In the space of just one year, the number of Auslan speakers in the ACT grew by more than five percent. That is all down to the work of a new social club at the Australian National University and now one its co-founders is being celebrated on the national stage.
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00:00Charlotte Young grew up with hearing loss but now it's helping her and others gain new skills.
00:10Hi, my name is Charlotte.
00:12The 22-year-old helped establish an Auslan club at the Australian National University
00:17which not only teaches the language but also deaf awareness training.
00:22Look at the pathways that a traditional leader would get
00:25and look at where there are points that you can engage with disabled people.
00:30Within just one year, the club has boosted the number of ACT Auslan speakers by 250 people, around 5%.
00:38Charlotte's drive for inclusivity has been celebrated with the top prize at the Asian Australian Leadership Awards.
00:45I think I represent a generation of young people who recognise, you know,
00:50the racial history of policies like the White Australia Policy but have grown up in a multicultural Australia
00:55and so we've been given acceptance and agency to pursue whatever we want.
00:59Even so, a survey by Melbourne University think tank AsiaLink
01:03has found 93% of Asian Australians believe their heritage has been a barrier to success.
01:09And while 1 in 5 Australians, or 20%, have Asian cultural heritage,
01:14only 3% hold senior management positions,
01:17a situation experts have labelled the bamboo ceiling.
01:21I think we need to think a bit more deeper about how do we better equip the level underneath
01:27to be better prepared for the roles that are to come.
01:31Otherwise we will continue to be in this vicious cycle of only looking at experienced options who unfortunately aren't as diverse.
01:41It is such a multifaceted and talented group of people who have been historically marginalised and not recognised.
01:48But now the next generation is ready to bloom.