Youth Lens: education and employment perspectives of young people with a refugee experience

A project giving young people the freedom to take photographs that represent their experiences of education or employment

This project involved participants in the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s Youth Transitions Support Pilot . This is a federally funded program supporting young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to participate in education or work.

The Brotherhood of St Laurence delivered Youth Lens in Melbourne’s north-western City of Hume, a rapidly growing area of the city and home to many recently arrived refugees and asylum seekers.

Participants were invited to join a Photovoice project , a participatory research project to communicate their unique perspectives through photography. They used cameras to document their experiences of education or work, and the factors that help or hinder them. These images, and the descriptions they wrote, provided insights for advocacy for positive change.

Visit the Youth Lens website to see the young people’s photos and stories .

Contact research@bsl.org.au