Context: In Australia, numerous young people, including international students and young migrants, are not always aware of their rights and opportunities. Many feel disempowered and disconnected from the official system and bureaucracy, and from those who make decisions that affect their lives, for example university management and local governments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this sense of feeling disconnected and isolated has been exacerbated.
Bridging Us (BU) was founded by three young people in 2020, to address the needs and concerns, identified by an increasing number of young people who felt disenfranchised. The mission of BU is to facilitate meaningful contact, act as a link and find common solutions between young people, who no longer wanted to be seen as “lazy” and “inexperienced”, and decision makers, who, in turn, often felt misunderstood by youth constituents.
While gradually undertaking more activities abroad, BU operates mainly in the state of Victoria, which, in 2017, saw more than 200,000 international students from 170 countries, and, in 2020, had about 31 per cent of its population made up of migrants.
Implementation of programme/ initiative: Bridging Us applies a three-pronged approach to its work, and members of the team assume roles of co-designers, mediators and tailors in their activities, which include:
- Projects with Australian local city councils and the not-for-profit sector, where BU has worked with youth, businesses, public servants and not-for-profit leaders. This includes a local city council’s Youth Employment Strategy (Hobson’s Bay, Victoria), where BU has facilitated and co-designed workshops between Youth Services staff, local youth and local businesses, to develop an employment strategy for local young people, including young migrants, during and post-COVID-19.
- Public events and forums, including the COVID-19 Youth Policy Forum 2020, which brought together young people, including international students and young migrants, with the public, private and NFP sector, to explore the challenges faced by youth during the pandemic, and co-design solutions to resolve these challenges.
- Reports, articles and interviews, developed by BU staff and young people, including young migrants, on contemporary social issues, and online discussions, for example: “Breaking the Walls Between Policy Makers and Youth.”
Main challenges: As in many countries, the experience of youth in Australia feeling isolated and disenfranchised continues, since current structures and processes often limit new and diverse stakeholders to be at the negotiation table with decision makers. There is still a long way to go to break out of that exclusivity in the social impact sector, both among those representing youth and policy, and decision makers.
This is particularly the case for young migrants, who often have found it difficult to express their concerns and find effective channels to reach Australian decision makers. This sense of being disconnected has been highlighted during the pandemic, where some migrant youth have found themselves trapped in a situation where they can no longer afford to get food on their table, and remain in search of immediate and pragmatic solutions.
Results achieved: Following workshops at the city council in Hobson’s Bay, a number of recommendations from youth, including migrant youth, have been incorporated in the Youth Employment Strategy; for example, a peer-to-peer Employment Mentorship and Support Group and a youth-based Advisory Committee have been created.
In October 2021, BU held an event on ‘Impostor Syndrome’, attended by youth from Australia, Brunei Darussalam and India. The event focused on issues around mental health and how to better improve it. Attendees came from every walk of life: aspiring entrepreneurs, professionals and artists, and all were doing very creative things; however, many felt as if they did not belong. Unpacking this vulnerability revealed how important it is to create a safe and empowering space for young people to flourish. This event further validated BU’s need to build inclusive communities and bridge the gap between young people and decision makers.
All in all, BU has reached hundreds of young people, both in Australia and abroad, through its projects and public engagements. BU currently has over 1,000 followers across its social media platforms, and, recently, there has been interest in a model developed by partner stakeholders in Indonesia and the United States of America.
Moving Forward: Looking ahead, the Bridging Us team wants to expand its activities in and beyond Australia and believes that there are signs that both policy and decision makers, and youth, are beginning to think outside the box; those multiple stakeholders are operating less in soloistic manners, when identifying issues that are relevant for youth, and addressing those issues and finding solutions for youth in many towns and cities.
BU continues to operate as a not-for-profit company, and a social enterprise, charging fees for its services as it explores potential for growth. BU’s goal remains social impact for youth, but its activities must be sustained financially.
Replicability: The BU model can be replicated in other countries of Asia and the Pacific, and beyond, as long as the approach of being inclusive and relevant is governed by and adjusted to the specific project and local context (BU’s tailor principle). Furthermore, there needs to be sufficient political will to get youth, including migrant youth, who should be actively engaged, around the negotiating table, and a general sense of open-mindedness among all stakeholders involved.
Acknowledgement:
This good practice was kindly prepared by the Bridging Us team and Mr. Klaus Dik Nielsen.
References:
https://www.bridgingus.com.au/
https://www.bridgingus.com.au/reports
https://www.bridgingus.com.au/blog/shifting-stereotypes-between-young-people-and-decision-makers
https://www.bridgingus.com.au/blog/breaking-walls-between-policy
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/migration-australia/latest-release
Project Details
Date: March 23, 2022