Beat Racism!
Despite being a country of migrants, racism, prejudice and discrimination continues to be an ever-present reality for refugee young people in Australia.
WYPIN was established in 1989 by a group of refugee and migrant young people in the Western suburbs of Melbourne who were interested in challenging racism in the community and to empower young people to develop programs and activities in line with their needs and aspirations. Working on the principals of youth empowerment and youth advocacy the programs and activities are designed and implemented by young people.
The impact of racism can not be understated even though most young people have been forced to come to terms with it. Racism reinforces young people's feelings of insecurity and discomfort and emphasises the differences between them and "other Australians". Racism can create a feeling of not being a part of the mainstream community and result in young people feeling isolated. Racism can seriously impact on young people's mental health and development.
WYPIN is well known for its community education and its use of drama to raise awareness in schools and the mainstream community about why refugees come to Australia and how racism impacts on them. Particularly interesting performances have been to all Anglo-Australian audiences in country Victoria.
Overt racism is obviously damaging, however, more subtle forms of institutionalised racism can be as difficult to cope with, and can exclude refugee young people from exercising their rights to information and participating in the community. WYPIN advocates for structural policy change, such as the need for greater English language support at schools for newly arrived refugees to ensure that they are able to participate in mainstream education and are not at risk of dropping out of school. Police harassment of refugee young people has been another focus area.
For more information on how to beat racism and WYPIN’s anti-racism work click on the following links: