Multicultural Youth SA Incorporated

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:52): I recently had the privilege of touring the Croydon Multicultural Youth South Australia Incorporated Centre, kindly hosted by Hailey Lawrence, Robert Taylor and Daniel Shumbusha. Established in 1977, MYSA is a community-based, not-for-profit organisation offering a diverse and extensive range of programs and services to support young people and young families of different cultural backgrounds living in our state. MYSA caters to youth between the ages of 12 and 30 years. MYSA currently supports approximately 4,000 youth and families per year. At present, the majority of clients are aged between 15 and 19 years old, are of a refugee background and are within the first five years of resettlement.

MYSA is actively supporting some of the most vulnerable groups in society. The hurdles facing young refugees and their families can feel insurmountable, especially to young children or youth who have arrived here without any family and who may not speak English. MYSA is arguably the leading youth settlement agency for vulnerable and at-risk South Australians.

Their many services include: assistance with housing and independent living programs, parenting skills for young parents, dealing with problem behaviour and family conflicts, providing opportunities to experience music and the arts, homework and breakfast clubs, learner support programs, after school activities, volunteer placement programs and life skills development, to name but a few. As outlined by acting CEO, Dr Helena de Anstiss:

The overreaching goal of MYSA's settlement work is to help equip young people with the skills, knowledge and resources required for social and economic participation.

The Croydon centre supports the multicultural youth education and development centre, which houses facilities including casework rooms, a recording studio, a computer hub, recreation areas and a resource centre. MYSA has developed programs to promote multiculturalism and harmony, many of which focus on music and the arts.

Whilst at Croydon, I was fortunate enough to witness one of the newest programs, called 'Make your own beats'. Clients are enthusiastic and attendance rates surpass that of many other programs. The 'Make your own beats' program sees youth channelling their energy in positive ways. It can be particularly challenging to identify activities that engage at-risk youth. The upbeat interest and high attendance rates are a motivation to expand the program and use it as a facilitator to other self-help activities.

The program stems from a MYSA for Men program for young men who have been involved in the youth justice system. The 'Make your own beats' follow-on project is delivered by Robert 'Ragz' Taylor and supported by the help of social work student Daniel Shumbusha. It has been designed as an early intervention program aimed at engaging young men. The 10-week program is currently unfunded. MYSA is funded by both the state and federal governments to provide these specialist services and also supported by a large pool of volunteers.

The state government assists government and non-government agencies to become more culturally inclusive and responsive through training, providing information and support to a variety of South Australian community services. MYSA has 15 staff who work across the sites. The staff also provide an outreach service to youth who may not otherwise access the service. MYSA is currently working two featured projects: the Hub and the Settlement Grants Program.

The Department of Communities and Social Inclusion approached MYSA in 2011 to coordinate the West End Hub, which is part of the West End Safety Trial. The Hub was established to respond to the needs of unsupervised children and young people wandering the city streets late at night, placing themselves and others at risk. Every Friday and Saturday night, from 11pm until 6am the next day, the Hub coordinates policing and street services to ensure these children and young people are found and safely taken home.

MYSA is the only youth settlement provider in Australia to have received the Australian Service Excellence Standards accreditation, and has also received a host of awards for service. I hope that we will continue to expand our support for such an essential service, which also builds avenues for disengaged youth to choose more positive pathways. A special thank you to Hailey, Mariloly, Daniel and Ragz, as well as the other staff and volunteers at MYSA Croydon. I hope that the 'Make your own beats' program receives the acknowledgement and funding it so richly deserves.