A 12-year-old school girl who arrived in Australia just a year ago as an asylum seeker and first encountered the English language just two years ago has won a major national poetry prize. Maryam Sathat Sobhani, originally from Iran and…

For many students, university is the ultimate goal. But often, refugee kids miss out because they find Australia’s tertiary education system daunting. A mentoring program between universities and schools is helping to bridge the gap. Read more: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/08/29/mentors-encourage-refugee-kids-apply-university-places

Using sport, camps and social activities to teach English to young refugees and migrants is achieving considerable success while also delivering cultural perspectives on Australia, according to new research. An innovative new Youth Program being delivered by settlement agency AMES under…

GREATER Dandenong asylum seekers are immersing themselves in voluntary work to keep busy and contribute to the community. Read more: http://leader.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/showarticle.aspx?&article=62e0a8c6-4ee2-4085-b96e-27e574f1d8a6&viewmode=2&page=13

Mobile digital technology could help deliver improved health, hygiene and education outcomes as well as economic progress in developing countries. Researchers at Monash University are working on how information and communications technology (ICT) can used to alleviate poverty. The work…

When humans first ventured out of Africa some 60,000 years ago, they left genetic footprints still visible today. Now, scientists working on the global human genome project have mapped the appearance and frequency of genetic markers in modern peoples to…

A Nigerian woman chats happily to four of her Nigerian girlfriends in Harrid’s Cafe in the northern Brisbane suburb of North Lakes. Dressed in bright green and orange they spoke of everyday things while her little boy – about three…

Lawyers for 153 Sri Lankan asylum seekers on a boat intercepted by the Australian government applied for a full bench of the High Court to hear its case on August 5 at a directions hearing on Friday. Whereas normally such asylum seekers…

A new research project is investigating the effect on the children of non-English speaking families newly arrived to Australia who become the initial translators or ‘language brokers’ for their parents. Researchers at the University of Western Sydney say that often,…

Australian businesses are focusing on gender balance at the expense of promoting cultural diversity, according to a new survey. This is despite nine out of ten employers believing racist attitudes persist in the workplace. The survey, by the Diversity Council…

New migrants to Australia are actively engaged in forging a new life in their adopted country and show high levels of optimism, satisfaction and resilience, according to a new study of migrant attitudes. The study’s findings also paint a picture…

Educators are increasingly pursuing creative and innovative education opportunities presented by online technologies that can link teachers and students anywhere in the world. In a classroom in Brunswick, in Melbourne’s inner-north, last year a group of students chatted to each…