During 2008-09, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) undertook a literature review and a series of youth consultations across three Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory, with the aim of developing a targeted and informed strategy for the ongoing engagement of refugee young people in advocating to have their needs and concerns addressed and ideas recognised at a national level. This report is an abridged version of the findings from this project, omitting some of the findings and recommendations specific only to the Council.
People aged less than 30 years on arrival now comprise the significant majority and a growing proportion of new arrivals to Australia under the Refugee and Humanitarian Program.
This project is premised upon the belief that amplification of the voices of young refugees and humanitarian entrants within national forums, such as RCOA’s own annual community consultations, will facilitate the development of advocacy strategies, policy recommendations and project initiatives that are informed by and responsive to the priorities of a key and currently underheard population. RCOA believes that this will in turn lead to the development of more sensitive public policies to address their concerns, while also positively influencing broader community understandings of the experiences and contributions of young refugees.