The program improved the public speaking and media skills of 17 young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, to empower them to share their views on issues they feel are important.
Shout Out was organised by the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network.
Miss Goplani migrated from Abu Dhabi 11 years ago and is of Indian heritage, spending her first year of primary school in Australia being teased because she sounded different to her peers.
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READ NOW“I was fortunate to go to a relatively multicultural high school: Rossmoyne,” Miss Goplani said.
“My food was different.
“I had to sit down to eat curry, I couldn’t carry it around like a sandwich, and people would want to try my lunch.
“It got to the point where I refused to take lunch because I would rather eat at home.”
She spoke of the ‘Little India’ circle she was a part of at school as a way to cope with the increased attention, which she regrets now that she is in university and surrounded by people of all different nationalities, enabling her to really embrace difference.
Miss Goplani is studying physiology and pathology at UWA, is the outreach co-ordinator for Engineers without Borders, and is involved in the reinvigorated TEDxUWA.
The final step in the program is the development of a website, which will contain the young people’s photos and bios, as well as an online form to book them to speak at events from July.