Australian Human Rights Commission Australia and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), Shadow report to the CERD Committee – 8 July 2010 Health impacts of experiences of racism in education settings 117. The Impact of Racism upon the Health and Wellbeing of Young Australians study (2009) aimed to: 99 • examine the experiences of racism for young people in Australia of mainstream, Indigenous, migrant and refugee backgrounds • investigate how young people in Australia report and respond to racism • explore the attitudes of mainstream youth in relation to key issues in contemporary race relations. 118. The sample population (823 participants from across 18 schools) reflected the ethnic demographic characteristics of the wider Australian population as set out in 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics data. 119. The key findings in the report included the following: • 70.1 percent of participants reported experiencing racism on an occasional basis (school as the main setting) • when experiences of racism were reported 52 percent alerted their teachers, 31.7 percent alerted school counsellors, 12 percent alerted police and 4.2 percent alerted a health professional • the majority of participants took no action to report incidences of racism or racist bullying • female students were identified as a group whose wellbeing was most affected by racism • over time, where students experience racism they consistently had lower health scores, decreased health/well being and poorer education outcomes. 120. In the In Our Own Words Report (2010) African Australian young people in every state and territory said that discrimination, prejudice and negative attitudes about their ability to succeed were a constant part of their education experience. 121. The report found that many young people from African Australian backgrounds, particularly girls, recounted being told by some teachers that they “shouldn’t aim too high” to avoid disappointment and were actively discouraged from pursuing further education. 100 They also felt unfairly targeted for not knowing class rules or how to behave in different social settings. 122. Another major concern for African Australian students was the lack of appropriate support available to them at school, including a lack of available support staff who could understand their backgrounds and culture. 33