Programs and projects for young Muslim Australians

 While a number of examples of successful pilot programs and projects designed to engage young Muslims can be identified in Australia (and overseas) they are usually not sustained over time. Longer‐term funding (3 to 5 years) is needed to consolidate the benefits and build on the trust established in the first years.

 There are many fertile areas for new program and project initiatives to engage young Muslim Australians: sport, youth culture (hip hop, dance) and the arts are areas of great potential that have been identified in this research project. More programs and projects specifically designed for young Australian women should also be developed.

 Programs designed exclusively for young Muslim Australians were regarded as providing limited opportunities for networking, making friends and developing potential. Many community workers spoke of working with young Muslim Australians in an integrated way, and of being resentful of programs that only funded ‘Muslims’ to the exclusion of others. This was regarded as potentially stigmatising Muslim communities. They preferred models that created partnerships and collaborations between Muslims and others.

 Muslim specific programs still have a place and may work well if offered by mentors or by Muslim community organizations. A repeated concern voiced by stakeholders in all three fieldwork regions was that services and funding programs should be inclusive of Muslim community members – and especially young Muslim Australians – from the outset.

 Stakeholders in all three fieldwork regions mentioned the necessity for services and interventions that encourage ‘whole of family’ approaches. Programs and projects targeting young people and that consults with and/or involves parents in some way build parental trust, which is critical for their success. This in turn opens spaces for young Muslim Australians to participate in activities that they may not normally engage in.

 Culturally appropriate services for refugee and other disadvantaged families were seen as integral to helping young Muslim Australians, whether dealing with domestic violence, family breakdown, legal issues or cultural issues, and for day‐to‐day support. Working with a

‘strengths‐based approach’, for services dealing with refugee and disadvantaged families and young Muslim Australians, would assist in developing personal abilities and skills in their clients, utilising personal motivation.

 Additionally mosques, community centres, and web‐based media spaces were mentioned as

important sites for the development of new Muslim youth projects.

Recommendations

Social ecology models aim at implementing ‘culturally acceptable’, ‘culturally compelling’ and

‘effective’ interventions (Panter‐Brick et al 2006) for sustainable and positive change. In this report we outline a number of recommendations that utilise the principles and strategies based on this social ecology model. The recommendations deal with ten areas identified as important from the research conducted. We also provide an indication of the various domains of social interaction of young Australian Muslims’ lives that these recommendations relate to (from the individual to the interpersonal; the community, national and global), as well as providing the evidence base for each. The ten program areas covered are:

1. Personal development

2. Family relationships

3. Leadership development

4. Community development

5. Sport and recreation

6. Arts and culture

7. Racism, prejudice and discrimination

8. Media and representation

9. Cyber media

10. Funding models