Refugee Week ∣ Mariam Nagawa finding her own community in Australia

By Georgia Tacey

Jun 22, 2023

Upheaval: Mariam Nagawa moved to Australia in 2018 when she was aged 20.

This week is Refugee Week, a time to celebrate and amplify the voices of refugees and to educate the Australian public about the challenges and issues refugees face in Australia.

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Having run for more than 20 years, every Refugee Week comes with a theme.

This year’s theme, ‘Finding freedom’, is about the millions of people who leave their home country every day in search of a safe space.

For Mariam Nagawa, moving to Australia from Uganda wasn’t easy. She arrived in 2018, when she was only 20, and went to Melbourne in search of her community and a place to call home. But she says things didn’t pan out exactly as she hoped.

“My experience was really hard for me because when I arrived, I was just looking for my community and trying to find my people to help me,” she said.

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, trying to find her place, especially in the African community, was hard. After a year, she made the decision to leave Melbourne and on a friend’s advice, she moved to Shepparton.

“At the time I was homeless, I didn’t have anywhere to go,” she said.

Still, life wasn’t as easy as she was hoping in Shepparton. Miss Nagawa bounced between places, sleeping on couches and in unsafe environments. But by chance, she got in contact with the Berry Street Education First Youth Foyer.

Designed for 16- to 24-year-olds, the Youth Foyer is a program that supports young people who are unable to live at home, or do not have a stable place to achieve their education goals.

As part of the Youth Foyer, they receive access to education, training and employment opportunities, a secure and affordable place to live for up to two years, with 24-hour on-site support from staff, as well as the opportunity to connect with other young people and community members.

Ms Nagawa cannot speak highly enough of the help she received during her stay at the Youth Foyer.

“The first time I arrived, it was a bit overwhelming because I thought I was a bit older than the rest of the young people that were around,” she said.

“But the Foyer was a great place, it helped me get my first rental, helped me be independent, got me a counsellor, got me a lawyer, everything that I needed.

“I was really being supported, especially through the Foyer, so I got the right community that was really supportive of who I am. I didn’t have to hide.”

In the Youth Foyer, Ms Nagawa found a community that was able to support her. She says they were there for all her big moments, from getting her first job at Kmart, up until the time she left.

“I had never celebrated my birthday in my life,” she said.

“They celebrate my birthday, it’s like family.”

After spending two years at the Youth Foyer, she decided to move on. While there, she was able to complete many courses, in English, as well as the required Certificate I in Developing Independence. She was also able to get her Certificate IV in Community Services.

Now at 26, Ms Nagawa is studying for a diploma in community services while living in Melbourne. She has also started her career in youth work and disability, and says she wouldn’t be where she is now if it wasn’t for the Youth Foyer.

“The Foyer is what made me who I am, helped me to be strong, to be persistent,” she said.

“I want to let the young people know, especially in the African community, to ask for help. There’s help out there.

“There’s places like the Foyer [that are] really helpful. It helped me, it’s part of my life.

“If someone asked me, ‘how’s your life in Australia?’ it’s the Foyer. Everything I am right now is the Foyer, and I want to thank them for making me who I am.”