The Bor Youth Association in Victoria is a non-profit organisation. The BYAV was founded 2004 by a group of youth dedicated to joined their efforts to create a network of easy communication between themselves across the globe but especially in Australia. Bor Youth Association of Victoria is a part of the national youth network across Australia known as Bor Youth Association of Australia Inc.Some key reasons for its formation are to enlighten, and entertain the community to help facilitate peaceful interactions across diverse cultures. The BYAV work in close relationship with the Bor community Association of Australia.  The Bor Youth Association in Victoria represents the general views of the youth in Victoria and also works in collaboration with the BYAA and BCAA respectively on community issues.

Why was BYAV formed?

As stated in the BYAV background, the long civil war which had been running in the Sudan had created a lot of hardships and challenges to the Southern Sudanese people in particular that compelled them to seek refuge in the neighbouring countries and all round the world as well. Many of the youth living in Australia had been the most disadvantaged  and have live in all these difficult circumstances in the Sudan. Most of whom have had lost parents at their young ages while the rest still haven’t met their parents for the last 20 years of their lives. Such situation creates stigmatization, depression and traumatisation in diverting the potential youth to lose the vision of being the next generation. The Bor Youth Association of Victoria and BYAA  hold  the extreme aspirations to work hard to meet the demand the community anticipated of them in Victoria and  Australia at large where as an assistance is most required to revive the opoturnites needed by the  destitute people through interaction.

Background of BYAV

Bor community is one of the most disadvantaged communities devastated and set apart during the days of authoritarian regimes of Sudan since 1950s. The conditions worsen in 1960s when a number of mass displacements occurred due to the cleansing attacks waged on civilians. This caused the lives of paramount chiefs, singers and physical fit youth as the decision of marching the community to the route of well planed extinction. Under the same massacre, 23 chiefs at least were murdered in the dawn of sunrise in Bor town 1965.

As fate continues, the results of the 1962 Anyang war, Bor town and rural parts were largely affected, but however, failed to focus on the physical infrastructure because of the stigmatization which was brought forth by the series killing of the community icons and the innocent lives of civilians. These civilians were then intimidated not to focus on the social development of their beloved land. Again in 1983, the same catastrophe happened as war begun in the centre of Bor town which enormously displaced the majority of its natives. In 1987 as Khartoum regime intensified its offensive against the South, many of minor childern (the underage) departed seeking refuge into Ethiopia  where many of them died of malnutrition, measles, Meningitis, Dysentery and other natural calamities.

This was overwhelmed by the 1991 political massacre of the civilians in Bor land. This tragedy contributed much to the under development of Bor land and its people. The community had in many ways undergone several threats of man- made disasters and natural calamities of the 1986 famine (Ruun apaar), 1992 ( ruun ca Capoth) and many other the disasters afterward. Many lives were lost within these years because of inadequate food and medicine caused by the illiteracy and lack of facilities. Another mass displacement occurred in the 1991 split,  forced Bor civilians with minor protection to flee to the areas of Eastern, Western,  Kotobi, Mogali,Lobone, Yondu, Magaltoria, Kirwa, Ngatinga, New Cush, Narus as displaced camps.

The displacement continues eastwards to the areas of Pinyidu, Demo, Kakuma and Kaboko Refugees Camps with inclusion of the approximate number of over 20 thousands people living in Australia, USA, Canada and Europe. These are all causes of war and the most affected are youth who many of them remain orphans, widowers, widows and wandering homelessly without parenting guidance.

As a positive result of the above description, these youth are currently in the western worlds and with the extreme courage to build a social development. Efforts exerted by the youth are more influential as the whole society joins in recognition of their potential hard work and courage. In order to make a breakthrough on the acquired skills, many of the youth living in Victoria had survived through such problems. Still their chances to success are nevertheless affected and should work long and hard to turn such experiences into fruitful ends. The BYAV is deliberate to make the best it can in achieving the future plans anticipated ahead for constructive progress. Bring youth together to share their future ideas can create an enormous impact in building the right future and develop the system of being good citizens.

BYAV Objectives

• To support the settlement of Bor youth in Victoria to minimise the impact of trauma, displacement, grief and loss as a result of the refugee experience.
• To advocate for Bor youth in the wider community particularly those who have been separated from family and relatives.
• To identify resources/activities to meet community needs and work in partnership with other agencies and organizations that are consistent with the objectives of the Association to meet the needs of Bor youth in Victoria.
• To provide opportunities for Bor youth to participate in community and recreational activities including sportings.
• To promote traditional arts and dance amongst Bor youth in Victoria.
• To promote education of young people from Bor to enhance their understanding of Australian laws and cultures.
• To promote healthy lifestyles and work with young people to increase their understanding of, and minimize, the harm that can be caused by drug and alcohol use, homelessness and sexually transmitted diseases.
• To encourage Bor youth participation in youth activities within the wider community to promote understanding and harmony amongst youth in a multicultural Victoria.
• To promote equality between young men and women from Bor.
• To consult regularly with Bor youth to identify and prioritise needs to improve quality of life and report regularly on existing projects and programs for youth input and continued endorsement.
• To develop programs to support humanitarian assistance and redevelopment of the Bor region in Sudan.
• To organise fundraising activities to support Association activities that meet the needs of Bor youth.

Membership

Every person age 16 to 45 is allowed to register as a member of the Association according to the constitution of the BYAA. The membership fees is $50 with the subscription of $120 Australian annually or payable in monthly instalments of $10 per month. Financial members of the association will be managed and guided by the constitution of BYAA.

Rights

• Freedom of speech and expression
• Right to loyalty, and to preserve the integrity
• Right to vote when registered and of age
• Right to nominate and to be nominated to the executive position.

Proper performance on the public Activity

The BYAV management will make sure that members are actively involved to the full implementation and respect of pursuing the strategic planning. The expected need to display the conducts required during the course running the official term as is essential to make away through. This inclusion means to ensure and signify truthfulness and impartiality in the operation of the official business. The management contends to have inflexible policy of being open and transparency in the dissemination of the information accordingly.

• Members are expected to respect the privacy policy.
• It is anticipated that every member of the BYAV should support and adhere to the principles and comply with accurate, truthful and appropriate information at such period as required of their eligibility for membership.
• Every member is expected to use their right to vote during the youth elections in a responsible and fair manner, without an attempt of any unnecessary influence.

Financial responsibilities

• ensuring the right performance in the association and safeguarding its assets.
• approving the financial strategy.
• approving annual operating strategy and budgets which should reflect the association's strategic plan.
• ensuring that funds provided by the members are used in accordance with the requisites and conditions specified.
• ensuring the continuation and honesty of financial control systems and keeps regular monitoring during the operation.
• receiving and approving annual accounts (financial statements).

BYAV Logo

The Bor Youth Association of Victoria has designed a logo which defines its image building. This is the step of making the association to acquire the right identity on the daily operation of the official progress. The BYAV logo is meant to address various issues of target in our community. In making the right recovery, the management of BYAV decided to focus on things that can be of good reflection to us. The following components comprised to bring the final logo with the attached meanings of the symbols and colours respectively.

The BYAV logo is the legal symbol with the seal of this Association to be used in every piece of official writing.

Meanings to logo components

Components                       Description                                                 Meaning

The blue and green colours are meaningful to the Association in below defined contexts. The content is described in two cateories of colour scheme to present the BYAV logo to the association at large.

1. Blue Colour:  strong, importance, peaceful, relationships
2. Green colour:  growth, health, environment and prosperity.

Rule of law

Because of the war and illiteracy, many youth could not in any way adopt the statutory understanding to the rule of law. This became a major threat to the integration process of being faced by these challenges. Most of the youth are being dragged into the world of drugs, alcohol and other dangerous elements as a key threat to the peaceful society. The BYAV involvement in associating its services with willing bodies will help in making these youth to achieve all they need for the future prosperity. The BYAV management intends to initiate a program that links youth to the agencies concern in mailing these youth responses to the high demand of compliance with the law.

Cultural change and urbanisation

With no doubt, this becomes the other affecting factor to the society of the emerging communities facing difficulties on how easily they can integrate into the wider Australian society. Everything is protected by the law in Australia, including family’s marriages which sometimes become hard for the traditional communities to understand. The reality behind the mess is the educational understanding which can be achievable when youth become part of the struggle in educating the community at large.

BYAV   networking

·         The Bor Youth Association of Victoria management plans to extend the contacts to other agencies importantly through the operational period of time. The management is proud to form and work in conjunction with others in providing the services to its community in all edges of need.

·         It is a clear that every emerging community currently living in Australia cannot change the law and should abide by it. This idea was raised as a matter of concern to direct our commitment with the expertise towards educating the community. This can be achieved through the technical interaction between the youth organisations of the diverse Victoria and Australia at whole.

Achievements made since

• The former office of BYAV facilitated and hosted a three-day Bor youth conference in Noble Park, Melbourne on the 27th of December, 2006 under the umbrella of the BYAA.. The conference was largely attended by Bor youth across Australia. The minutes or the issues facing youth and the community were raised and discussed to some extent. Some resolutions were drawn and eventually reviewed set as guide to the next meeting. The youth worked hard to accommodate and cater for the services to the conference. 
• The activities where youth took part in include sports, cultural dances, and the BYAV office was proud to award with trophies the best performers of such games. The key awards were given to the participants of basketball and soccer, which was BYAV's sponsorship. 
•  Transport in the wider suburbs of Melbourne was significantly made easy by the members of BYAV office.

Guiding principles

• The guiding principles of BYAV shall be based on the total hard work of the individuals and the subscribers involved from all forms of economic and social development. The pursuit happiness, human rights and equality shall be channelled through creation of best democratic participation.
• It was founded by the youth for the youth for collective good of every other persons of this community for now and other times. In its formation it has the democratic view to enable every member feels and enjoys the right of decision-making on the developmental context.

BYAV AIMS

• To bring youth together in respect of Rule of Law through and possible interaction between the law enforcement agencies and expertise to
• To tirelessly work toward linkingup service providers youth with any educational support. 
• To support youth and encourage them to serve their communities with conscientious commitment of purpose.
•  To work together with the communities, NGOs and CBOs on process of settlement of the new arrived migrant to the new society of Victoria. 
•  To work hard to secure and lay down the extreme admiration of the rule of law among the youth and to develop the culture of respect to the environment.
•  To work hard to setup developmental projects with the help of NGO’s in the area and possible international and national partnership on the poverty eradication.
•  To make possible changes and the cultural influence on human rights violation.

BYAV mission

• To achieve a brighter future for young and to preserve the cultural values of success.
• To create a better future for the youth and work towards a society where youth are empowered to develop their potential and creativity as self-motivated members of their societies and to participate fully at every level of decision making and development, both individually and collectively.
• Stand to empower the youth to access living in harmony style.