Last Friday the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) launched its Multicultural Youth Network (MYN) at Parliament House.
20 people aged between 16 and 25 were selected to represent their region of Victoria and formally advise the VMC on issues and challenges impacting young multicultural Victorians.
Hosted by the VMC’s youth commissioner Luna Folly and community representative commissioner Abi Akinbiyi, the event saw newly appointed representatives attend parliament to accept their positions.
Aristidis Tsoulakos was appointed as the representative for Victoria’s Eastern Metropolitan Region, which encompasses the councils of Boroondara, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse and Yarra.
Aristidis was lauded at the bayside business excellence awards in 2019 as the brains behind Fos Candle Company, one of only a few Australian businesses producing handmade beeswax candles. He was also an independent representative on the 2021/22 NUGAS committee.
Tsoulakos told Neos Kosmos “I feel honoured to have been selected amongst the many other young culturally diverse individuals,” speaking about his appointment.
“I am looking forward to working closely with the multicultural commission and Ministers office to identify opportunities to improve outcomes members of our community,” he said.
Ros Spence, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and the VMC’s chair Viv Nguyen and deputy chair Bwe Thay as well as the newly appointed reps parents and various stakeholders also attended the event.
At the 2016 census, 49.1 percent of Victorians were either born overseas or had a parent who was born overseas; 26 percent spoke a language other than English at home.
The commission says the MYN “is a platform for members to advise the VMC and Government Departments on matters affecting multicultural young people including multicultural affairs, mental health, employment, racism and discrimination.”
Adding “These voluntary roles present a unique opportunity to directly engage with the VMC and assist in promoting the benefits of diversity and youth voice.”
Members of the network will serve appointments of two years during which time they will take on a number of responsibilities relating to multicultural affairs.
From assisting the VMC in promoting the benefits of cultural, linguistic and religious diversity to providing advice on the commission’s policy direction.
It’s hoped that a network of young people with first-hand insight into the issues and challenges faced by their respective communities will be a powerful asset in combatting the difficulties faced by those groups.
