Multicultural Youth Leadership in Sustainability Action

Fri 20th February 09 | 3:00pm - 3:50pm
Think tent

hosted by | Environment Victoria
This topic will be presented by members of the Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability (MLS) program. The program is managed in partnership by Environment Victoria and the Centre for Muticultural Youth (CMY). The presenters are young people aged 18-25 from refugee backgrounds who are newly arrived in Australia and have completed 10 units of training and designed and delivered youth-led sustainability projects for their local communities. The presentation will discuss the MLS program, outlining its goals to provide opportunities for migrant and refugee young people and their communities to learn about and participate in community sustainability education and activities. The young presenters will discuss their own backgrounds and migration journeys and their motivations for volunteering to lead actions for environmental sustainability. They will outline their key learnings and insights from participating in MLS and share their personal achievements and community project activities. Parts of a short documentary, currently being undertaken by the young people, will also be screened.

Murray Irwin
Murray is currently Senior Project Manager with Environment Victoria's Sustainable Living Program helping to support project managers deliver projects to hard to reach communities. His recently completed projects include Families Go Green providing sustainability training and assistance to low income families and Youth Eco Challenge, a youth leadership sustainability program for students completing a community based Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning who had found mainstream schooling did not met their needs. Prior to working with Environment Victoria, Murray had extensive experience in youth based education and support, leading Green Corps projects, as a youth worker with youth at risk at Typo Station and as a freelance outdoor education leader for schools such as Geelong Grammar's Timbertop campus. When not working he enjoys kayaking, rafting or canoeing Victorian rivers when there is water or satisfying his ongoing curiosity and need to learn though reading.
Environment Victoria is the peak non-government, not-for-profit environment organisation in Victoria. Our vision is a healthy environment for all Victorians. That means working with community groups, government and private enterprise to meet the urgent environmental challenges facing our communities today. Our success depends on the realisation that good environmental outcomes go hand in hand with good community outcomes. Environment Victoria helps people adapt their thinking and behaviour to environmental realities by letting people experience the benefits of doing so in clear and practical ways. We believe that helping build strong communities is an essential part of protecting our natural environments. The Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) is a state-wide community-based organisation that advocates the needs of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. In supporting young people, CMY combines both policy and direct service delivery within a community development framework. This approach gives CMY strong connections with young people and their communities while enabling positive change on a local, state and national level.