Humanities and Social Sciences

School of Social Sciences

La Trobe Refugee Research Centre

LaRRC Somali Annual Conference

Saturday, October 24, 2009
10:30am – 6pm (10:30 registration for 11am start)
WLT 1 - La Trobe University, Bundoora (Map Ref C5 - pdf 2 MB)

Somali Community Youth Conference 2009

The Best of Both Worlds: Somali Youth and Education for Bicultural Identity

The La Trobe Refugee Research Centre (LaRRC), in partnership with the Somali Australian Friendship Association (SAFA) and the Victorian Young Somali Network, are organising a one day Somali Youth Community Conference to be held at La Trobe University’s Bundoora Campus on Saturday, October 24, 2009.

Somali Australians are one of largest recently arrived communities with refugee backgrounds in Australia. In Melbourne, young people make up more than 50% of this community and research shows that they are facing a range of challenges in becoming adults, achieving their dreams and building their futures in Australia and in the wider world. This one day community youth conference aims to provide a forum within which Somali Australian young people can explore and reflect on their everyday experiences of spanning two distinct cultures – that of their Somali families and communities, and that of broader Australia.

The conference is for young people from the Somali community with a focus on education, and will involve discussions about their experiences of education in Australia. The program will also include a panel of young Somali Australians voicing their concerns and discussing their experiences of identity, education, and growing up in Melbourne, Australia today. The conference will encourage a broader community discussion, with members from across the generations, on issues of intergenerational differences and about being Somali Australian.

The conference is open to the wider public.

(Please note that while this is a free event RSVPs are necessary for catering purposes. Please RSVP by October 16 via email to smhassan@students.latrobe.edu.au or ysomar@students.latrobe.edu.au)

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