. We see the reporting processes as not just a compliance undertaking but also a method of accurately assessing how we are tracking. Such an undertaking is significant in an organisation of CMY’s size and complexity, but essential if we are to demonstrate our effectiveness and value to our key stakeholders and make better decisions about our future strategic focus.

We have continued to make improvements to our governance systems and processes and financial sustainability. Since recording a deficit in 2011 due to internal investment we have increased our retained earnings year on year. We have reviewed our governance systems this year, resulting in an updated Governance handbook, new sub-committee structures and updated director renewal processes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to express our sincere thanks to all of our partners, supporters and collaborators, it is through these relationships that we can extend our influence and ensure more young people are better served in their communities. We would also particularly like to thank our Government funders at state and national levels; bipartisan support for multiculturalism remains a cornerstone of our collective values. We are extremely grateful to Portland House Foundation, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Gandel Philanthropy and Scanlon Foundation, for their open and collaborative approach to partnerships which has resulted in some exciting work over the past year.

Thank you to the board, management, staff and volunteers who work so hard throughout the year to support young people. Finally, our deepest gratitude goes to the 5,000 young people that have contributed so much to our work. Without your enterprise, resilience and optimism, we would be a lesser version of ourselves.

BULENT (HASS) DELLAL Chair

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

CARMEL GUERRA Chief Executive Officer

3

About Us We are a Victorian not-for-profit organisation supporting young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds to build better lives in Australia.

WHY WE EXIST The young people we work with tell us they prefer not to be defined by labels. It is important however, to explain that most of our work focuses on young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, 1225 years old, with a particular priority on those who are newly-arrived to Australia (less than 5 years). We us the term ‘young people’ to refer to those from migrant, second generation, refugee and refugee-like backgrounds.

Young people can encounter significant barriers as they try to settle in Australia. Alongside the challenges of growing up, they are figuring out how things are done and adjusting to unfamiliar cultural, academic and social expectations. Their sense of wellbeing and belonging can be considerably diminished by factors such as racism and discrimination.

These barriers are often compounded and magnified by services and systems that are ill-equipped to provide the specialist support needed.

Despite these complex issues we know that young people have the enterprise, resilience and optimism to contribute to the continued prosperity of Australia.

OUR APPROACH We recognise that a holistic approach is required to support young people to build better lives. The work we do directly with young people is complemented by our efforts to support other organisations to work more effectively with them. This work allows us to contribute to statewide outcomes.

By working in partnership with research centres we can ensure that our delivery is underpinned by the latest research and data. It is this combination of evidence-based change-making at the individual and service level that leads to effective advocacy for systemic change at the local, state and national policy levels.

4

C MY.N E T. AU

Our Strategic Framework WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

WORKING WITH DECISION MAKERS

d

Human R

t re

ts h ig

e c n e E v id

d

Partnering with researchers to document young people’s issues

ed

Young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds are connected, empowered and influential Australians.

Diversit y

OUR VISION

on

-c th You

en

PR I N C I PL E S

OUR VALUES

Par ticipati

ar t n ership WORKING WITH RESEARCHERS

Delivering direct support and leadership opportunities

Streng hs-base t

OUR

I n -p

Providing evidence -based advice and advocacy at local, state and national levels

s a b -

WORKING WITH SERVICES

Forging sector and community partnerships that enhance delivery

OUR STRATEGY

MY COMMUNITY

MY JOURNEY

MY VOICE

MY CMY

OUR PURPOSE To ensure that young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds have every opportunity to suceed in Australia

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

5

Strategic Plan Report Card Our Strategic Plan 2013-2017 highlights four key themes each with a number of objectives that guide our work. The following tables map our activities and results against these themes and objectives.

KEY

Green – on track ≥80% complete Amber – Some progress 50-79% complete Red – little progress ≤50% complete

STRATEGIC THEMES AND OBJECTIVES ACTIVITY

MY JOURNEY

MY VOICE

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

INTERGENERATIONAL CONFLICT

MOST DISADVANTAGED

PUBLIC SAFETY

ACTION ON RACISM

EDUCATION

EMPLOYMENT

SOCIAL CAPITAL

MAINSTREAM SUPPORT

LEADERSHIP

POSITIVE MEDIA

DIGITAL SAFETY

ISSUE AWARENESS

REGIONAL PRESENCE PROJECT

MY COMMUNITY

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

•

•

•

•

WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE: SUPPORT

CMY APPROACHES AND ACTIONS

• RECONNECT • COMPLEX CASE SUPPORT • UHM PROGRAM • YOUNG AFRICAN MEN’S PROJECT • FLYING MOUNTAINS • BOYSPACE

• • • • • •

• • •

•

• UCAN2

• • • •

WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE: LEADERSHIP • YOUTH ADVISORY GROUP (YAG)

•

• YOUTH FORUMS • SHORT BURST TRAINING • OUR PATCH

•

• SHOUT OUT

• • • • •

• • •

• •

WORKING WITH OTHER SERVICES

• • •

• EDUCATION SUPPORT • YRIPP • SPORT • SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

•

• •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

• • • •

•

•

WORKING WITH RESEARCHERS • RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

•

•

•

•

•

WORKING WITH DECISION MAKERS • POLICY AND ADVOCACY • NATIONAL - MYAN • NATIONAL - NSW PARTNERSHIP

6

•

•

•

•

• • •

•

• • •

STRATEGIC THEMES AND OBJECTIVES

2013 - 2014 ACHIEVEMENTS

MY COMMUNITY

Young people are connected, belong and contribute to their families and communities.

1 2 2 3 4

COMMUNITY CONNECTEDNESS - Increase the connectedness of young

people to their communities.

INTERGENERATIONAL CONFLICT - Increase the capacity of

communities and families to deal with intergenerational conflict.

MOST DISADVANTAGED - Improve practice and support for

disengaged and disadvantaged young people.

4

PUBLIC SAFETY - Increase community awareness of young

5

RACISM - Engage young people in community action to tackle

people’s public safety issues.

racism.

Our work in this area represents 20% of our annual turnover, six programs delivered client based work to 552 young people this year.

Last year we completed extensive consultation on this issue and are currently seeking funding to progress this area.

A successful pilot led to the implementation of the UHM programme, we are currently seeking funding to work with Pacifika young people.

We are currently working closely with Victoria Police and several LGA’s on this issue.

This year we delivered two projects in partnership with LGA’s to address racism and are currently seeking funding for a schools-based project.

MY JOURNEY

Young people are empowered to access opportunities and actively shape their own futures.

6

EDUCATION - Improve education outcomes for young people.

This year we extended our education work into Bendigo and Shepparton and increased the number of Victorian homework clubs and schools in the RESP program.

7

EMPLOYMENT - Improve employment outcomes for young people.

We sourced philanthropic funding from Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation for a research project and from Scanlon Foundation to play a lead role in a national project.

8

SOCIAL CAPITAL - Increase young people’s access to useful

9

connections and diverse social networks.

MAINSTREAM SUPPORT - Increase the capability of mainstream

agencies and settlement services to respond to the needs of young people.

Through the UCAN2 project we ensured that young people across Victoria had access to volunteers and mentors to help them create local networks.

This year we introduced new modules into our training program, developed several key LGA partnerships and established the Statewide Youth Settlement Network.

MY VOICE

Young people are understood, accurately represented and influential in Australian society.

10

LEADERSHIP - Increase the opportunities for young people to

11

POSITIVE MEDIA - Increase positive media representation of young

12

DIGITAL SAFETY - Increase the safe engagement of young people

13

ISSUE AWARENESS - Increase the prominence and awareness of the

develop leadership skills and contribute to civic activities.

people and coverage of their issues.

in digital communities.

social and economic issues facing young people.

Alongside the Youth Advisory Group we delivered two significant projects aimed at increasing the skills of over 330 young people.

We increased our traditional local and state print and radio media hits by almost 50% and increased our social media presence through twitter and facebook.

Our new website aims to contribute to this objective and we are currently scoping other projects to build on the success of last year’s Webwise project.

We released 15 reports and publications this year and disseminated our knowledge through a range of digital and print channels, events and committees across Victoria and nationally.

MY CMY (ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITY)

CMY is the recognised leader and preferred partner in working with young people and shares its knowledge for the benefit of all Australians.

14

GOVERNANCE AND WORKFORCE - Enhance our governance,

management and workforce capacity and improve our business services.

15

BRAND - Strengthen CMY’s brand.

16

LEADERSHIP ROLE - Strengthen CMY’s role as knowledge leader

17

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY - Strengthen CMY’s financial position to

and expert in working with young people.

ensure the best outcomes for young people.

A number of staff and board training initiatives were introduced this year.

A comprehensive brand refresh clarified our attributes, values and narrative.

This year we developed our preferred research partner relationships with a number of key publications.

We diversified our funding and increased our retained earnings for the third year running in line with a longer term strategy.

7

Our Young People YOUNG MULTICULTURAL AUSTRALIANS CMY works directly with a relatively small percentage of the total number of young Victorians. However, our two statewide programs and our strong partnerships and relationships with over 300 organisations and over 15 local councils ensure we can positively influence the lives of thousands more young people each year.

Total number of young people:

3,685,429

5,000

YOUNG PEOPLE

Total number of young people from a CALD background1:

925,015

ACCESSED CMY SERVICES IN 2013-14

25%

YOUNG MULTICULTURAL VICTORIANS

Total number of young people in Victoria:

917,120

32%

Young people from a CALD background1

17%

Young people born overseas1

18%

Young people with a refugee background1

3,846 TOTAL NUMBER OF HUMANITARIAN ARRIVALS LIVING IN VICTORIA BETWEEN

2013-20142

12-24 YRS OLD

1,088

TOTAL NUMBER OF HUMANITARIAN YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN VICTORIA

BETWEEN 2013-20142

DEFINITIONS1 CALD: Culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

CALD Background: May be used interchangeably with CALD youth. Includes young people aged 12-24 who were either born in a CALD country, have at least one parent born in a CALD country and/or a CALD country of ancestry during the 2011 census, young people born in a refugee country and young people of refugee ancestry.

Young people with a refugee background: Includes young people aged 12-24 with at least one parent born in a refugee defined country and/or nominated a refugee defined country as their country of ancestry during the 2011 census and young people born in a country where the majority came to Australia through the refugee and humanitarian program.

Young people born overseas: Also falls into the category of CALD youth.

1 The CALD Youth Census Report 2014, Professor Graeme Hugo, University of Adelaide, Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (Australia) 2 Humanitarian Youth Arrivals to Victoria 2013-14, Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)

8

Our Locations Much of our work is embedded in a local context and delivered out of five offices across Victoria. Our head office in Carlton houses our management, business services, sector development and youth leadership teams as well as staff from the Education Support Team and Youth Referral and Independent Person Program.

GIPPSLAND OFFICE Our Gippsland office opened in 2011 to strengthen settlement outcomes for newly arrived young people through increased information, support and participation in work, school, and community. Office staff also assist local communities to build better service capacity to engage newly arrived young people and their families. The Latrobe Valley is the fourth largest rural region in Victoria with a population of over 75,000 and has the second highest proportion of overseas-born residents in regional Victoria.

Latrobe-Gippsland Statistics • 15.8% of the population are young people aged 12-24 years • 5.3% of young people were born overseas • 63.7% of young people of CALD background (18-24) are in full or part time employment • 94.7% of 12-17 year olds and 38.5% of 18-24 year olds of CALD background are enrolled in full or part-time schooling Trends • A number of newcomers from South Sudan of refugee background are joining communities where there are significant pockets of existing disadvantage.

• There is an emerging and growing community of Muslim families in the area. The Gippsland Australian Muslim Community Inc (GAMCI) was officially incorporated in June 2013.

• The Traralgon English Language Centre closed this year; students now attend mainstream high schools.

• Monash University Gippsland Campus, GippsTAFE and Advanced TAFE merged to form Federation University and Training. This reduced international student enrollments but increased study options.

• Emergency management is a key concern for the Latrobe City Council and surrounding areas after the Hazelwood Coal Mine fires in February 2014.

BALLARAT OFFICE The office opened in 2012 to strengthen settlement outcomes for newly arrived young people through increased information, support and participation in work, school, and community. Office staff also assist local communities to build better service capacity to engage newly arrived young people and their families. Ballarat is Victoria’s third largest city and is currently experiencing population growth. A significant proportion of this growth is due to the steady increase of migrant and refugee arrivals.

Ballarat Statistics • 17.4% of the population are young people aged 12-24 years.

• 6.5% of young people were born overseas.

• 62.5% of young people of CALD background (18-24) are in full or part time employment.

• 95.4% of 12-17 year olds and 52.8% of 18-24 year olds of CALD background are in full or part-time schooling.

• 5,000 international students (highest per capita quota of international students in Australia) Trends • The Central Highlands region is expected to grow by over 37,000 by 2026.

• New arrivals are joining communities where there are significant pockets of existing disadvantage. The region faces new challenges in supporting young people especially those from refugee backgrounds.

2014 Highlights - Gippsland

2014 Highlights - Ballarat

• Worked in three Local Government Areas.

• Worked in four Local Government Areas.

• 285 young people engaged in events and projects.

• 178 young people engaged in events and projects.

• Worked with 20 local organisations.

• Worked with 12 local organisations.

• Participated in six local committees and networks.

• Participated in 11 local committees and networks.

9

DANDENONG OFFICE

SUNSHINE OFFICE

The City of Greater Dandenong is the most culturally diverse locality in Australia, with residents from 156 different birthplaces. The office hosts a range of programs which provide support for migrant and refugee young people, particularly direct service delivery to newly arrived humanitarian entrants. CMY is co-located with a number of other youth services at Y-Stop in the heart of Dandenong.

CMY works alongside 12 other youth agencies at the Visy Cares Hub in Sunshine. Since opening in 2008, the office has focused on improving settlement outcomes for newly arrived refugee/migrant young people in Brimbank and its surrounding suburbs through direct services to humanitarian entrants, education support work and community development. According to the SEIFA index, Brimbank is second only to Greater Dandenong as the most disadvantaged municipality in Greater Melbourne. It is Victoria’s third most disadvantaged municipality, with levels of unemployment twice Melbourne’s average.

Dandenong Statistics • 56% of the population were born overseas, and 51% are from nations where English is not the main spoken language.

• Greater Dandenong had the highest number of settlers in any Victorian municipality in 2013/14, with 2,087 recently-arrived migrants settled in the region during this period.

• In 2011, the median weekly gross income among Greater Dandenong residents was $395 - the lowest in Melbourne, and 67% of the metropolitan average of $592.

South East Melbourne Statistics • 18.6% of the population are young people aged 12-24 years, 13.5% of young people were born overseas.

• 47.9% of young people of CALD background (18-24) are in full or part time employment.

• 96.4% of 12-17 year olds and 61.3% of 18-24 year olds of CALD background are enrolled in full or part-time schooling.

Trends • House purchase prices have trebled from 1996 to 2010 (after inflation).

• Dandenong has been identified as a municipality under enormous rental stress. Hence, increasingly larger numbers of migrants and refugees are moving into the Casey and Cardinia corridors.

• Greater Dandenong crime rates are 39% higher for overall offences than metropolitan Melbourne. Between 2004/5 to 2013/14, local crime rates have increased 50% for drug offences, and by 66% for violent crimes.

10

Sunshine Statistics • Brimbank is one of Melbourne’s most multicultural localities, with 195,000 residents, 40% of whom were born outside Australia.

• Brimbank is home to Melbourne’s fastest growing Vietnamese community.

• Around 40% of refugees settling in the West of Melbourne live in Brimbank.

• In 2011 around 20% of residents had come from outside Australia in the previous five years.

• 56% of Brimbank households speak a language other than English at home.

North West Melbourne Statistics • 18.1% of the total population are young people aged 12-24 years • 9.5% of young people have been born overseas • 53.4% of young people of CALD background (18-24) are employed full or part time.

• • 95.5% of 12-17 year olds and 49.5% of 18-24 year olds of CALD background are enrolled in full or part-time schooling.

Trends • Brimbank has been identified as a gateway to Melbourne’s western suburbs, projected to undergo tremendous growth over the next 30 years.

• Areas of Brimbank are experiencing ‘gentrification’ which impacts on the ability of newly arrived communities to remain in the area where they have developed some social capital.

• Rental properties are increasingly hard to find in Brimbank with many people electing to move further west to source affordable private rental accommodation.

• Many communities who have moved out from Brimbank maintain a relationship with the area, typically coming into the area to source support, jobs and community contact.

2014 Highlights - Dandenong

2014 Highlights - Sunshine

• Worked in two Local Government Areas.

• Worked in six Local Government Areas.

• 206 clients recieved direct support.

• 163 clients recieved direct support.

• Worked with 15 local organisations.

• Worked with 30 local organisations.

• Participated in 13 local committees and networks.

• Participated in 15 local committees and networks.

C MY.N E T. AU

People and Partnerships CMY’s approach to making a difference is grounded in its valuable relationships with young people, staff, volunteers and strong partnerships with a broad range of organisations and agencies.

Whether we are creating community connections for young people, delivering programs with other services or building partnerships with major funders, relationships are central to our way of working.

Information about our board of directors can be found in the director’s report on page 38.

BOARD

Youth Advisory Group

CEO

Business Services

Knowledge & Advocacy

Youth Support

Sector & Community Parnterships

Finance

Research & Evaluation

South East Team (Inc. Gippsland)

Sector Development

Administration

Policy

North West Team (Inc. Ballarat)

Education Support

Human Resources

Youth Leadership

UHM Programme

Training

Communications

Employment

MYAN

YRIPP

LEADERSHIP TEAM Founder and CEO, Carmel Guerra is an internationally recognised expert with over 25 years of experience working with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Carmel is a member of the Australian Multicultural Council; Victorian Children’s Council, Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council, Youth Parole Board and convenes the national Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN). She holds qualifications in Youth Work, Business Administration and HR. Sector and Community Partnerships Manager, Sally Reid has an MA in Criminology, a Graduate Diploma in Education and 17 years’ experience in studying, teaching and working in the field of justice and crime prevention. On leave of absence from March 2014.

Youth Support Manager, Bernadette Marantelli holds a Youth Work degree and has overseen the delivery of youth services programs across state, local and non-government organisations for over 25 years. She has experience in residential care, foster care, child protection and transitional housing.

Knowledge and Advocacy Manager, Soo-Lin Quek has over 20 years’ experience in the community and government sectors. She has managed significant policy and program areas in the Victorian Government and has a BA and a GradDip in Conflict Resolution.

Business Services Manager, Karen Dimmock has spent 16 years working in the not-for-profit sector in community engagement, marketing and communications, corporate and government affairs.

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

11

STAFF

31

We celebrate and value the diversity of our employees. Their skills and experience are key to our ability to build strong partnerships with all our stakeholders and create change across Victoria.

In-line with our commitment to increasing migrant and refugee young people’s access to employment, our recruitment and employment practices ensure we can walk the talk. These practices encourage applicants from multicultural backgrounds and support the diverse needs of our staff.

We also focus the recruitment of some positions using the ‘Special Measures’ outlined in the Equal Opportunity Act 2010. This enables CMY to limit applicants for specific roles to those who meet certain age and ethnicity criteria. We established the Mary Danckert Internship in 2013 specifically to give young people an opportunity to gain work place experience, see Asunta’s profile on page 16.

8 14

CASUAL

55

FULL TIME

PART TIME

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

18 59

6 STAFF

HAVE ARRIVED IN AUSTRALIA SINCE 2007

MALES

11 STAFF HAVE ARRIVED IN AUSTRALIA SINCE 2004

FEMALES

35 DIFFERENT 10 DIFFERENT ANCESTRIES BELIEFS

8 Generation X 32 36 Generation Y Generation Z 1

Baby Boomers

21

COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN

TOP 5:

Australia, England, Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan

12

*

Born 1946-1964 - Aged 50s-60s

*

Born 1965-1979 - Aged 30s-40s

*

Born 1980-1994 - Aged 20s-early 30s

*

Born 1995-2010 - Up to 19 yrs old

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2012 - 2013 C MY.N E T. AU

* McCrindle research, mccrindle.com.au (2012)

YOUTH ADVISORY GROUP (YAG) The YAG ensures that CMY’s strategic direction and implementation is informed by the expertise and opinions of young people. Their views and ideas are considered during the decision making processes of CMY’s Management and Board. The YAG has also contributed to CMY’s project development, helping to ensure our work continues to address young people’s needs and that youth participation practice is embedded in organisational delivery.

The group provides an opportunity for up to 12 young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to develop their leadership skills and experience. This year the group welcomed eight new members.

They attended eight YAG meetings and met the CMY Board twice to present the YAG report and to hear strategic updates.

In addition, some members participated in a roundtable discussion with Victoria Police and Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp exploring the key themes that arose from Victoria Police’s Community Forums in late 2013.

YAG members consistently report increased confidence and a sense of being valued, particularly when interacting with Board members.

VOLUNTEERS Two of CMY’s programs rely on volunteers to deliver much needed support to young people in particularly vulnerable circumstances.

Both the Youth Referral and Independent Persons Program (YRIPP) and UCAN2 have rigorous selection and training processes for recruiting volunteers. Interviews explore a volunteer’s understanding of issues and their motivation. Background checks are then undertaken involving completion of police checks, working with children checks and referee checks. Successfully selected, volunteers are required to attend extensive and ongoing training on key skills and knowledge required for the program.

YRIPP volunteers receive around 20 hours of training before they start their volunteering roles. Volunteers are required to commit to one 12 hour shift a week on the volunteer roster.

UCAN2 volunteers complete around 6 hours of training before they start their volunteering roles. This year each of our 102 volunteers committed to around 70 hours over a six month period.

CMY’s Education Support Program also trains and refers volunteers.

This year we trained 321 volunteer tutors and referred 130 volunteers to homework clubs around Victoria. Each volunteer can access between 3 and 7 hours of training at the start of their tutoring role which provides insights into culturally responsive tutoring and English as an additional language tutor strategies.

496 VOLUNTEERS

24,280 VOLUNTEER HOURS

$728,400 WORTH OF VOLUNTEER TIME

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

13

Diversitat

FUNDERS

Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria

CMY has long-standing partnerships with several state and federal government departments. In recent years we have begun to forge important relationships with key philanthropic foundations. We would like to thank all our funding partners for their continued commitment to improving the lives of young people.

Foundation House

Victorian Government CMY has received state government funding for more than 20 years.

• Department of Education and Early Childhood Development • Department of Justice • Office for Multicultural Affairs (Department of Premier and Cabinet) • Sport and Recreation Victoria • Office for Youth (Department of Human Services)

MacKillop Family Services

Australian Government Over the past 12 months there has been movement of funding between departments, the information below reflects which departments currently fund CMY’s work.

• Department of Immigration and Border Protection • Department of Social Services

Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau

Philanthropic Foundations CMY has been working closely with a range of philanthropic partners to address areas identified in the strategic plan as organisational priorities.

• Australian Community Foundation • Coleman Foundation • Gandel Philanthropy • Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation • Portland House Foundation • Scanlon Foundation • Sydney Myer Fund • Victorian Women’s Trust

Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition

Gippsland Multicultural Services Jesuit Social Services Kildonan UnitingCare Quantum Support Services Refugee Council of Australia Royal Children’s Hospital - Immigrant Health Service Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) Southern Ethnic Advisory & Advocacy Council Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre The Salvation Army The Salvation Army Westcare Travancore Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association VincentCare Whittlsea Connections Wimmera Development Association Youth The Commission for Children and Young People YMCA Frontyard Youth Services (Melbourne City Mission) Headspace

Other Fee for service forms a fourth income stream for CMY. • Foundation House • VicHealth

Orygen Youth Services Sudanese Australian Youth Action Group Youth Affairs Council of Victoria Youth Junction INC Youth Now

PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS Our success is built on an ability to forge excellent partnerships.

Our supporters and partners are as diverse as the young people we work with and we would not achieve what we do without their commitment and openness.

Multicultural and Community Sectors Adult Multicultural Education Service (AMES) Anglicare Victoria Australian Multicultural Foundation Australian Red Cross Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council Banksia Gardens Community Services Brotherhood of St Laurence

14

YSAS Education and Employment Thanks to more than 30 schools and community groups that assist in the delivery of education support programs in Victoria.

Alkira Secondary College Baw Baw and Latrobe LLEN Catholic Education Office Melbourne Chisholm TAFE Collingwood English Language School Cranbourne Secondary College Dandenong High School Deakin University Federation University

Care With Me

Highlands LLEN

DASWest

Independent Schools Victoria

C MY.N E T. AU

La Trobe University

National Partners (MYAN)

Lowanna College

Access Community Services Limited

University of Melbourne

Australian Red Cross

Monash University

Melaleuca Refugee Centre

Mount Clear Secondary College

Metropolitan Migrant Resource Centre WA

Nhill College

Migrant Resource Centre of Southern Tasmania

Noble Park English Language School

Multicultural Development Association

Phoenix P-12 College

Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) WA

Queensland University

Multicultural Youth Affairs Network (MYAN) ACT

South East Local Learning and Employment Network (South East LLEN)

Multicultural Youth Affairs Network (MYAN) of NSW

University of Sydney

Multicultural Youth South Australia (MYSA)

Victoria University

Youth Action

Western English Language School

Youth Affairs Coalition of ACT

Wyndham Community & Education Centre

Youth Affairs Coalition of WA

Justice and Policing

Government

Australian Federal Police

Centrelink

Casey Cardinia Community Legal Service

City of Ballarat

Children’s Court of Victoria

City of Brimbank

Eastern Community Legal Centre

City of Casey

Magistrates Court Victoria

City of Greater Dandenong

Office of the Public Advocate - Independent Third Person Program

City of Hume

Victoria Legal Aid

City of Latrobe

Victoria Police

City of Maribyrnong

Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service

City of Melton

Youth Law

City of Whittlesea

Sport AFL Victoria

Multicultural Youth Northern Territory

City of Wyndham City of Monash

Badminton Victoria

Business

Basketball Victoria

Boojum

Cricket Victoria

Express Media

GippSport

Finrea

GWS Giants Football Club

Justine Coleman - Performance Culture Consulting

Life Saving Victoria

Lawcorp Lawyers

Netball Australia

Logie-Smith Lanyon Lawyers

Netball Victoria

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers

Softball Victoria

Peter McKenzie - Catering by Design

Sports Central Ballarat

Printman Colour Group

Tennis Victoria Vicsport Victorian Rugby League Victorian Rugby Union Volleyball Victoria Werribee Football Club

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

15

My Story ASUNTA AKERI - CMY INAUGURAL ‘MARY DANCKERT YOUTH INTERNSHIP’ RECIPIENT This year CMY introduced the Mary Danckert Youth Internship Program. The internship is named after the late Mary Dankert, CMY’s Manager Youth Support, who worked at CMY from 2005 -2013. In the words of our CEO Carmel Guerra, “Mary had a deep passion and commitment to social justice and young people and was the conscience of CMY in reminding us of our values, principles and why we exist. One of her greatest qualities was her ability to support, mentor and challenge her staff and colleagues to achieve their best. She did all this with a selflessness and unconscious grace. The internship is a fitting legacy to Mary’s work.”

The yearly internship will: • Provide young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds in Victoria with work experience in the not-for-profit sector.

• Nurture and support the development of young people’s skills, capacity and understanding in their field of interest.

• Build young people’s professional networks and prepare them for future employment in the community sector.

• Enhance CMY’s practice of offering employment to young people.

Asunta Akeri, a founding member of the Sudanese Australian Youth Action Group and a finalist of the National Youth Awards, was the first recipient of the one year internship program. A passionate advocate of young people, the 23 year old African young woman has a long standing history with CMY, undertaking youth facilitation and

16

administrative roles over the past three years.

Through the internship Asunta honed her networking skills by liaising with various stakeholders, facilitated youth forums and discussions and learnt project design, management and implementation.

“Before coming into this internship, I was uncertain of where my career was going. I spent four years sitting in a university lecture room writing essays and exam papers. I lacked confidence about what I was capable of and how a refugee young person who had no primary school experience or had English as a fourth language, could transfer all this theory into practice,” Asunta said.

For CMY the internship has not only been an opportunity to equip and support young people, but to “practice what we preach” according to CEO Carmel Guerra.

“It’s about identifying and nurturing talent which is pivotal in providing opportunities for young people in a climate where jobs are hard to come by. CMY has been a long standing advocate for supporting the employment needs of young people of refugee and migrant backgrounds and this was an opportunity to put that advocacy into practice,” she said.

With the training and skills Asunta attained through the internship, she was able to secure a local government job as a youth support worker – a “dream come true” for the young woman.

She said the support she received during the course of the internship was pivotal in helping her kick-start her career, adding it gave her a better understanding of her skills set and where her career could take her in the future.

C MY.N E T. AU

With plans of “becoming my own boss someday”, Asunta is keen to set up an organisation that helps young people find their potential so their skills can be used to support their local communities.

“I’ve learnt to focus on the now and present, but that’s definitely something I would like to do in the future, once I get some work experience and further develop my skills.”

WITH THE TRAINING AND SKILLS ASUNTA ATTAINED THROUGH THE INTERNSHIP, SHE WAS ABLE TO SECURE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT JOB AS A YOUTH SUPPORT WORKER – A “DREAM COME TRUE” FOR THE YOUNG WOMAN.

17

Working With Young People: Support Since 2001 CMY has been a specialist provider of client services for some of the most vulnerable and ’at-risk’ newly arrived young people on a range of visas in Victoria. We use a combination of outreach, one-to-one specialist case management and group work to support and empower young people to overcome issues, connect to community and settle well in Australia. Our direct support work is delivered by the Youth Support Team in our Sunshine and Dandenong offices.

Our direct service work takes place in a number of settings including schools, sport and recreation centres, TAFEs and community hubs.

This approach allows us to offer specific, localised and culturally appropriate solutions to young people of different cultural backgrounds.

GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIPS We are contracted by the Department of Social Services to deliver three programs that target highly vulnerable young people in the North West and South East of Melbourne.

CMY is a newly arrived youth specialist provider as part of the Reconnect Program. The program works with newly arrived (in Australia for less than 5 years) young people from refugee backgrounds who are at risk of homelessness. Complex Case Support provides intensive case management to refugees and humanitarian entrants with complex and high needs that cannot be met by other settlement services.

The Young African Men’s Project supports highly marginalised young men of African background aged 16-25 years to overcome barriers, increase their confidence and develop their talents. The Program’s funding came to an end at 30 June 2014.

This year CMY and MacKillop Family Services were awarded a contract to deliver The Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors (UHM) programme in Victoria on behalf of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. The programme aims to strengthen the ability of unaccompanied humanitarian minors to live independently and build a positive future in Australia.

PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERSHIPS For the past two years CMY has received funding from the Portland House Foundation to assist newly arrived young men to settle in Australia by using sport as a tool of engagement. See the BoySpace case study on page 20 for more information about this project.

With funding from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation we delivered the Flying Mountains project in partnership with headspace.

The project engaged newly arrived young men to build social connections through traditional cultural kite making and kite flying activities.

OTHER PARTNERSHIPS Now in its seventh year the UCAN2 program facilitates and supports the social inclusion of newly arrived young people from refugee backgrounds (16-26 years) in all aspects of community life. UCAN2 makes learning for young refugees highly relevant, builds their social capital and increases their access to mainstream jobs. Delivered in partnership with Foundation House and AMES, CMY recruits volunteers to support young people through their education, training and employment pathways. Volunteers assist young people to interpret social behaviours and expectations, including those in the work place.

18

Working with Young People: Support - Outputs • 552 young people received direct specialised support from seven CMY programs.

• 14 young men received support and accommodation through the UHM programme.

• 102 UCAN2 volunteers were trained and allocated sites.

• 23 group support sessions.

• Five group work projects.

• Seven sporting projects with a range of partners.

• 12 community capacity building projects with a range of partners.

• 35 secondary consultations to a range of services.

Working with Young People: Support - Outcomes • • • • • • • • • • •

Two UHM clients exited and moved to independent living.

Clients and their families reported: Improved connectedness to their communities.

Greater housing stability.

Improved engagement with education.

Stronger family relationships.

Enhanced budgeting and financial skills.

Increased engagement with sports and recreation.

Greater confidence and feeling more settled.

Increased knowledge about health issues.

Enhanced ability to access other services.

CLIENT SNAPSHOT

CLIENTS BY VISA TYPE 2013-2014

The following graphs details ethnicity by process of self-identification alongside age and visa types for the 427* young people that accessed support through the Reconnect, Unaccompanied Humanitarian Programme, Complex Case Support, Young African Men’s Program and UCAN2.

REFUGEE VISA PROTECTION VISA DETAILS NOT PROVIDED GLOBAL SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN VISA ASYLUM SEEKER ORPHAN RELATIVE VISA IN-COUNTRY SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN VISA

VISA TYPE

*Age and visa data is unavailable for some clients.

WOMEN AT RISK PARTNER (PROVINCIAL) VISA CHILD VISA SPOUSAL VISA HUMANITARIAN STAY (TEMPORARY)

30

60

90

120

150

NO. OF CLIENTS CLIENTS BY ORIGIN (TOP 11) 2013-2014

100

NO. OF CLIENTS

80 60 40 20 AFGHAN

IRANIAN

HAZARA

BURMESE

ETHIOPIAN

SUDANESE

SOMALI SOUTH SUDANESE SIR LANKAN

PAKISTANI

IRAQI

CULTURAL BACKGROUND CLIENTS BY AGE 2013-2014

70 60 NO. OF CLIENTS

50 40 30 20 10 12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

AGE OF CLIENTS 19

Sport Tackles Isolation Sport is a highly effective tool to engage young men. This year CMY reached over 100 vulnerable young men in the Dandenong area through the BoySpace project funded by the Portland House Foundation.

Services in the area were having difficulty recruiting young Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors, particularly Hazara Afghan men to conventional youth work programs. These young men were found to be highly vulnerable, and very isolated. They had often made long and dangerous journeys to get here. A large number of them settled in Dandenong, due to the strong Afghan presence.

However, as they are Hazara, they were not well connected to the largely Pashtun established Afghan community. They also had poor links to the broader community, and faced additional health and mental health issues which worked against positive settlement.

BoySpace used sport as an entry point into what is essentially an engagement and support project. The informal yet organised and welcoming atmosphere created at the weekly Boyspace sessions, which included soccer, basketball and Afghan kite making, allowed CMY staff to build trusting relationships with participants and helped uncover issues they were struggling with.

Alongside the target Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors, many other migrant and refugee young people attended the BoySpace sessions as it was their only opportunity to be connected to the local community.

One participant said, “I feel safe here with my friends, home is not so nice, so the later I go home the better.”

Many of these young men are dealing with complex issues. Some have experienced post traumatic stress disorder, suffered from anxiety or depression and turned to alcohol or drugs. Other common issues include concern about family overseas, unpaid fines, study and employment worries, financial and home-life stress.

Sport provides them with activity, which can provide some structure to the day. Exercise is very beneficial in assisting the young men to manage mental health issues, as it provides them with the natural high which comes with physical activity. Participants report that they can sleep better, feel more confident, worry less and feel less depressed.

Sport also provides them with a connection to other young people, including some who are Australian born which assists with the settlement process. One participant informed the coach that as a result of the weekly informal sports sessions, he felt more welcomed into the Dandenong community.

“I never used to play here, as I did not think I would get a game, but I know now I will get a go, it feels more welcoming, for people to come play.”

The capacity for these young men to make connections with services as well as other young people is critical to the success of the program.

CMY’s links with organisations such as YSAS and Victoria Police also enabled staff to make appropriate referrals to emergency support and crisis services.

In some instances, sport can create a career pathway option for some of these young men. Some of these boys have gone on to play with local soccer clubs. Sixteen young men have earned a Football Federation Victoria Level 4 Referee Badge through the program, while one has secured a referee position in the Victorian league.

20

C MY.N E T. AU

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

21

Working With Young People: Leadership CMY has delivered youth leadership projects in partnership with philanthropic foundations, communities, local governments and other not for profits since 2001. Our projects target young people who are tracking well in other areas of their lives and have time and energy to focus on developing their skills and potential. We use a range of engagement tactics including advisory groups, forums, sports, leadership training and mentoring to build the capacity of young people to become more visible and more influential in Australian society.

The Youth Leadership team also delivers training to young people across Australia.

This approach not only benefits project participants, but their peers and their broader communities by ensuring that Australians have access to a diverse range of voices, opinions and skills.

GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIPS CMY has been contracted by the Victorian Government’s Office for Youth to deliver several core pieces of work since 1987. This funding allows us to convene regular state wide forums which empower young people to not only voice their issues and concerns but to also put forward solutions directly to politicians, other decision makers and service providers. It also allows us to provide fun and interactive training workshops on a range of topics for young people (12-25yrs) from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

Our Ballarat and Gippsland offices also deliver youth leadership opportunities. This work includes setting up youth advisory groups and running leadership projects and events.

The Department of Social Services funded CMY to deliver Short Burst Leadership Training sessions and other key activities designed to increase the capacity of young people to develop their skills, participate and lead change in their communities. These activities include focus groups, information sessions and resources.

CMY also received funding to deliver Our Patch, a pilot project designed to support social cohesion in growing communities. It aimed to increase opportunities for inter-cultural connections, increase participation in social and community life for all and strengthen the leadership capability of young people. The pilot program was delivered in the fast growing Local Government Areas of the City of Casey and Wyndham.

PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERSHIPS The Victorian Women’s Trust and the Australian Community Foundation funded the development of the Get Your Voice Heard: A Guide to Active Citizenship in Australia designed for young people.

• 10 short burst training sessions to 58 young people.

• 11 culturally specific conversation workshops to 135 young people in the Casey and Wyndham areas.

• Two Local Action Groups formed with 10-12 regular participants in Casey and Wyndham.

• Over 100 young people contributed or participated in three activities: »» “Celebrating Diversity” multicultural showcase event in Wyndham. »» YouthGames sports tournament and cultural event in Casey with students from Cranbourne Secondary College and Noble Park English Language School (Hampton Park). »» Video project called “South-East Working Against Generalisations (S.W.A.G.)” highlighting stereotypical assumptions (currently 630 hits on YouTube).

• Four focus groups for 49 young people in Hume, Ballarat, Box Hill and Geelong.

• A regional “Connect Up” Camp at Cape Otway for 13 newly arrived young people.

• Supported two Gippsland youth-led initiatives - The A.B.C’s: anti bullying champions, and E.R.A.S.E: eradicate racism.

Working with Young People: Leadership - Outcomes • Young people reported that the workshops and training helped develop skills for greater involvement in their community and greater capability to participate in decision making processes.

• The majority of young people who participated in workshops and training felt “very confident” in practicing the skills area after the session, with the remainder responding that they felt “quite confident” or “marginally more confident”. The young people ranked the session as “very useful”.

• Young people who participated in activities in Wyndham and Casey have been mobilised as advocates and leaders, both within their own particular cultural communities, and within the broader community.

• Activities in Wyndham and Casey strengthened relationships between young people from different CALD communities.

Participants reported feeling positive about learning about the cultural traditions of others and sharing aspects of their own cultures.

• Important partnerships were built with local councils, as well as with other stakeholders.

CMY is delighted this year to announce a new partnership with Gandel Philanthropy to deliver the Shout Out project which is training and promoting young people as public speakers.

Working with Young People: Leadership - Outputs • 331 young people participated in our leadership activities.

• Two Youth Advisory Groups with 20 participants set up in Ballarat and Gippsland.

• Six information workshops for 63 young people focusing on volunteering and employment rights.

• ‘Your Mind Matters’ a mental health awareness forum for 26 young people.

• ‘Get Your Voice Heard: A Guide to Active Citizenship in Australia’ resource.

• Three ‘MY Facts’ resources on mental health, education pathways and sport.

22

C MY.N E T. AU

Our Patch Program Raises Young Leaders Sefita Rasolosolo is a passionate young man with big dreams to empower young people within his community and across the state.

He credits his love for community to his family values and is an advocate for multicultural young people.

The 19 year old Tongan-Fijian has successfully established himself as a young leader in the Wyndham community - his outgoing personality, flair for networking and film making skills aiding him in empowering young people to have their say.

Currently undergoing his Bachelor in Youth Work, Sefita was a youth facilitator for CMY’s Our Patch project. Our Patch was established in the Cities of Casey and Wyndham, with the aim to break down cultural barriers and unify multicultural communities in urban growth areas.

These two cities have been identified as some of the fastest growing areas in Australia, with a rapid increase in population and cultural diversity. This could result in some people feeling isolated, especially young people.

As a youth facilitator for the project, Sefita reached over 150 young people in the City of Wyndham, created networks for them, facilitated discussions that challenged cultural stereotypes and gave young people a platform to voice issues of concern in their area.

Case Study - Sef Sefita Rasolosolo is a passionate young man with big dreams to empower young people within his community and across the state. He credits his love for community to his family values and is an advocate for multicultural young people.

The 19 year old Tongan-Fijian has successfully established himself as young leader in the Wyndham community - his outgoing personality, flair for networking and film making skills aiding him in empowering young people to have their say.

Currently undergoing his Bachelor in Youth Work, Sefita was a youth facilitator for CMY’s Our Patch project. Our Patch was established in the Cities of Casey and Wyndham, with the aim to break down cultural barriers and unify multicultural communities in urban growth areas. These two cities have been identified as some of the fastest growing areas in Australia, with a rapid increase in population and cultural diversity. This could result in some people feeling isolated, especially young people.

As a youth facilitator for the project, Sefita reached over 150 young people in the City of Wyndham, created networks for them, facilitated discussions that challenged cultural stereotypes and gave young people a platform to voice issues of concern in their area.

“Having networks is the bare necessity to be involved in your community. Community is very important to me – it has given so much to me and now I want to be able to give back and help other young people get involved as well,” Sefita said.

“Our Patch opened my eyes to different cultures. There were all these stereotypesCommunity of differentisculturesemploy and it was good to come together involved in your community. multicultural young people as well, about it.”so much very important to and me –talk it has given so I got the job,” he said. to me and now I want to be able to give back By advocating for similar projects to be initiated urban growth “Our Patch raisedinthe profile of young and help other young people get involved as corridors, Sefita said Our Patch was an example of “a good project that people.” well,” Sefita said. played a key role creating a sense of harmony” within multicultural He added young people were eager to get involved and “Our Patch openedcommunities. my eyes to different couldcommunity initiate change cultures, like the Karen in if adequate support was provided to them.

Wyndham for example. There were all these With dreams of tackling youth homelessness and setting up a hostel stereotypes of different cultures and it was for young people, Sefita is now a youth officer at Wyndham City good to come together and talk about it.”

Council, a job he credits to the success of the Our Patch project.

By advocating for similar projects to be “It gave me organisational skills, communication skills and by working initiated in urban growth corridors, Sefita with Wyndham City Council both before and during the project, I said Our Patch was an example of “a good started to create networks. The young people (Wyndham City Council project that played a key role creating a works with) really liked me, the project went well and council were sense of harmony” within multicultural keen to employ multicultural young people as well, so I got the job,” communities. He added young people were he said. eager to get involved and could initiate change if adequate support provided to of young people.”

“Our Patchwas raised the profile them.

With dreams of tackling youth homelessness and setting up a hostel for young people, Sefita is now a youth officer at Wyndham City Council, a job he credits to the success of the Our Patch project.

“It gave me organisational skills, communication skills and by working with Wyndham City Council both before and during the project, I started to create networks. The young people (Wyndham City Council works with) really liked me, the project went well and council were keen to

“Having networks is the bare necessity to be

A N N UA CL MY.N R E P OERT.T AU 2013 - 2014

23

Working With Other Service Providers We foster partnerships and collaborations with organisations, institutions and communities to drive the development of more inclusive services for young people. We deliver two Victoria-wide programs in education and justice settings. We also deliver a range of learning and development activities at individual, organisational and sector levels. These include training, consultations, resources and events that equip services with a framework for developing good practice. We support collaboration and information sharing between organisations and contribute to the development of service systems.

• Tutors report increased competency in working with culturally diverse young people and working with English as an Additional Language learners.

• New Club-based training established, tailoring training to individual clubs and enabling follow up training to be developed and delivered more easily.

• Increased collaboration occurred between 22 RESP schools and community agencies, facilitated through 15 brokered projects.

EDUCATION

EMPLOYMENT

CMY’s Education Support team aims to increase the connectedness of refugee and migrant young people to school and community, in particular by strengthening out of schools hours learning.

This year CMY has made a number of initial project and research strides in the employment sector.

The Education Support Team’s primary focus is the delivery of a comprehensive contract with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. This comprises two projects: Learning Beyond the Bell (LBB) and the Refugee Education Support Program (RESP).

LBB operates across Victoria assisting and supporting Out of School Hours Learning Support Programs (OSHLSPs) to establish and maintain good practice and partnerships, for example, providing resources and training for volunteer tutors in homework clubs.

RESP is delivered in partnership with Foundation House and works with schools and community organisations in targeted local areas to improve and support the integration of outside school hours learning support for refugee young people.

Our Ballarat office delivered fortnightly information and referral support for newly arrived students at Mount Clear Secondary and Phoenix College.

Education - Outputs • 321 volunteer tutors trained and 130 volunteers referred to homework programs.

• 170 university students received placements in homework programs.

• 45 Ballarat secondary school students engaged through on campus activities.

• 115 people attended the Learning Beyond the Bell statewide forum.

• Five instructional short films produced for tutor training.

• 10 events focused on outside school hours sector.

• 29 professional development workshops held for school teachers.

• 34 teachers attended outside school hours consultation.

• 15 RESP school and community agency partnership projects developed and provided over $300,000 of funding.

• 30 homework programs received intensive support.

• Submission to the Victorian Parliament’s Education and Training Committee Inquiry into Approaches to Homework in Victorian Schools.

CMY is contracted as the National Support Agency for the National Youth Hubs Pilot program, funded by the Australian Government in partnership with the Scanlon Foundation, the Migration Council Australia and the Refuge of Hope. CMY’s key function is to support the implementation of nine pilot Youth Hubs, two in Queensland (Logan), four in New South Wales (Parramatta, Blacktown and Bankstown) and three in Victoria (Brimbank, Dandenong and Wyndham).

Our Gippsland team worked in partnership with Baw Baw LaTrobe Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN) to deliver an employment program for young people - see the case study on the opposite page.

Facilitating the Transition to Employment for Refugee Young People We also partnered with the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and the University of Melbourne on a project that investigated pathways to employment for young people through stakeholder consultations and a subsequent report.

Young people from refugee and newly arrived backgrounds experience a far greater risk of leaving the educational system earlier than is common for other young Victorians and have much higher rates of unemployment. There have been many successful and innovative projects supporting participation in education and employment for young refugee and migrants. While many of these projects are evaluated there is limited research into the overall effectiveness and factors for success. This project included: • A literature review of existing research and evaluation reports regarding transition programs targeting migrant and refugee young people.

• The creation of principles for effective transitions to employment programs for refugee and migrant young people with proposals for priorities going forward.

• A think tank for organisations and young people that sought a commitment from participants to collaborate and build learning from this project into future transition programs.

Education - Outcomes • 11 new homework programs established as a result of CMY support with funding applications.

• Five new rural and regional programs established in Ballarat, Horsham, Nhill, Kangaroo Flat and Golden Square. These programs now provide support where no programs had previously existed.

• Embrace Education partnership strengthened resulting in volunteers placed in two homework programs in western suburbs.

• Government recognition that homework program sector funding requires long term assurances, as a result of CMY’s submission and attendance at Parliamentary Inquiry.

24

C MY.N E T. AU

Employment Pathways in Gippsland Youth unemployment figures have reached crisis point. More than one in three unemployed Australians is between the ages of 15 and 24.

Despite being the second largest state with young people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CaLD), only 54.3 per cent of Victorian young people of CaLD ancestry are employed, compared to 71.2 per cent of their Australian born counterparts.

Over 35 multicultural young people in Morwell were involved in a hands-on, practical employment program called ‘Journey to Work for your Future’, delivered by the Baw Baw Latrobe LLEN in partnership with CMY. Two Morwell secondary colleges participated in the program, which ran for two school terms. Its aim was to inform secondary school students, particularly those from refugee and culturally diverse backgrounds, of the skills and qualifications required to tackle various industries. Participants were given the rare opportunity to visit industrial sites, including the Australian Paper mill, participate in information sessions that explored career pathways and gained a better understanding of the Australian work culture.

Nyaboora ‘Boo’ Gai, a Year 12 participant of the program said she now had a “clearer picture” of skills in demand and her employment options. Born in Ethiopia, the young Sudanese-Australian aims to get involved in the sports industry.

“I’ve been playing and have been involved with sport most of my life.

It’s an interest, a passion and something I would like to make a career out of,” Boo said.

As part of ‘Journey to Work for your Future’, Boo was able to visit a sports centre in her area to hear from representatives who advised her on career options and skill requirements for the sports sector.

“By visiting different places, you have a better understanding of how things work. It gives you an idea of what options we have, especially because there are job shortages, so it’s good to have programs like this that show you these things,” she said.

Boo has currently enrolled in a Diploma of Fitness at Federation University.

The success of the ‘Journey to Work for your Future’ program has resulted in the continuation of the program for another term, across two additional schools. As a result, the program has been delivered at every secondary school in the Latrobe Valley.

“A key factor in the success of the program was the individualised approach provided by the CMY team,” Baw Baw Latrobe LLEN Partnership Broker Kylie Downey said.

“CMY have the proven capacity to develop a strong rapport with the students, parents and the school and this is very evident through the continuous engagement of the students in the program. The LLEN look forward to continuing our partnership in 2015 as the program provides an invaluable opportunity for multicultural students to explore the Australian world of work and a foundation to build individual career pathway plans.”

Through the program, some participants have joined Gippsland Youth Advisory Group, while others have been linked with service providers. Boo is one participant in particular who through the program, has been supported by Netball Victoria to complete a community coaching qualification.

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

25

26

C MY.N E T. AU

SPORT

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

CMY’s Sports Program aims to create a more inclusive and responsive sports sector that is attuned to the needs of refugee and migrant young people, as well as increase their access and participation in sport and recreation.

Most of our work occurs in the 15 local councils which surround our five offices. We develop longer term partnerships and collaborations with local government authorities that have identified multicultural young people as a priority.

We are contracted by VicHealth to fulfill the role of support agency for the State Sporting Associations Participation Program (SSAPP). This program aims to increase participation in community sport and active recreation, particularly among priority populations.

City of Hume

Through funding from Sport and Recreation Victoria we delivered a series of films designed to showcase the experiences of young people in sport and the good work of SSAs and sport clubs. We also delivered a good practice forum ‘Turn Up and Play’ in partnership with La Trobe University which focused on social sport as a pathway for migrant and refugee communities.

We provide sports specific cultural awareness training to various clubs and associations in order to increase their capacity to engage young people.

Our Gippsland and Ballarat teams worked with local partners to focus on sport as a tool of engagement, delivering a number of youth-focused programs alongside workshops for local sports providers. CMY continued to chair the Latrobe Valley Sports and Recreation Committee.

Sport - Outputs • Nine State Sporting Associations (SSA’s) supported through learning circles and one on one support.

• Four learning circles delivered in the City of Monash.

• Three ‘My Team Films’ launched as resources for the sector.

• Five Cultural Awareness Training sessions delivered.

• Good Practice Forum ‘Turn Up and Play’ to 87 participants from settlement, local government and sports sectors.

• Ballarat Sports Participation and Inclusion Workshop delivered to 19 local sports clubs.

• 30 young people attended a Ballarat summer soccer program.

• 25 young people competed and came runners up in the Federation University Unity Shield Soccer competition.

• Street soccer program in Gippsland delivered to 30 young men from CALD background, 10 of who were involved in a partnership soccer coach training program.

• One day Sports and Recreation focus group hosted with 30 young people and representatives from local sports agencies with Baw Baw Latrobe LLEN. Sport - Outcomes • All participating SSA’s reported a greater level of knowledge, skills and confidence to implement culturally inclusive practice in their sport.

• Attendees at the City of Monash Learning Circles and Ballarat Sports Participation and Inclusion Workshop reported a greater understanding of the experiences of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, the barriers in accessing sports, and how to apply inclusive organisational strategies for engagement.

• The MY Team film launch attendees reported the launch and the films to be ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ and identified ways the films could be utilised as a tool to promote diversity in the sports sector.

• 27 young people were referred to local clubs and activities and 10 young people participated in Life Saving Victoria Open Waters Learning Experience as a result of the Gippsland teams work.

CMY was a key partner in establishing and co-facilitating the Hume Multicultural Youth Working Group to establish stronger connections between mainstream youth and settlement providers in the area. The working group convened the Bridging Lives in Hume Humanitarian Youth Forum. It provided background information, links and strategies for youth workers in Hume with a focus on bridging the gap between mainstream and settlement youth work.

Emerging youth issues were identified and collectively prioritised to form directions for the working group for 2014. The forum strengthened CMY’s relationship with Youth Connections Humanitarian Working Group and has assisted the Combined Northern Region Consortia to develop a Humanitarian Action Plan.

This plan will assist mainstream youth workers to develop greater connections to organisations and young people from refugee backgrounds.

City of Melton We worked closely with the City of Melton and provided input into the local Youth Strategy Consultations to raise awareness of newly arrived youth issues, help promote good practice examples and strengthen local skills and knowledge. CMY has also been an active member of the Melton Youth Advisory Network.

This work has resulted in increased knowledge among Melton service providers regarding the importance of effective engagement strategies with newly arrived young people. The needs of CALD communities have been identified as a priority in the Melton Youth Strategy.

REGIONAL AND RURAL CAPACITY BUILDING Our Ballarat and Gippsland offices focus much of their effort on developing capacity in local organisations to work better with young people.

Ballarat The Ballarat team and youth advisors delivered cultural awareness sessions to 1,844 students, teachers and professionals. The team also partnered with headspace to deliver the Healthy Lives Healthy Futures Alcohol Awareness Sessions to 54 parents and young people from newly arrived backgrounds.

Ballarat hosted the Victorian launch for Refugee Week 2014 in partnership with the Refugee Council of Australia, Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council (BRMC), City of Ballarat and ASRC. Over 100 guests, media coverage and local events were held.

CMY assisted the Australian Human Rights Commission to organise a Ballarat consultation session for the Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention. Over 20 participants attended this consultation session including young people, families and service providers.

Gippsland The Gippsland team focused on building a strategic partnership with Quantum Support Services which resulted in the delivery of a multicultural youth stream at the Victoria Regional Youth Conference attended by 150 people working in the youth sector.

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014 A N N UA L R E P O R T 2012 - 2013

27

The team also put together a series of events for Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Day which were attended by over 40 young people and local professionals.

CMY was invited to provide the keynote speach at Latrobe Community Health Services ‘inter professional forum on communicating with newly arrived community members’ which was attended by over 50 staff members.

EVENTS AND FORUMS Intergenerational Conflict in CALD Families Forum Hosted in partnership with MacKillop Family Services, Relationships Australia and Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre, this forum was attended by 140 people. Speakers highlighted particular issues for CALD young people and families within a settlement context.

Forum feedback was overwhelmingly positive and evaluations also indicated the need for ongoing work with a particular focus on early intervention and meaningful engagement of young people, parents and communities. The Intergenerational Conflict in CALD Families Network, of which CMY is a member, used the forum results to guide further work.

Urban Growth, Urban Youth: Access and Opportunities for Multicultural Youth in Urban Growth Corridors Statewide Forum This forum was attended by 80 participants from state and federal government departments, local councils, community organisations and service providers. Representatives from the City Councils of Mitchell, Wyndham, Whittlesea, Casey and the Municipal Association of Victoria presented on their experiences of service planning and delivery for CALD communities in the context of rapid growth.

Evaluations indicated that participants gained broader insight into the emerging priority issues for migrant and refugee young people living in urban growth corridors and the need for greater integration of services within and across municipalities. There was a general call for more networking opportunities for those in resource-poor urban growth corridor councils. A post-forum report was distributed to all councils and services in attendance.

Victorian Settlement Youth Network With funding from the Department of Social Services, CMY established the Victorian Youth Settlement Network (VSYN). This state-wide network brings together stakeholders that work at an operational and strategic level on issues impacting newly arrived migrant and refugee young people. This includes staff engaged in direct service delivery, project implementation, policy development, education service providers, advocacy and research. Meetings were held quarterly throughout the reporting period.

Consultations were held with members who identified a range of general youth settlement issues as well as issues specific to communities and regions. Due to an identified gap, CMY produced an information sheet for workers regarding the available support and referral options available for young people arriving in Australia on an Orphan Visa, particularly as settlement services are not funded to work with this client group.

TRAINING AND LEARNING CIRCLES This year we delivered 26 training sessions to more than 382 youth and settlement service workers, volunteers and committees of management. This includes training on culturally competent practices for working with young people, as well as working within the family and community context. Additionally training on culturally inclusive organisational change was also delivered to a range of organisations including local government.

28

Nine Learning Circles were conducted covering topic areas as broad as inclusive organisational practice, responding to CALD community needs in growth areas and scoping the needs of those settling in Australia on Orphan Relative and Remaining Relative visas.

Participants represented organisations and sectors working with young people including community arts, housing, employment, family support services, gender specific programs and local government.

Qualitative feedback from participants reported that CMY’s Training and Learning Circle process was beneficial for their organisations as it supported cross sector service capacity through the forming of positive networks; the opportunity to meet staff working in other organisations; and the sharing of knowledge and practice to help improve service delivery for young people.

CMY also delivered consultancy services to 62 organisations from a range of sectors including health, legal, education and employment.

YRIPP CMY delivers the Youth Referral And Independent Person Program (YRIPP) on behalf of the Victorian Government and in partnership with the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, community legal centres, UnitingCare and Victoria Police. YRIPP trains and supports volunteer ‘Independent Persons’ to support young people through interviews with the police where a parent or guardian is unavailable.

This year YRIPP celebrated its 10th birthday.

YRIPP - Outputs • 3089 young people (aged from 10-18 years) were supported at one of 140 police stations throughout Victoria. »» 73% male, 25% female »» 15% Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander »» 27% young people identify their cultural background as something other than Australian • In 94% of cases, a volunteer attended the police station within 60 minutes of receiving the call from the call centre (24/7).

• 854 young people were referred to support services.

• 134 young people were provided with legal advice at the police station through YRIPP. • 394 volunteers were involved in the program.

• 186 new volunteers were recruited and commenced training. 105 new volunteers completed training and became active with the program. All volunteers received over 20 hours of training before starting on the YRIPP roster.

• All participating police stations (145) have access to multilingual brochures for parents or guardians who attend police interviews with their children.

YRIPP - Outcomes • Police who had contact with the program were invited to complete an online survey. 116 responses were received. According to this survey: »» 100% of respondents reported volunteers are easy to access »» 98% of respondents reported volunteers attended in a timely manner. »» 97% of respondents reported volunteer’s performance as good, very good or excellent (67% rated performance as excellent).

• 92 volunteers retired during the period, 91 of these had been volunteering with the program for more than 3 years.

• Volunteers attending an annual planning forum completed a survey. Of the 20 volunteers who completed the survey, 100% volunteers reported satisfaction with the program.

C MY.N E T. AU

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

29

YRIPP Celebrating 10 Years A police interview can often be a daunting time for a young person, but the Youth Referral and Independent Person Program (YRIPP) ensures that young people can count on the support of an Independent Person when their parent or guardian is unavailable.

Over the past 10 years, YRIPP has recruited nearly 1000 active volunteers who have not only served as Independent Persons, but also helped divert young people from the criminal justice system.

The program started as a pilot across nine police stations in 2004, arising out of the need to provide police with a simple and quick way of accessing trained and supported Independent Persons across Victoria 24/7.

Prior to YRIPP, police either found their own Independent Person or relied on the support of local community programs, prompting legal centres and community organisations to discuss the proposal for a centralised state-wide program.

“I believe the time you’re there for those kids, that’s exactly where you need to be, to support them, look after them and show them respect.”

YRIPP currently operates in 145 stations and will be operating in over 150 stations across Victoria by the end of 2014.

“Over the years the program has evolved to become an important part of the youth justice system,” YRIPP Manager Sarah Nicholson said.

“Not only does it remove the administrative burden from Victoria Police to meet legal requirements by finding an Independent Person, but is also an important support service for young people in police custody.”

NADIA ANGELI

Applicants to volunteer are put through an extensive screening process. Once accepted into the training program, trainees must successfully complete over 20 hours of online and face-to-face training. Volunteers are expected to commit to at least one 12 hour shift each week on the roster, attend one training session and at least one volunteer support meeting each year.

Volunteer Independent Person for the past 10 years.

“YRIPP wouldn’t be possible without the work and commitment of the volunteers and their families. They are the most integral part of the program,” Ms Nicholson said.

“Victoria Police would struggle to meet the challenges without the incredible support provided by many volunteers who act as Independent Persons during police interviews.”

“The YRPP team had a vision and they’ve worked hard at it. They’ve achieved what they set out to do.”

One such volunteer who has been an Independent Person for the past 10 years is Nadia Angeli. After seeing an advertisement for volunteers in her local paper, Ms Angeli decided the program was an opportunity for her to support young people in a safe environment.

Over the course of 10 years, YRIPP Independent Persons have attended 19,059 police interviews. There are now established partnerships in each Victorian region and a broad awareness of YRIPP Independent Persons and their role by both Victoria Police and support services.

“I still remember a young girl I helped (when she was interviewed by the police). She was a single mum on drugs who saw no future and just wanted to get locked up. We chatted and I realised it was important I was there for her in that space at that point in her life even if I couldn’t do anything specifically,” Ms Angeli said.

“I believe the time you’re there for those kids, that’s exactly where you need to be, to support them, look after them and show them respect.”

Ms Angeli’s has seen YRIPP evolve over the course of 10 years, overcome challenges and achieve new milestones.

“In the beginning you learnt as you went along for each interview.

Now there are training resources, DVDs and a lot more knowledge and experience for new volunteers,” she said.

30

C MY.N E T. AU

NUMBER OF POLICE STATIONS

150 120 90 60 30 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

NUMBER OF INTERVIEWS

3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 2004-5

2005-6

2006-7

2007-8

2008-9

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

31

Working with Researchers We partner with universities and research centres to build our knowledge around young people and the changing world in which they live. This evidence helps us design programs that address contemporary challenges, create appropriate opportunities and develop stronger communities.

Small Mercies, Big Futures This research project investigated young people’s perceptions and their expectations of their settlement journey. The underlying aim of research was to enhance the understanding of the settlement process for young people to inform good practice in service delivery. The report was launched in December 2013.

Social Networks, Belonging and Active Citizenship among Migrant Youth in Australia This project involved a partnership with the Centre for Globalisation and Citizenship (Deakin University), Monash University and the Red Cross and culminated in the launch of the report in November 2013. The project investigated the extent to which young people use formal and informal networks to develop a sense of social connectedness and belonging in a multicultural society. It also extended our understanding of the ways in which young people receive and share a sense of belonging in their local, national and global communities. The research will inform future programs.

Participation versus performance: managing (dis)ability, gender and cultural diversity in junior sport 2013-2016 This project investigates how junior sports clubs and their participants manage this tension and its impact on diversity in terms of culture, gender and in particular, (dis)ability. Sport participation socialises young people to understand social norms around race/ethnicity, gender, ability and other axes of diversity.

Diversity management in junior sport affects how young people understand and react to diversity throughout their lives. The research will increase policy makers’ and practitioners’ knowledge and capacity to develop inclusive environments that welcome people of all backgrounds and abilities.

Wyndham Scoping The City of Wyndham’s population is growing exponentially. It is also one of the fastest growing municipalities for young people in Victoria. Rapidly changing demographic profiles in local communities may also generate challenges for social cohesion. This project brought together the knowledge and expertise of CMY, Wyndham City Council and the Scanlon Foundation to scope the issues, followed by a roundtable to determine future priorities.

Working with Decision Makers

Issues continually highlighted include inadequate language support, orientation to the Australian workplace, racism and discrimination and cultural insensitivity. We have been advocating for investment in a multicultural youth employment program targeting areas of high settlement in both metropolitan and rural Victoria. This issue will remain a priority for CMY for the foreseeable future.

Overall, young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds are still under-represented in the youth justice system, but certain groups are now over-represented including African and Pasifika young people.

Targeted long-term solutions are required to both prevent refugee and migrant young people from offending in the first place and once in contact with the criminal justice system, specific interventions are required to divert these young people away from future offending.

Alongside our partners we are advising that the Victorian Government develop and resource a targeted youth justice action plan for migrant and refugee young people with a focus on over represented groups.

Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors (UHMs) require ongoing focus. Support systems for UHMs have improved but CMY is calling for further investment in transition arrangements after they turn 18.

Another group of concern are the large numbers of young people seeking asylum in Australia. Thousands of young people between the ages of 18-25 are living in the community on bridging visas. They live in a state of uncertainty, unable to sponsor family and unable to work.

We have supported calls for this group to have the right to work and the opportunity to sponsor their family to Australia.

We have been working closely with the Pasifika community and government to develop a policy and service response to tackle emerging issues experienced by Pasifika young people. These issues have grown due in part to their visa status, lack of settlement support and isolation. Of particular note is the high percentage of Pasifika children disengaged from school and the overrepresentation of Pasifika young people in the youth justice system. We look forward to seeing this work come to fruition over the next couple of years.

Below is a sample of State and National committees that CMY attends.

Our staff attend nearly 60 committees and networks across Victoria.

• • • • • • • • •

Alongside forming strategic relationships with relevant stakeholders to advance the issues of young people, we produce policy advice and sit on committees in a range of contexts in order to inform and influence policy development.

This year we have focussed our advocacy efforts on four emerging and critical issues.

• • • • • • •

Youth unemployment figures have reached crisis point. The employment related needs of migrant and refugee young people are not being adequately addressed by programs and services.

32

C MY.N E T. AU

Australian Multicultural Council Centrelink National/State Multicultural Reference Committees Refugee Minor Program Advisory Committee Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria Workforce Participation Policy Sub-Committee Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria Youth Policy Committee Melbourne University – Centre for Women’s Health Advisory Committee Ministerial Advisory Council for a Multilingual and Multicultural Victoria Migration Council of Australia Office of the Public Advocate Volunteer Programs Independent Third Person Program Advisory Committee One Netball Advisory Group Police and Community Multicultural Advisory Committee Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council Smart Justice for Young People Victorian Children’s Council YACVic Policy Advisory Group and Youth Participation Practice Network Youth Parole Board and Youth Residental Board

“CMY is almost unique in this area in terms of formulating its policies and intervention strategies on the basis of benchmark empirical evidence generated by robust research. I had the privilege and pleasure of partnering with CMY on a number of important research projects, most recently an Australian Research Council Linkage grant that examined social networking practices among migrant youth and how these impact upon notions of belonging and identity. This highly innovative project would not have been possible without the commitment, support and collegial approach adopted by the leadership of CMY.�

Alfred Deakin Professor Fethi Mansouri, PhD UNESCO Chair, Comparative Research on Cultural Diversity and Social Justice

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2012 - 2013

33

34

C MY.N E T. AU

National Connections CMY is the convenor and auspice of MYAN (Australia). As the only national voice on multicultural youth issues, the MYAN (Australia) continues to pursue two distinct strategies; national policy and advocacy and state-based capacity building.

POLICY AND ADVOCACY The MYAN plays a unique role in promoting the needs and issues for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds across the youth and settlement sectors through its national policy and advocacy work.

This year we hosted the first-ever national refugee youth conference – Refugee Youth in Focus in partnership with the University of Sydney. This two day event was attended by over 300 representatives working across the education, employment, health, settlement and migration and law sectors.

We also made progress in the development of a national youth settlement framework by holding extensive national consultations with the youth and settlement sectors through the MYAN statebased networks.

This year we have been developing and delivering national training for the Australian Red Cross on working with young asylum seekers, and completing, in partnership with a consortium of agencies, a nationally accredited VET sector training package on working with young people from refugee backgrounds.

We also worked with the Australian Youth affairs Coalition (AYAC) to adapt the advocacy toolkit – Young People Creating Change - for young people from CALD backgrounds.

This policy development and advocacy work has positioned the MYAN as the first point of contact on multicultural youth issues and we regularly advise government and non-government sectors across Australia and beyond.

CAPACITY BUILDING The MYAN also offers a collaborative and supportive environment for the development of multicultural youth advocacy networks in each of Australia’s states and territories.

“MYAN (Australia) provided instrumental support in developing a framework for engaging stakeholders across Queensland in multicultural youth policy and advocacy discussions.

This has led to an increased understanding of the issues and greater youth participation.”

Etienne Roux, Access Community Service, MYAN QLD Auspice

Media Engagement This year CMY engaged with over 40 commercial and community media outlets on a national and state level. Participants of CMY’s programs as well as our CEO Carmel Guerra commented on key issues such as barriers to education and employment, a lack of support for GLBTIQ multicultural young people, the challenges that face unaccompanied humanitarian minors and sport as a tool for inclusion.

Through these media articles CMY was able to fulfill our strategic vision of giving young people a voice and being recognised as a knowledge leader. Young people who were interviewed by media outlets reported feeling more confident. Their interviews paved the way for further discussions on issues affecting their communities, with one young woman receiving contact from organisations keen to support her cause.

The capacity building work at the state level included funding Project Officers to coordinate the work of MYAN QLD, MYAN NSW and MYAN WA, as well as state-wide youth consultations through MYAN TAS.

Through social media, CMY was able to engage with about 1,000 young people on our Facebook page and directly with over 650 young people through 16 CMY Facebook groups. The Facebook groups provided young participants of our projects with a safe place to share their views and facilitate ideas for change in their local communities.

Highlights of this work included the first ever statewide multicultural youth conference in QLD – Follow My Lead, regular network meetings, forums and new sector resources in NSW, WA and QLD.

Through Twitter and four CMY e-newsletters we were able to communicate key messages to about 2,000 subscribers and over 700 Twitter followers.

In NSW we provided advocacy training for young people and sector training on working with young people from multicultural backgrounds. We also, importantly, made significant progress in establishing the first multicultural youth specialist organisation in NSW, in partnership with CMY, Youth Action and the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

CMY developed a new website this year after an in-depth consultation and development process. The new site includes a section for young people and a ‘Knowledge Hub’ of all of CMY’s resources from the past 25 years.

This work means that we now have strong multicultural youth networks across Australia. This will bring together the youth and settlement sectors to promote the needs and issues of young people from multicultural backgrounds and support a more targeted approach to addressing these needs.

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

35

Governance Statement CENTRE FOR MULTICULTURAL YOUTH ABN: 82 127 444 713 CMY is incorporated under Commonwealth Company Law. It is a public company limited by guarantee with a Constitution setting out legal requirements and the rules under which it must be governed. CMY is also a Tax Concession Charity (TCC) or Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) under the Income Tax Assessment Act. CMY’s accounts are audited externally each year and a copy of the audited accounts is provided to stakeholders within an Annual Report.

CMY currently manages a budget of $6m from diverse funding sources, including federal, state and local government and philanthropic foundations. With a team of over 60 staff, we deliver programs across metropolitan Melbourne and Victoria through our offices in Ballarat, Carlton, Dandenong, Gippsland and Sunshine.

CMY’s Board consists of seven directors who are responsible for setting the strategic direction of CMY, reviewing the organisation’s strategic process and performance, appointing an auditor, monitoring the organisation’s financial position, monitoring its framework for managing risks, appointing the CEO and ensuring compliance with all relevant State and Commonwealth laws.

A mix of board members and senior staff are also members of finance, human resources and communications sub-committees.

These committees report to the board on a regular basis.

The board has formally delegated responsibility for day-today operations to The Chief Executive Officer and executive management team.

RISK MANAGEMENT CMY’s attitude to risk is guided by robust and consistently applied risk criteria, which are reviewed alongside an organisational risk register at least annually. CMY’s risk register is sub-divided into the following sections: people, property and systems, finance, legal, information and partnerships, and knowledge and partnerships. All major programs and projects are subject to a risk assessment based on the approach advocated in AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009.

ETHICAL STANDARDS AND CODE OF CONDUCT Board members, management and staff are expected to comply with relevant laws and the codes of conduct of relevant professional bodies. All staff are made aware of the YACVic Code of Conduct which guides CMY’s approach to dealing with colleagues, clients and other stakeholders.

COMPLAINTS HANDLING CMY’s Prevention and Settlement of Grievances Policy outlines the steps towards internal grievance resolution and provides the process for external resolution of grievances should it be required. Clients receive CMY’s Client Services Charter which clearly outlines what they can expect from CMY staff and how to share feedback and complaints.

INDEPENDENT ADVICE CMY receives pro bono legal support and has access to material and intellectual resources from numerous suppliers, partners, supporters and critical friends.

36

C MY.N E T. AU

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

37

Director’s Report Your directors present their report on the company for the financial year ended 30 June 2014.

DIRECTORS

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION

The names of the directors in office at anytime during or since the end of the year are:

The company's operations are not regulated by any significant environmental regulation under a law of the Commonwealth or of a state or territory.

Maree Lynn Davidson Bulent (Hass) Dellal Sally James Kirsten Rae Pilatti Donato Smarrelli Jeanette Ward Demetrio Zema

DIVIDENDS No dividends have been paid or declared since the start of the financial year.

Directors have been in office since the start of the financial year to the date of this report unless otherwise stated.

REVIEW OF OPERATIONS The surplus of the company for the financial year amounted to $381,114 (2013: 308,500).

A review of the operations of the company during the financial year and the results of those operations are as follows: CMY’s performance continued to improve with a 2.5% increase in grant funding and significant increases in total revenue from philanthropy, fee for service and interest income, compared with the previous year.

Efforts to reduce the operating costs and drive productivity improvements have realised a reduction in operational expenses by 5.9% and contributed to the surplus.

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE STATE OF AFFAIRS No significant changes in the company's state of affairs occurred during the financial year.

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES The principal activities of the company during the financial year were the provision of support services to disadvantaged young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds with a view to relieve the poverty, distress or helplessness suffered by them. No significant change in the nature of these activities occurred during the financial year.

EVENTS SUBSEQUENT TO THE END OF THE REPORTING PERIOD No matters or circumstances have arisen since the end of the financial year which significantly affected or may significantly affect the operations of the company, the results of those operations, or the state of affairs of the company in future financial years.

LIKELY DEVELOPMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

No options over issued shares or interests in the company were granted during or since the end of the financial year and there were no options outstanding at the date of this report.

INFORMATION ON DIRECTORS Sally James Senior Manager, Youth Transitions, Brotherhood of St Laurence Maree Lynn Davidson Managing Director, Davidson Consulting Pty Ltd National Board Member of the YMCA Director YMCA - Youth Community Fund Executive Member, National Centre Against Bullying Board Member, Fitted for Work Board Member, Verde Health Foundation Chair, Fellowship for Indigenous Leadership Advisory Committee Donato (Don) Smarrelli OAM Director/Principal, Lawcorp Lawyers Pty Ltd President of the Board, Assisi Centre Incorporated Dr Bulent (Hass) Dellal OAM Chair, Centre for Multicultural Youth Company Secretary, Australian Multicultural Foundation Ltd Member of the Board of Trustees, European Multicultural Foundation Board of Directors, Parliament of World's Religions (Australia) Board of Directors, NAATI Deputy Chair, Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Kirsten Rae Pilatti National Marketing and Communications Manager, Breast Cancer Network Australia Jeanette Ward BA, GAICD Treasurer, Centre for Multicultural Youth Director, Te Anau Consulting President, Board of Management, Melbourne Youth Music Demetrio Zema Solicitor, Logie-Smith Lanyon Lawyers

COMPANY SECRETARY The following person held the position of company secretary during the 2013/14 financial year.

Likely developments in the operations of the company and the expected results of those operations in future financial years have not been included in this report as the inclusion of such information is likely to result in unreasonable prejudice to the company.

38

OPTIONS

Carmel Guerra Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY), since the organisation’s inception in 1988.

Appointed company secretary at incorporation of CMY in 2007

C MY.N E T. AU

MEETINGS OF DIRECTORS Directors Name

# Eligible to Attend

# Attended

Sally James

6

4

Maree Lynn Davidson

6

5

Don Smarrelli

6

6

Bulent (Hass) Dellal

6

6

Kirsten Pilatti

6

6

Jeanette Ward

6

6

Demetrio Zema

6

6

6

6

CARMEL GUERRA

BULENT (HASS) DELLAL

SALLY JAMES

MAREE LYNN DAVIDSON

DON SMARRELLI

KIRSTEN RAE PILATTI

JEANETTE WARD

DEMETRIO ZEMA

Company Secretary Carmel Guerra

No director has received, or become entitled to receive, during or since the financial year, a benefit because of a contract made by the company, or a related body corporate with a director, a firm of which the director is a member or an entity in which a director has a substantial financial interest.

This statement excludes a benefit included in the aggregate amount of emoluments received or due and receivable by directors and shown in the company's financial statements.

INDEMNIFICATION OF OFFICERS No indemnities have been given or insurance premiums paid, during or since the end of the financial year, for any person who is or has been an officer or auditor of the company.

PROCEEDINGS ON BEHALF OF COMPANY No person has applied for leave of court to bring proceedings on behalf of the company or intervene in any proceedings to which the company is a party for the purpose of taking responsibility on behalf of the company for all or part of those proceedings.

The company was not a party to any such proceedings during the year.

AUDITOR'S INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION A copy of the auditor's independence declaration as required under Section 307C of the Corporations Act 2001 is attached to this financial report.

Signed in accordance with a resolution of the board of directors:

BULENT DELLAL Director Dated this 15th day of October 2014

A N N UA L R E P O R T 2013 - 2014

39

Concise Financial Report Discussion and Analysis of the Financial Statements

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

INFORMATION ON THE CENTRE FOR MULTICULTURAL YOUTH CONCISE FINANCIAL REPORT The Concise Financial Report is an extract from the full financial report for the year ended 30 June 2014. The Concise Financial Report has been prepared in accordance with Accounting Standard AASB 1039: Concise Financial Reports, and the Corporations Act 2001.

Cash and cash equivalents increased by $238,184 in 2014 due to the company experiencing an increase in operating cash flows through increased revenue.

The financial statements and other information included in the Concise Financial Report are derived from, and are consistent with, the full financial report of Centre for Multicultural Youth. The Concise Financial Report cannot be expected to provide as detailed an understanding of the financial performance, financial position and financing and investing activities of Centre for Multicultural Youth as the full financial report. A copy of the full financial report and auditor’s report is available, free of charge, from our website, www.cmy.net.au.

The presentation currency used in this Concise Financial Report is Australian dollars.

The discussion and analysis is provided to assist members in understanding the Concise Financial Report. The discussion and analysis is based on the Centre for Multicultural Youth’s financial statements and the information contained in the Concise Financial Report has been derived from the full 2014 financial report of the Centre for Multicultural Youth.

STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME CMY reported an operating surplus of $381,114 for the year ended 30 June 2014 compared to a surplus of $308,500 in 2013. This performance reflected both higher revenue and CMY investing in building organisation capacity.

There have been no significant economic or other events that have impacted operations.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION Total assets increased by $190,137 to $3,395,555, representing an increase of 5.93%. This increase was mainly attributable to the following: • cash and cash equivalents decreased by $158,918 due mainly to cash being reallocated to held-to-maturity financial assets which increased by $410,030; and • trade and other receivables decreased by $83,140.

Total liabilities decreased by $190,975 to $2,138,615, representing a decrease of 8.19%. This decrease was mainly attributable to the following: • income in advance decreased by $94,018; • employee provisions increasing by $54,495; and • trade and other payables decreasing by $164,380.

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY As the Centre for Multicultural Youth is a company limited by guarantee, its equity comprises only retained earnings, which increased by $381,114 to $1,256,940.

40

C MY.N E T. AU

Statement of Cash Flows

Statement of Comprehensive Income

For the Year Ended 30 June 2014 Cash flows from operating activities Grants, donations and other income received Interest received Payments to suppliers and employees NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES

$ 2014

$ 2013

6,124,862

6,204,101

95,778

62,870

(5,978,170)

(5,169,683)

242,470

1,097,288

For the Year Ended 30 June 2014 Revenue

$ 2014

$ 2013

5,395,766

5,262,642

Other income Employee entitlements

771,505

524,742

(3,769,740)

(3,576,842)

(11,892)

(21,675)

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

(4,286)

(3,875)

Depreciation Repairs and maintenance expense

(6,644)

(12,514)

NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES

(4,286)

(3,875)

Utilities expense

(11,681)

(9,735)

(144,835)

(148,256)

Cash flows from investing activities

Rental expense Net increase in cash held

238,184

1,093,413

Training and welfare expense

Cash at beginning of year

2,902,174

1,808,761

Audit, legal and consultancy expense

CASH AT END OF YEAR

3,140,358

2,902,174

Other expenses

(54,737)

(47,876)

(173,913)

(65,899)

(5,076,693)

(1,596,088)

381,114

308,500

-

-

381,114

308,500

Surplus (Loss) for the year Other comprehensive income TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE YEAR

Statement of Financial Position

Statement of Changes in Equity

As at 30 June 2014

ASSETS Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents Trade and other receivables Financial assets Other current assets TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS

$ 2014

$ 2013

239,679

398,597

106,210

189,350

2,913,607

2,503,577

103,053

73,283

3,362,550

3,164,807

For the Year Ended 30 June 2014 $ RETAINED EARNINGS

$ TOTAL 322,171

BALANCE AT 1 JULY 2012

567,327

Earnings attributable to the entity

308,500

245,156

BALANCE AT 30 JUNE 2013

875,827

567,327

875,827

567,327

Non-Current Assets Property, plant and equipment

33,005

40,611

BALANCE AT 1 JULY 2013

TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS

33,005

40,611

Earnings attributable to the entity

3,395,555

3,205,418

TOTAL ASSETS

BALANCE AT 30 JUNE 2014

381,114

308,500

1,256,940

875,827

LIABILITIES Current Liabilities Trade and other payables Borrowings Short-term provisions

$ 2014

$ 2013

483,902

648,282

12,928

-

298,831

261,994

Other current liabilities

1,194,360

1,288,378

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES

1,990,021

2,198,654

148,594

130,936

Non-Current Liabilities Long-term provisions TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES

148,594

130,936

TOTAL LIABILITIES

2,138,615

2,329,590

NET ASSETS

1,256,940

875,827

DIRECTORS’ DECLARATION In accordance with a resolution of the directors of the Centre for Multicultural Youth, the directors of the company declare that the concise financial report of the Centre for Multicultural Youth for the financial year ended 30 June 2014: A. complies with Accounting Standard AASB 1039: Concise Financial Reports; and B. is an extract from the full financial report for the year ended 30 June 2014 and has been derived from and is consistent with the full financial report of the Centre for Multicultural Youth.

EQUITY Retained earnings

1,256,940

875,827

TOTAL EQUITY

1,256,940

875,827

BULENT DELLAL Director Dated in Carlton on this 15th day of October 2014.

41

Auditor’s Independence Declaration UNDER SECTION 307C OF THE CORPORATIONS ACT 2001 TO THE DIRECTORS OF CENTRE FOR MULTICULTURAL YOUTH I declare that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, during the year ended 30 June 2014 there has been: i. no contraventions of the auditor independence requirements as set out in the Corporations Act 2001 in relation to the audit; and ii. no contraventions of any applicable code of professional conduct in relation to the audit.

HAINES MUIR HILL ALAN J MUIR Chartered Accountants Partner Level 1, 888 Doncaster Road DONCASTER EAST VIC 3109 Dated in Doncaster on this 13th day of October 2014

42

C MY.N E T. AU

Independent Auditor’s Report To the Members of the Centre for Multicultural Youth

REPORT ON THE CONCISE FINANCIAL REPORT We have audited the accompanying Concise Financial Report of the Centre for Multicultural Youth, which comprises the Statement of Financial Position as at 30 June 2014, the Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Cash Flows and the Statement of Changes in Equity for the year then ended, derived from the audited financial report of the Centre for Multicultural Youth for the year ended 30 June 2014. The Concise Financial Report does not contain all the disclosures required by Australian Accounting Standards and accordingly, reading the Concise Financial Report is not a substitute for reading the audited financial report.

DIRECTORS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONCISE FINANCIAL REPORT The directors are responsible for the preparation of the Concise Financial Report in accordance with Accounting Standard AASB 1039: Concise Financial Reports, and the Corporations Act 2001, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of the Concise Financial Report.

which has been given to the directors of the Centre for Multicultural Youth, would be in the same terms if provided to the directors as at the date of this auditor’s report.

AUDITOR’S OPINION In our opinion, the Concise Financial Report of the Centre for Multicultural Youth for the year ended 30 June 2014 complies with Accounting Standard AASB 1039: Concise Financial Reports.

HAINES MUIR HILL Chartered Accountants

ALAN J MUIR Partner

888 Doncaster Road DONCASTER EAST VIC 3109 Dated in Carlton on this 15th day of October 2014

AUDITOR’S RESPONSIBILITY Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Concise Financial Report based on our audit procedures which were conducted in accordance with Auditing Standard ASA 810: Engagements to Report on Summary Financial Statements. We have conducted an independent audit, in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards, of the financial report of the Centre for Multicultural Youth for the year ended 30 June 2014. We expressed an unmodified audit opinion on that financial report in our report dated 15 October 2014. The Australian Auditing Standards require that we comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report for the year is free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the Concise Financial Report.

The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the Concise Financial Report, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation of the Concise Financial Report in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. Our procedures included testing that the information in the Concise Financial Report is derived from, and is consistent with, the financial report for the year, and examination on a test basis, of evidence supporting the amounts and other disclosures which were not directly derived from the financial report for the year.

These procedures have been undertaken to form an opinion on whether, in all material respects, the Concise Financial Report complies with Accounting Standard AASB 1039: Concise Financial Reports.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion

INDEPENDENCE In conducting our audit, we have complied with the independence requirements of the Corporations Act 2001. We confirm that the independence declaration required by the Corporations Act 2001,

43

Get Involved PARTICIPATE – if you are a young person needing support or looking for an opportunity to make a difference, contact us about our current programs.

VOLUNTEER – we have programs that recruit volunteers across Victoria. Check out our website for details.

ENGAGE – we provide training, consultancy, events and resources that support individuals and organisations to develop their skills and knowledge in working with young people.

PARTNER – we partner with a wide range of agencies, community groups and organisations to deliver impactful programs across Victoria.

INVEST – we are seeking investors to help grow our impact. Contact us to see how your investment could help.

@

CONNECT – subscribe to one of our newsletters or connect with us on facebook, twitter, youtube, instagram or linkedIn. DISCOVER – to find out more about all of these opportunities visit cmy.net.au.

304 Drummond St Carlton VIC 3053 info@cmy.net.au (03) 9340 3700

44

C MY.N E T. AU