Jon Stanhope, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital TerritoryVisit - www.act.gov.auVisit - http://www.act.gov.au
Jon Stanhope - Chief Minister, Australian Capital Territory
Jon Stanhope - Chief Minister, Australian Capital Territory
Media Room

Subscribe to
Media Room

Have updates sent to your email address as soon something new is added to the Media Room.

Click here to subscribe.

Search Media Room

Section: Joy Burch, MLA | Media Releases

New home for Multicultural Youth Services

Released 24/06/2010

Canberra's Multicultural Youth Services has moved to a new more spacious location at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre.

ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs Joy Burch officially opened the new drop-in accommodation today. The ACT Government provided MYS with $125,000 in funding over four years to facilitate the move.

Ms Burch said some 80 per cent of the young migrants and refugees using MYS have arrived in Canberra or the nearby region on their own or with just one parent, and the new premises were in recognition of the invaluable services MYS provided to new Australians.

"The MYS provides assistance to young people seeking accommodation and employment, and provides English language, financial and social support and runs holiday programs and skill development workshops," Ms Burch said.

"The new space in the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre will enable the service to expand its activities and better connect with other multicultural organisations. The facility has a drop-in room with a pool table, computers, a workspace for case workers as well as two offices and a meeting area."

Ms Burch said one such new service is the Women's Retreat, which will help young women address social isolation and encourage them to engage and address social barriers in the ACT community and workforce.

The MYS was formerly housed in the Griffin Centre and has been operating in the ACT for 10 years supporting migrants and refugees aged 12 - 25 years. It has three case workers funded by the ACT and Commonwealth Governments.

The ACT Government established the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre to meet the specific needs of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The Centre brings a diverse range of multicultural community organisations under the same roof allowing them to share resources and have ready access to a range of facilities.

Media Contact:

Victor Violante 6205 0145 0421 846 201 victor.violante@act.gov.au

Back to Media Releases