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The Expert Working Group
South Sudanese Australian young people are over-represented in the Victorian youth justice system. In 2022, an Expert Working Group was established to address this. It works to provide young people with pathways to living better lives as part of the Victorian community.
Video transcript - Update from the Chair
Hi, my name is Santino Atem Deng. I’m the Chair of the South Sudanese Australian Youth Justice Expert Working Group.
I’ve been in this role since last year. Today I’ll give updates about our work as an Expert Working Group.
My background, for those who don’t know me that well is that, I’ve been a researcher in the area of family and parenting, but also done a lot of work providing training around family and parenting. I’ve also been doing a lot of counselling work and teaching as well.
Slide: What is the project, and why is it important?
The project is a partnership between the Department of Justice and Community Safety and the Commission for Children and Young People.
The Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, Liana Buchanan is our Deputy Chair, and the Commissioner, Youth Justice, Andrea Davidson, is our project sponsor.
We also have an Advisory Group of community leaders and experts, and a dedicated Youth Advisory Group comprised of young people with lived experience of youth justice. The Youth Advisory Group is hosted by the Commission for Children and Young People..
The project will run until 30 June 2025.
This project was set up due to overrepresentation of South Sudanese Australians in the youth justice system
There are three deliverables that we are working under. Deliverable number one is to take immediate action based on what we identify to be the issues that led to the overrepresentation. The second part is really engage with the community and get their perspective.
The other part of it is to invest in the community. Part of our investment in the community is to provide financial supports for organisations working in the community, so that they can really take ownership and become part of the solution.
Slide: How will we work with the community?
We are engaging the community directly. Within this team, we have South Sudanese officers that are working in the project and those that speak the languages of the community, they understand the issues that impact on our community. But also attend particular event that are being organised by the community.
So we ask you as leaders and community leaders, please do let us know if there are community events you believe we can come in and talk about our work, and incorporate your opinions as well.
Slide: How will you communicate with young people?
Engaging with young people can be quite challenging, sometimes, for so many reasons.
In our team, we have many young officers making sure that we are connected with other young people.
Slide: What’s next?
We are very passionate about this work. This is about our young generation, this is about our young people. We really look forward to working with you and continue to invite your opinions and suggestions so that we can make an impact.
Slide: For more information, go to https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/SSAYJ (External link)
The Expert Working Group is part of the Youth Justice Strategic Plan
Victoria has a vision to develop a leading youth justice system that:
- reduces offending by children and young people and improves community safety
- works with others to provide genuine opportunities for children and young people to turn their lives around.
The Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2020-30 is the roadmap to achieve this vision. The plan has a focus on supporting young people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups.
This Expert Working Group will work in close partnership with the South Sudanese Australian community to find ways to:
- prevent young people in their community from entering the youth justice system
- divert young people from progressing further into the youth justice system
- address underlying causes for offending among young people.
How the Expert Working Group will work
Dr Santino Deng has been appointed as Chair to lead the Expert Working Group. Under Dr Deng’s leadership the Expert Working Group will strive to build trust and strong relationships with the South Sudanese Australian Community.
Dr Deng is a member of the South Sudanese Australian community and has significant experience with academia, education and community development and engagement. Dr Deng holds, amongst other qualifications, a Ph.D in Social Sciences (Psychology/Counselling, Education and Sociology) from Victoria University. Dr Deng has had several articles published that examine issues relevant to the experiences of the South Sudanese Australian community and the planned activities of the Expert Working Group.
Partnering with the community
The Expert Working Group will engage with:
- community organisations
- religious and local networks
- parents and carers
- young people with lived experience.
Working directly with young people and their families
The Expert Working Group will hear from young people and their families about what works for them.
The Expert Working Group will put in place action plans to meet young people’s needs. They will monitor progress, as well as overall improvements in how the youth justice system works.
South Sudanese Australian Youth Justice Advisory Group
The South Sudanese Australian Youth Justice Advisory Group has recently been appointed by the Minister for Youth Justice to support the work of the Expert Working Group.
The Advisory Group will serve as a consultative group and ensure that the community is at the centre of the Expert Working Group deliverables.
The Advisory Group includes representatives from the South Sudanese Australian community and broader African Australian community, including academics, subject-matter experts, community organisations.
A separate, but equal, youth advisory group is being hosted by the Commission for Children and Young People and will centre the voices of children and young people with lived experience of Youth Justice.
Meet the Advisory Group
Reverend Deacon George Piech Meat – Chair
Rev Deacon George is a highly respected South Sudanese Australian community and church leader ministering at churches across Melbourne.
His trusted position in the community and church has allowed him to bring various elements of the South Sudanese Australian Community together. He is adept at engaging with young people, adult community members, service providers and government.
He was previously the Chair of the South Sudanese Victoria Unification Committee and was awarded a Multicultural Award for Excellence in 2015 (Meritorious Service to the Community) by the Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, the Premier and Minister for Multicultural Affairs.
Rev Deacon George holds a Bachelor of Theology from the Melbourne University of Divinity.
Selba - Gondoza Luka – Member
Selba - Gondoza Luka is an African Australian community leader with deep connections to the South Sudanese Australian community.
Selba is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Afri-Aus Care, a qualified Mental Health Clinician and has lived experience of migration and settlement challenges.
Selba is a member of Victorian African Communities Committee (VACC) and other government boards.
Selba has received multiple awards for her work with multicultural communities and was inducted into Victorian Honour Roll of Women 2021.
Nyachan Nyak – Member
Nyachan Nyak is a South Sudanese Australian community member based in southeast Melbourne. She is a mental health professional with over 10 years of combined expertise providing dual diagnosis treatment support to individuals and groups. She has also served on various committees including Suicide Prevention and Responses Expert Advisory Committee.
Nyachan is currently a Project Officer at the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) and has advised the Department of Health on suicide prevention and is highly engaged with youth-led organisations. Nyachan is also the founder of NAS Recovery Centre, a community-based Alcohol and Other Drugs and Mental Health treatment organisation supporting people from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Carmel Guerra – Member
Carmel Guerra is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Multicultural Youth, the first and largest organisation in Australia to work exclusively with migrant and refugee young people.
Carmel has advocated for young people for over 30 years and has a longstanding involvement in youth justice and policing issues. Carmel sits on numerous boards and committees, including the Youth Parole Board, and is Chairperson of the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) Australia. Carmel was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2016 and the Victorian Premier’s Award for Community Harmony in 2015.
Sara Maher – Member
Dr. Sara Maher is a subject matter expert with 19 years of professional experience working with the South Sudanese Australian community in Greater Melbourne.
This has included direct service provision, visits to South Sudan and significant academic research which has addressed media and the criminalisation of young people, the transnationality of the South Sudanese Australian diaspora and the post-settlement lives of South Sudanese Australian women.
She also created The Anyikool Project - over 30 hours of oral history interviews with women elders - now in the State Library of Victoria’s oral archive; the first African Australian voices to be included in the archive.
Monica Majak – Member
Monica Majak is a well-known figure in the South Sudanese Australian community. Monica has 16 years of experience working in the nursing business and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of New England. She is also a trained disability and aged care support worker.
She is a founder member of the Sudanese Mothers Coalition in Victoria, Inc. (SMCV) Inc., and she has been the organisation's leader for 14 years. During that time, the SMCV has formed numerous partnerships and collaborations with the Victorian and Australian governments as well as other non-profit and charitable organisations. Her ties to Australian mothers' groups for South Sudanese refugees run deep. In Western Melbourne, Monica has her home.
Monica is a champion for women who has received the South Sudan Academic Society Award in 2020 and the African Media Australia Award in recognition of their contributions to the resilience and empowerment of Australian communities. She currently holds the Refugee Award designation for outstanding leadership.
Bol Aweeng Machar Maduot – Member
Bol Maduot is a respected community leader working across Melbourne. He has held multiple community leadership positions including as founder and president of the President for Dinka Community Union of Victoria Inc.
He is currently Chair the Board of Directors and founder of Sudd Foundation.
He has worked with multiple community organisations across Melbourne and on community crime preventions programs with local councils.
Bol has a Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University.
Peter Aguto – Member
Peter Aguto is a dedicated and committed Alcohol and Other Drug practitioner with experience in health promotion, education, and community development. Peter has lived experience as a refugee and is the founder of Multicultural Youth Support Services (MYSS).
Peter works as the project coordinator, and one of the bicultural workers for MYSS in partnership with the City of Casey and Cardinia Shire Councils.
Peter is based in Southeast Melbourne. He holds a Bachelor of Community Mental Health.
Mamuch Chuol – Member
Mamuch Chuol is a young South Sudanese Australian community leader and founder of Next-Gen Unite.
Mamuch founded Next-Gen Unite in 2021 based on his personal experiences, having witnessed firsthand the difficulties that many South Sudanese refugees face in adapting to life in Australia.
Mamuch also volunteers with the Centre for Multicultural Youth. He has an Advanced Diploma of Legal Practice and is currently studying a double degree in laws/arts.
Get involved with the Expert Working Group
The Expert Working Group started in 2022 and will operate until 30 June 2025.
Community engagement activities will start later this year.
If you would like to register to be involved with the Expert Working Group, please send an email to SSAyouthjusticeEWG@justice.vic.gov.au (External link) and simply include:
- your name
- your email
- confirmation that you would like to be invited to the community engagement activities later this year.
Supporting South Sudanese Australian communities through targeted investment
The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) is supporting the work of the Expert Working Group through funding to invest in projects that support South Sudanese Australian children and young people.
DJCS will prioritise projects that support South Sudanese Australian children and young people, with the aim of preventing and reducing their contact with the criminal justice system.
This investment recognises that South Sudanese Australian organisations are well-placed to deliver effective and sustainable programs and services.
Learn more about grants available to support South Sudanese Australian communities.
Contact details
Contact the Secretariat of the Expert Working Group by email at: SSAyouthjusticeEWG@justice.vic.gov.au (External link).