Sydney Youth Forum Against Racism Report
Sydney Youth Forum Against Racism held at the NSW Parliament House on 16 July 2001. The Sydney Youth Forum was run by a working group of young people. Joe Hedger from the working group prepared this report.
The Sydney Youth Forum Against Racism (SYFAR) was developed by a group of highly motivated young individuals determined to make a difference in regards to racism in Australian society.
In response to the National Youth Summit on Racism conducted in Canberra by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), a group of young people decided to develop a working group in Sydney which would host a forum allowing young people in Sydney to discuss and propose action against racism in their local communities.
The working group consisted of young people from various different backgrounds, such as, Australian Indigenous, Sri Lankan, Fijian, American and Mexican which is a true reflection of the current multi-cultural society Sydney is.
With support from HREOC, NSW Department of Education and Training and Youth Action and Policy Association, the working group hosted the Sydney Youth Forum Against Racism on 16 July 2001, at the NSW Parliament House.
The forum involved workshops which addressed issues such as sources, causes and victims of racism, education and preventative measures to address racism, as well as exploring the use of information technology, such as the internet as a means to addressing, as well as fuelling racism in Australian society.
Recommendations
Participants developed a series of recommendations, which include:
1. National apology to Indigenous people of Australia.
2. Code of Ethics to be developed for NSW Parliament and members.
3. Development of Cultural Awareness programs in all levels of government and schools.
4. Increase funding to Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission as well as service providers who deal with racial discrimination.
5. Media and advertising campaign addressing racism.
6. Legislative and Constitutional reform to reflect current Australian society.
7. Compliance with International treaties and conventions.
8. Compulsory Aboriginal studies in school curricula.
9. State and Local government to support local and regional anti-racism strategies.
10. Australian government delegation to the WCAR put Indigenous issues as the number one priority on their agenda.
