A Refugee Week project has shared the stories of young people in Ballarat, Nhill and Horsham with refugee backgrounds.
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Centre for Multicultural Youth featured videos on its Facebook page of seven young people telling their story, including their journey to and experiences in Australia.
Ballarat artist and Centre for Multicultural Youth youth advisory group member Nyagak Yang's video was shared online on World Refugee Day on June 20 as part of the This Is My Story project.
Ms Yang was born in an Ethiopian refugee camp and travelled to Australia with her family at age four from Africa with her parents and four siblings due to war.
In her online video, Ms Yang said settling into Australia was not too difficult because most of her time growing up was in Australia.
"It wasn't until high school I started experiencing reality such as racism, mental health and general societal expectations," she said.
Watch Nyagak Yang share her story in the video below.
Ms Yang said it was challenging going through school without education or guidance on black issues or how to deal with racism, particularly as many teachers did not appropriately manage racism within the school.
"At a young age I hated the colour I was, I hated my hair and the facial features I had, but as I got older I grew into it and became accepting of who I was and the colour I was," she said.
"Even though it has been pretty hard in certain circumstances and certain situations being black, as I grew up I started appreciating myself and our community and everything we have been through.
"My skin colour is not something I would exchange for anything in the world. I appreciate everything, good or bad that I have been through being a South Sudanese refugee. That makes me me and I love it."
Ms Yang said she used art as a coping method and to express her feelings growing up.
She said her art began being recognised in 2017 and she has gained exposure through exhibitions and media.
"Usually when I paint, my issues and worries leave me. People say apparently it leaves my body through my art. Everyone says I can see how you feel through your art," she said.
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Ms Yang told The Courier the positive response to her video online made her feel accepted.
"It is like my opinion and my story is valid and it is important," she said.
"My story means something for the fact people want to hear it.
"There were comments from people I have never met before saying 'thank you for sharing your story, I appreciate it, it has affected me'."
Centre For Multicultural Youth team leader Shiree Pilkinton said the youth video series was a way to share stories and raise awareness in place of events that would usually run throughout Refugee Week.
"When you have an opportunity to connect to the stories and to the topic, in this case the refugee experience, it is way more impactful than almost anything we could do," she said.
Ms Yang said the video series helped her and others throughout a difficult time with a focus on racial equality and the Black Lives Matter movement.
"It felt really good to have the opportunity to still speak out, because it was at a dark time for the black community," she said.
Ms Pilkinton said Centre For Multicultural Youth was looking to continue to engage people and share stories through video amid COVID-19.
You can watch the videos posted as part of This Is My Story on the Centre For Multicultural Youth Ballarat Facebook page.
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