annual report 2010 –2011 - Multicultural Development Association

Focus on youth
staying on track
One student suffers badly from anxiety due to experiences in his home country. Both his sister
and brother will be leaving Milpera at the end of the year to attend mainstream high school and
he was very anxious about catching public transport to Milpera alone and had been suffering
side effects as a result.
After a conversation with the student and some activities focused on confidence building, we
saw a dramatic change in his demeanour. His reluctance to attend the school on his own had
started to diminish and he became more confident. There have been regular catch ups with the
student to ensure his project remains on track. We organised a ‘buddy’ to catch the bus with him
during the first week back at school for extra support and now he is attending the BLUE program
to ensure his resilience in transitioning to a new secondary school.
Mentoring project | Inspire to Aspire
This project aims to engage young people from refugee backgrounds in Brisbane to assist them
in accessing mentors and receiving practical support. It also aims to increase their life skills,
knowledge and ability to access mainstream services involving education and employment.
This was achieved by training youth mentors who would in turn assist other young people
in their settlement journey.
Youth Outreach Program
In 2010 – 11, 15 young people from various backgrounds, aged 17 – 30, were trained as
mentors. The training focused on leadership, teamwork, communication, self identity and
awareness and participation in a range of activities. The mentors’ leadership skills and self
esteem increased as a result of the training in preparation to meet their mentees.
This program aims to address the specific settlement needs of humanitarian youth (12 – 24
years) attending Milpera State High School through casework, orientation activities, referrals
and group information sessions with a focus on youth leadership.
Casework was conducted to promote a good understanding of school and life, covering
topics such as transport, health and hygiene, school and community support networks, as
well as a general orientation to school. Young people are referred through the welfare team
at Milpera and there is a great deal of collaboration between the staff and teachers at Milpera
with organisations such as MDA.
All Shades of BLUE
This program is aimed at male students having difficulties expressing emotions and receiving
negative attention for their behaviour as a result of their refugee experience. The BLUE
Program was successful in assisting a small group of boys from diverse backgrounds to
develop strategies to deal with their emotions, understand consequences of behaviours and
gain an insight into Australian culture in a school context. The BLUE Program also supported
the boys to make connections to various services and support networks, enabling them to
independently access assistance.
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