News, 2022
The BNLA is back!
We are very excited to let you know that the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) project is back! We are pleased to have the opportunity to reconnect with you in anticipation of the next interview. We know that it’s been a long time since we were last in touch, and a lot has happened since then. We hope that you and your family are well.
We are looking forward to speaking with you again, ten years after the project started, about your settlement experiences. We are very interested in knowing what’s changed since we last spoke with you, including the challenges you have faced, the impact COVID-19 may have had on you, what you have achieved and what’s most important to you now.
What’s next?
The last time we spoke with you was quite some time ago, so we have started by contacting you to check if you would be willing to speak to us again and whether you would prefer to take part over the telephone, online or by speaking with one of our friendly interviewers. The first stage took place in April and May 2022. We asked about your preferences for taking part, and confirmed the best approach for the next interview, which we hope will take place in late 2022 and into 2023.
We are very excited by the prospect of speaking with you again. Your contribution will continue to help governments understand the needs and challenges faced by new humanitarian migrants and to improve programs and services.
How will your views make a difference?
Since the start of the project, you have given us important feedback about what can be done to help new humanitarian migrants living in Australia. Your opinions have been heard.
For example, we have found that many humanitarian migrants experience difficulties with their mental health. Difficult experiences before migration, as well as the challenges of settling in Australia can make it hard to maintain wellbeing. For this reason, we produced several publications on mental wellbeing and barriers to receiving help for mental health problems. This work aims to help policy makers and service providers design strategies to support your wellbeing and make it easier for you to receive help for your mental health.
Together with the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia (MYAN), we produced a factsheet on the economic participation, social participation, and personal wellbeing of young humanitarian migrants. We highlighted the strengths of this group of young people, as well as some of the areas where they need more support. This information will help service providers to better support young people in the first few years of their settlement journey.
