* Speech of Marte Tagle, Director Business Services, Community Relations Commission For a Multicultural New South Wales delivered on 5 April 2008 during the PLCAA organised Youth Forum "Speak Out" held at St Marys Senior Citizen Centre, St Marys, NSW.
 Her Excellency Consul General Teresa Lazaro
Councillor Greg Davis, Mayor of Penrith
Hon. David Bradbury, Member for Lindsay
Clr Pat Sheehey
Distinguished Guests
Respected Community Leaders, Dr Alexis
Leones, PLCAA President, Mr Rey Manoto, PCC
President, officers and members of the Filipino community organisations
And
Above
all
The notable
young people participating in the forum today.
It is indeed my privilege to be invited to speak
at this important gathering of Filipino-Australian youth.
The world of the young is exciting - Your
world is a world where everything is possible.
You are always on the move - once you've
done something you want to quickly move on to the next.
You want things to happen right here and right now.
What makes your world even more exciting is
that you are children of immigrants. You
offer diversity to our society.
Your heritage makes you unique. It also makes you resilient
young people, who can readily cope with change and handle new situations with
great balance.
Australia is lucky to have a third of its
population comprise of young people of diverse backgrounds, like yourselves, who bring vitality and dynamism to our society.
Equally, you are lucky to live in a country
of opportunities where your work, aspirations and future are valued.
The State of NSW takes its responsibility towards
the youth seriously. It has put in place
structures to harness the future of its young population, such as:
·
the
creation of the NSW Youth Advisory Council that advises government on youth
issues, and
·
the
creation of a register of young people who can be appointed to become members
of boards and committees.
The Government also consults with the
Student Representative Councils of which some of you might be members, and has
established a reference group to inform on matters relating to young people.
The Community Relations Commission carries
this mantle further, by providing vital opportunities to young people through
the appointment of two youth Commissioners on its board.
The Commission operates 10 regional advisory
councils across NSW where youth members actively participate. In fact one recent appointment was a young
person of Filipino background, Ana Gacis, who will also be presenting to you
today.
Through the Commission, the Government ensures
that young people have appropriate avenues for collaboration and participation
on issues that affect them.
For example:
- The Commission brings
together a group of Muslim professionals to assist with issues relating to young
people of Islamic faith particularly, in NSW.
- It supports the
NSW Multicultural Youth Network which advocates on behalf of young people,
particularly of cultural diverse backgrounds.
The Commission also hosts an annual Youth
Leaders Day in partnership with the Multicultural Youth Network.
These are but a few of the opportunities made
available by the Commission to the young people of NSW.
And no doubt there could be much more when youth and
government and the general community collaborate.
Philippines was rated the 9th
fastest growing community and our language was ranked 8th among non-English
languages spoken in Australia.
The Filipino community has much
to offer to the development of this country.
Its knowledge, skills and
experience is needed in all sectors - government, corporate and community.
I am a part of this community
and I'm proud of what it has achieved.
Leadership is one of its greatest strengths. Its numerous community organisations, which continue
to increase in numbers, are a testament
to its success in the community sector.
Filipinos have great values
that are an inspiration to the
community.
Foremost is respect - respect of authority, respect
of elders, respect of property and respect of others.
Because of this value, Filipinos extend themselves to others...
... And it is this combination of
strengths and values that makes Filipinos significant contributors to the
society.
But we cannot rest on our laurels.
Much more needs to be
done.
I believe it is time that the
Filipino youth take the baton and step up to more of a leadership role in our
society.
At the recent annual community
and youth symposium forum, the Chairman of the Commission, Dr Stepan
Kerkyasharian said:
The old guard must make way and, in fact, give their
younger members the same opportunities which they, as young people, created for
themselves as new immigrants all those years ago.
He then went on to say:
I call on young members of communities to seize the challenge of
leading their organisations.
Your participation in today's forum is a
great indication that we have a group of youth leaders whose potential is
waiting to be tapped.
Service to the community is an important
achievement of those leaders before you.
Your elders have paved the way.
Most of what you enjoy in the community -
the fiestas, parades, musicals, sporting events, to name a few - are fruits of
their hard work.
Now, it is your turn
to create an agenda for the Filipino youth.
You will decide what form the Filipino
community will assume in the next 20 to 30 years, here in Australia which is
our home.
Professor James Jupp of the Australian
National University in his speech at a community forum said "community
organisations will wither and die and with them will go the continuity of
language and culture."
I urge you to maintain the values that you
want the generation after you to uphold.
This will not be easy.
So how will we do this then?
By
- Networking with other communities not just
the Filipino community, this will broaden your thinking and perspective. They have had their successes and
failures. Seek strategies that worked
for them, they may work for you too.
-
Borrowing
the wisdom of your elders and learning from their experiences. Don't reinvent the wheel, move forward and
don't stumble on the same mistakes.
- Seeking help from those who are in a
position to help and where help is needed.
We have a huge repository of experts such as our Members of Parliament,
government officials or business leaders.
-
Participating
actively on boards, committees and working parties, and putting forward your
brilliant propositions, questioning decisions and initiating actions
- Most importantly, believing in yourself. Showcase what you are really made of. Focus on your positive values. Do not seek respect, earn it.
All this will promote harmony. We live in a
society where differences sometimes create conflict and tension. But then again our value for respect will
show others that there is a lot to be gained in differences.
So I challenge you.
I challenge you to reach out and seize those opportunities that are
knocking on your door.
Participate in the decision-making
processes of organisations that seek your membership.
Stay united. Lend a hand, support your
mates and work with each other.
Aim
big!
Aim to be an integral part of Australia
tomorrow, its political, academic and economic landscape.
I conclude by saying I am excited for you,
and what I see in you as our future leaders.
And I am waiting, just like many others,
not only to offer guidance and assistance, but eagerly looking forward to our
future, which at this moment looks very bright to me, BECAUSE of you
Thank you -
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