VicHealth has released a report specifically focussing on the impacts on young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, building on the 2015 Bright Futures report that identified the five megatrends most likely to impact young Australians in the future: the rising bar of education and skill levels; the global reach of digital technology and globalisation; the increasingly diverse tapestry of culture and society; virtual overexposure when interacting online; and research that brings mental health and wellbeing out of the shadows and improves service delivery. The report offers a snapshot into the statistical distribution of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in Australia, noting that in 2016 one in four young people aged 18-24 was born overseas, and that just under two-thirds of young people who migrated to Australia live in New South Wales or Victoria. The report contends that young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds face extra social, financial, family and educational barriers to gaining employment; that two specific types of digital risk affect this group – exclusion from the online world if lacking digital access or skills, or being subjected to cyberracism, bullying or other online threats; and that significant cultural, demographic and linguistic factors limit access to health care, in particular mental health services.
