CEO message: October
This month we welcomed the release of the final report of the Inquiry into the State Education System in Victoria. We were pleased to make a submission, and to speak at the public hearing earlier this year. The final report outlines 54 recommendations on five key areas: learning outcomes, targeted support for students, teaching workforce, student wellbeing and funding.
CMY is encouraged that the Committee has recognised the diverse needs of Victoria’s multicultural student cohort, and they have reinforced CMY’s recommendations for the Victorian Government to provide more adequate support for these students. In their report, the Committee also highlighted that experiences of racism make students feel unsafe and increase disengagement, which has significant and lasting negative impacts for young people and our communities. Read more about the report findings.
CMY made a submission to the Senate Inquiry into Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration System earlier this month. We shared our increasing concerns that not enough is being done to address the overrepresentation of disadvantaged and marginalised young people, including multicultural young people, in our justice system. Read more on our submission.
Over the past month young leaders in our community have been celebrated, with a number of awards and youth-led events. At the Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic) Rural Youth Awards, CMY’s Gippsland Youth Advisory Group were delighted to be awarded in the category of ‘Young people producing outstanding content in a media or social media environment’, for their podcast ‘Double Standards’. More on their award here or listen to their podcast on Spotify.
CMY sponsored two youth-led initiatives this month, including the first Multicultural Insights Conference (MIC) run by Third Culture. Among the program, were sessions featuring our Culture Spring and Target Zero teams. Congratulations to Kano and the Third Culture team on organising a fantastic event for sector workers, which centred the lived experiences of multicultural youth.
We also supported the inaugural Multicultural Youth Awards hosted by the Multicultural Youth Group (MYG) at Parliament House, where a number of CMY young leaders and alumni were recognised as finalists and winners. Congratulations to Sagalee, Sarah, Mursal, Mamuch, Aayushi, Ejaz, and all of the young people who were celebrated for their achievements on the night. You can read about the winners here.
Carmel Guerra OAM
CEO CMY