Tentative Plan

This is a brief of my tentative plan to engage with the young Afghans in Brisbane. It has not included the stakeholders and system analysis, project framework and risk managment. Anyone who has interested to read the full proposal, please send your request by email.

The Issue

In 2008-09, Afghanistan is one of the top three countries of origin that come to Australia under the offshore Refugee and Special Humanitarian program. Currently, there are more than 1,800 new Afghan-Australian citizens in Queensland (Romero).

The young Afghans’ experiences are often shaped by many layers of events. Majority of them have spent some time in war zone, refugee camps and transition countries where life is uncertain, stressful, physically difficult and even violent (CMY). The hardship the young people with refugee background have gone through traumatised them as well as increased their level of resilience. They are highly independent and self-protected. However, it has been noted that the young Afghans have weak commitment to social network and community.


Goal and Objectives

The overarching project goal is to transform the young Afghans from being silent residents into active citizens. The specific project objectives are to:

1. Build the leadership of young Afghans to organise themselves to care their community.
2. Improve the social network of young Afghans aged between 15-18 years old in Brisbane.


Strengths-Based Participatory Approach using Appreciate Enquiry, Strategic Questioning and Dialogical Method

Rather than focusing on the needs and issues, the project will concentrate on the resiliency, self-determination, skills, knowledge and strengths of individuals, family or community to allow the community to celebrate and support ‘where people are at’, their strengths, abilities, as well as their potential (Blundo 2001) for sustainable development.  The project will utilise the existing connection of the community centre with Afghan community and families, and other cultural groups and make use of their weekly football exercises, to build rapport with youths.

The project will adopt the appreciate enquiry, strategic questionning and dialogoical methods*. These methods give rise to a participatory process that ‘power with’ the youths to avoid control over them (Westoby 2009) and increase their ownership. They allow the youths to critically identify, analyse and utilise their resources and work collectively to design, manage, implement, monitor and evaluate the project.


Methodology


In collabration with other cultural organisations, the Afghan and other cultural communities will be invited to identify the youth leaders in their community to a 'train the trainer’ workshop.  The workshop will highlight problem solving, relationship building, project and resources planning and management skills. The trained young leaders will be given a real life experience to organise a multicultural event and establish a multicultural youth club. The young leaders will have to invite the youths in their community to join a multicultural youth group and take part in organising a multicultural football competition of their own and organise their own teams for the competition. The young leaders will be the co-facilitators to train their peers in the process. Through the team work in organising and participating in the games competition, it will build the network of young Afghans as well as building the their capacity.


Conclusion

The project plan tries to create space for the youth to develop trust and relationship with one another. It works with the youth in a way that builds their ‘bonding capital’ within their cultural group during the time they prepare for the competition, as well as the ‘bridging capital’ across cultural groups in organising the competition. It creates ‘linking capital’ when the youth contact the facilities providers and community groups to support the competition. The project also works with the existing community-based organisations to resolve the issues in a way that Dave (1996) quotes as ‘first order change’ to strengthen the partner capacity and network too.

Social networks generate social cohesion and produce collective actions in community to resolve problems for mutual benefits in the long term (Field 2008). It is believed that this learning experience will equip the young Aghans as active citizens and ultimately live a life in its fullness in Brisbane.


Remarks
To learn about 'Strategic Questioning + Appreicate Enquiry + Dialogue', please go to home page and click the related label.

References
Andrews, D 1996, Building a Better World. Australia: Albatross Books.

Andrews, D 2007, Living Community. Australia: Tafina Press & Community Praxis Co-op

Blundo, R 2001, ‘Learning Strength-Based Practice: Challenging Our Personal and Professional

Centre for Multicultural Youths  http://www.cmy.net.au/Home

Frames’, Families in Society, The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, 82:3, pp296-304.

Field, J 2008, Social Capital, 2nd edn, Routledge, New York.

Romero Centre, Volunteer Handbook, Brisbane.

Westoby, P & Dowling G, 2009. Dialogical Community Development: with depth, solidarity and hospitality, Tafina Press, West End.