Perspectives on Negative Media Representations of Sudanese and South Sudanese Youths in Australia

Negative media representations of refugee and migrant communities can have a significant impact on members of these communities’ overall lived experiences, causing issues regarding socio-political belonging and socio-economic security. In Australia, this has become a pertinent issue for young people from Australia’s Sudanese and South Sudanese communities. In recent times, young Sudanese and South Sudanese Australians have been the subject of persistent negative media attention. Utilising a voice-centred relational methodology (VCRM) approach, this paper presents and discusses qualitative findings regarding the perspectives of Australian Sudanese and South Sudanese youths and those from the community organisation sector on these media representations. The findings of this study suggest that negative media representations of Australian Sudanese and South Sudanese youths impact the everyday lived experiences of these young people, disrupting their overall sense of belonging in Australia. Many of the young people in this study believe these lived experiences are causing serious consequences for their overall social prosperity and well-being and creating barriers for their overall success. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of these lived experiences, placing the voices of participants at the centre of the research.