Multicultural Youth and Families Navigator Service
Our Multicultural Youth Support Navigator Service aims to work with community to enhance accessibility, inclusion, and participation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) and First Nations (FN) young people with psychosocial disabilities, their families and carers.
We work with young people with psychosocial disabilities from CALD and FN backgrounds, their families, carers, and community members to:
We build rapport and trust so we can act as navigators to facilitate warm, welcoming and supportive connections with local services and community organisations to better understand our local communities and the types of resources that people need. Our aim is to co-design and develop resources that will enable young people with psychosocial disabilities from CALD and FN backgrounds, their families and carers, to connect with community and the services that matter to them, enhancing their social and community participation.
By supporting participation of CALD and FN young people in a culturally safe way, we expect to see a positive impact on young people’s mental health, wellbeing, and quality of life.
‘Wayfinders’ was developed through extensive engagement with young people, families, and community across Logan, Ipswich, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast. Through workshops, community events, surveys, and ongoing community voice, young people shared that before they can connect with services, they first need to feel seen, heard, safe, and understood.
As part of this process, Karakan established a Youth Resource Advisory Leadership Group made up of young people with First Nations, Pacific Islander and Māori backgrounds from across our communities. This group played an important role in helping collate community feedback, survey submissions, and lived experiences relating to the barriers, challenges, and needs young people face when accessing local services and supports. They also explored what kinds of resources genuinely resonate with young people and encourage meaningful connection and engagement.
The outcome of this work was the creation of the Wayfinders Short Film Series, a youth informed resource designed to help bridge stronger connections between young people, families, community, and the local services that matter to them.
These films can be used as a resource to help initiate conversations, build trust and understanding, increase awareness of available supports, and strengthen pathways for young people and families to connect with services in ways that feel culturally safe, relevant, and accessible. They can support schools, community organisations, service providers, and families to engage young people in discussions about wellbeing, identity, help-seeking, and community connection, while amplifying the voices and experiences of the young people who helped shape them.
Jedda is a quiet, creative First Nations young woman who feels like she doesn’t fit in in school. Living in the outer suburbs might mean she’s closer to nature, but she also feels isolated. She joins a multicultural art class run by a community partner, where she feels free to experiment with creating Indigenous art. There, she makes a friend with whom she shares a connection.
Kai’s film tells the story of a young Māori man whose more traditional family finds it difficult to accept his emerging identity. With the help of a community partner, he joins a multicultural rugby club, where he not only finds acceptance, but also a potential romantic interest. His father grows to respect not only his resilience, but also his choices.
Lani is a spiritual Pasifika young woman struggling with depression and anxiety. Having moved to Australia in her late teens, she misses life back home. Once a very social person, she is now isolated – which is made worse by her doomscrolling habit. A community partner helps her attend a local church, where she finds community and regains a sense of inclusion.
Our FN and CALD support services see us engaging with local organisations and community members to facilitate better engagement with young people and their families and carers. Through this community engagement, we aim to enhance community understanding of psychosocial disability and the unique needs, issues and barriers that young people with psychosocial disabilities from CALD and FN backgrounds may face when they want to connect into local services.
By increasing community understanding and awareness of psychosocial disability, our multicultural youth support services aim to build capacity in community members and community organisations to better engage with young people, their families and carers and improve inclusion and participation in local services and activities.
As part of our FN and CALD support services, we facilitate workshops, forums and events that help to gather and share information and insights that inform and assist community members to understand the unique challenges, barriers, needs and opportunities relevant to enhancing inclusion of local CALD and FN young people with psychosocial disabilities. These community events will provide further opportunities for young people to connect with mainstream community supports and services that are important to them.
Our experienced and passionate team are here to facilitate meaningful mental health and psychosocial disability support services, whether that be through involvement in CALD or First Nations youth programs, or just through general support. If you want to get in touch with an NDIS Support Provider from Karakan to learn how we can best support you, give us a call on (07) 3299 1898 or send an email to customerservice@karakan.com.au.