EXHIBITION

NOW.SEE.HEAR! Western Newcastle Through the Eyes of Young People with Migrant and Refugee Experience

What does home mean when you carry two in your heart?
What does belonging look like when you are building a new life while honouring the one you left behind?

This exhibition showcases powerful photographic work created by young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds living in Western Newcastle. Through their lenses, we see the complexity of living between worlds, the challenges of cultural navigation, the strength found in heritage, the hope invested in new beginnings, and the everyday moments that shape identity and belonging. Co-created with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, these photographs bring forward experiences of migration, displacement,
and the nuanced realities of navigating multiple cultural identities.

Working with professional interpreters and using culturally safe, trauma-informed approaches, young people participated in photovoice sessions exploring themes of home, place, connection, identity, resilience, and belonging. They were invited to show us what youth workers, educators, and service providers need to understand about their lives.

The result is this collection – honest, intimate, and powerful visual narratives that challenge us to see beyond assumptions and truly understand the lived experiences of young people building lives across cultures.

With thanks to the interpreters who provided Arabic, Persian, Dari, and Vietnamese language support, ensuring cultural safety and authentic participation throughout the project. We also acknowledge our valued partner organisations: Hunter New England Multicultural and Refugee Health Service, Multicultural Neighbourhood Centre, headspace Newcastle, NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), and Wesley Mission.

This exhibition is part of the Name.Narrate.Navigate (NNN) program at the University of Newcastle, funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

^{IMAGE: Name. Narrate. Navigate program participant photograph}