Events
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, 25 August - 9.30am - 1.30pm - Y&R's Research Week event "How can youth research help change the world?"
Coming up during Western Sydney University's 2025 Research Week will be a half day event on Monday 25 August from 9.30am - 1.30pm hosted by the Young and Resilient Centre on the topic of "How can youth research help change the world?".
This event is made up of two parts.
Part 1 (9.30 am – 11.15 am) is an interactive, intergenerational panel and launch of “Youth Studies in Australia and the Climate Crisis: Time for Action” a special issue of the Journal of Applied Youth Studies. Authors will present their work with young people, community members, and industry partners, reflecting on how these audiences and co-collaborators have shaped the research process. The journal editors will share reflections on how academic publications can push boundaries and make accessible research to underpin local and international efforts to renew education, law, climate change policy and democracy.
Attend Part 1 in person or Via Zoom
Part 2 (11.30 am – 1.30 pm) is a hands-on workshop to explore an open-access participatory emotion mapping tool developed at the Young and Resilient Research Centre that can be used in a range of community, policy and industry settings to generate actionable research insights on how people experience place. The session will include case studies and a walking workshop in Parramatta using the tool itself.
Attend Part 2 in person only
Y&R Seminar Series - 2025 program
Delivered by the Young and Resilient Research Centre, this seminar series creates a space for our members to showcase their research that aligns with our four research streams. Our call for presentations in 2024 invited research at any stage, from conceptual development to completed projects. Members who present and attend will receive valuable feedback, share their findings, and explore potential collaborations with colleagues.
Wednesday, 13 August 2025 from 12pm - 1pm
Professor Philippa Collin, Co-Director Young and Resilient Research Centre - Presentation topic: Youthful Politics, Public Pedagogy and Prospects for Democratic Renewal - Read Prof Collin's abstract
Location: Parramatta South EZ.1.57 & Online.
For those attending in person, lunch will be provided after this event.
September - date & time TBC - Rosemberg Franco Orrego, visiting scholar
Presentation topic: Digital citizenship education and socio-emotional learning: a Chilean case study
PAST EVENTS
Click on each year to see our past events.
▶ 2025 Events
Climate Action Week event at PHIVE in Parramatta
On Saturday, 15 March, 2025 as part of Climate Action Week Sydney Y&R's New Possibilities team joined forces with Carmel Reyes, Head of Climate Action and Sustainability at Powerhouse Parramatta to co-host a vibrant, interactive event in Parramatta Square.
The event showcased the work of over fifty Western Sydney University Design students, including visual displays and student led poster-making workshops, which saw youth climate advocates and activists, artists, designers and the Western Sydney community come together to visually express the role of youth climate action in achieving climate justice.
Find out more and watch the event video
Online Book Launch - Youth Digital Health and Online Platforms
On Tuesday, 4 February, 2025 Y&R graduate and CASE social sciences specialist Martyna Gliniecka discussed the launch of her book "Youth Digital Health and Online Platforms - Dialogue with Peers on Reddit" with Professor Philippa Collin and Emeritus Professor Bob Hodge.
What Matters? Report launch
On Wednesday, 12 February, 2025 the launch of the report “What Matters to Young Australians Through Turbulent Times?“ took place at the Whitlam Institute. The report is an analysis of 22,531 entries of young people to the What Matters? writing competition between 2019 and 2024. Speakers at the event included National Children's Commissioner, Anne Holland.
▶ 2024 Events
Protecting Children Online: Insights from children and young people webinar
On Tuesday, November 12, 2024 Y&R and Save the Children hosted a free webinar entitled "Protecting Children Online: Insights from children and young people".
This was a unique opportunity to hear the insights of over 600 children and young people aged 8-18 years from seven countries around the world (Australia, Cambodia, Colombia, Finland, Kenya, Philippines, and South Africa) to understand how they experience and respond to interactions with unknown people online.
Watch the morning webinar which involved young people from the Philippines.
Watch the evening webinar which involved young people from Kenya.
Launch of the Research Handbook for the Sociology of Youth
This 90 minute virtual book launch introduces the brand new Research Handbook on the Sociology of Youth, a new resource for researchers, teachers, policy-makers, practitioners and students around the world. This reflective, critical and accessible Research Handbook brings together information from the Global North and South to examine the social, political, cultural and ecological processes that inform what it means to be young. This book contains insights to the theoretical, methodological and conceptual approaches in the field, commentaries from young people across the world, and insights into how policy-makers and professionals can apply research findings in practice. Attendance is online by registration only.
Date: Tuesday, 9 July 2024, 5:00PM-6:30PM AEST.
Location: Online via Zoom.
Amplifying Youth Participation: Engaging Children and Young People in Media and Communications (ICA 2024 Preconference)
In the lead up to the 74th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, 'Communication and Global Human Rights', the Young and Resilient Research Centre is hosting a preconference to facilitate dynamic and thought-provoking conversations that highlight the potential of children’s and adolescents’ involvement in media and communications research. Through engaging discussions, interactive workshops, and insightful presentations, attendees will hear from researchers, practitioners, children and young people to explore the principles behind meaningful child participation, and the practical skills and strategies required to put this into action. Together we will explore the transformative power of child-centred research to help drive positive social change.
You are welcome to submit a paper until Thursday, 21 March 2024, midnight AEST.
Date: Thursday, 20 June 2024, 9:00AM-5:00PM.
Location: Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre (GCCEC). 2684-2690 Gold Coast Highway, Broadbeach QLD 4218.
Y&R Seminar Series
Delivered by the Young and Resilient Research Centre, this seminar series creates a space for our members to showcase their research that aligns with ours four research streams. Our call for presentations in May 2024 invited research at any stage, from conceptual development to completed projects. Members who present and attend will receive valuable feedback, share their findings, and explore potential collaborations with colleagues.
Date: Seminar one is on Tuesday, 18 June 2024, 11:30AM-1:00PM AEST.
Location: Online or in-person at Western Sydney University, Parramatta South campus on the corner of James Ruse Drive & Victoria Rd Rydalmere, 2116.
Young People, Precarious Work, Geographies of Disadvantage: A One Day Symposium
Employment, income, and career opportunities are increasingly centralised in big cities, particularly in the global north, but the cost of living in such cities has become prohibitive, with spiralling rents and rampant inflation. This symposium will bring together researchers who explore the mobilities and locational choices of young adults in relation to education and work. It focusses particularly on those from working class and minority backgrounds, and their strategies for making a living and building careers in both the metropole and the periphery: how do they overcome precariousness of work, skills, and incomes, and what sorts of social bonds do they form in their endeavours?
Date: Wednesday, 24 April from 9:30AM
Location: Online and in-person at Western Sydney University, Peter Shergold Building
169 Macquarie Street, Level 9, Conference Room 4, Parramatta NSW 2150.
2024 Protecting Children and Youth from Digital Harm Symposium
How can digital harm issues for children and young people can be identified and tackled? Join governmental figures, civil society representatives, industry leaders, and young voices around the world to discover both online and offline solutions. From discussions on digital empowerment to exploring existing protective measures and the evolving roles of technology and government, the Symposium covers a broad spectrum of topics. Gain insights from USAID's Digital Youth Council members, offering invaluable perspectives from the young people themselves.
Date: Tuesday, 6 February 2024, 3:00PM AEDT.
Location: Online.
▶ 2023 Events
Youth Co-Research Masterclasses
Delivered in collaboration with the Centre for Multicultural Youth, this masterclass equips researchers with an applied understanding of how to work with young people as collaborative researchers. Attendees are taken through the fundamentals of co-research, case studies, information and guidance, and tools and resources, part of a soon to be published Youth Co-research Toolkit supported by the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies. Attendees will also have the opportunity to listen to the experiences of researchers, youth practitioners and young people, ask questions, and take part in hands-on activities.
Dates and Locations:
Sydney
Tuesday, 14 November 2023, 10:00AM-2:00PM.
Western Sydney University, Peter Shergold Building
169 Macquarie Street, Level 7, Room 39A, Parramatta, NSW, 2150
Online
Tuesday, 21 November 2023, 10:00AM-12:30PM.
Melbourne
Tuesday, 28 November 2023, 10:00AM-2:00PM.
The Assembly Hall, Boyd Community Hub
207 City Road, Southbank VIC 3006
Enhancing Digital Participation Amongst Refugee and Migrant Background Youth – Showcase and Workshop
What is the role of digital participation for the work, study and wellbeing of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds? How can organisations, governments and industry better engage with young people to support their digital participation? This hybrid showcase will present findings from Enhancing Digital Participation Amongst Refugee and Migrant Background Youth, a VicHealth-funded collaborative project between Deakin University, Western Sydney University and The Centre for Multicultural Youth (all members of the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies).
Date: Thursday, 31 August 2023, 10:00AM-1:00PM
Location: Online
Powerhouse Late: Climate
What happens when you take the visual activism commonly found on the streets of the climate protest into the formal space of the museum? Powerhouse Late: Climate will feature student and community-led workshops that navigate the role of visual communication and storytelling in responding to climate change.
Date: Thursday, 27 July 2023, 5:00-9:00PM
Location: Powerhouse (Ultimo) - 500 Harris St Ultimo NSW 2007
Enacting bespoke models of care: Examining how young people support their friends through tough times.
Help-seeking activities are often framed in terms of the formalised services that lead young people into pathways of care. In this talk, Benjamin will be challenging us to look beyond these formal parameters to the different, informal methods that young people use to help each other through tough times.
Date: Tuesday, 25 July 2023, 1:00PM
Location: Online
Storytelling for impact: Measuring and evaluating with young people
How do we involve young people meaningfully? How do we measure and evaluate the work we do with young people? This event, led by the Young and Resilient Research Centre, aims to bring together practitioners, service providers, young people and academics to explore these questions.
The Climate Crisis and Young People's Health and Well-Being
Climate change is increasingly impacting our lives in more than one way. Join us at the ISA World Congress for Sociology, for a session on Young People, Resistance and Crisis: Mental Health and Climate to discuss how young people are configuring, mobilising and making community responses to crisis of mental health and climate change.
Date: 25 June – 1 July 2023
Location: Melbourne
Find out more here.
Cultural Wellbeing Rapid Sessions
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Team (MHWBT) Is holding a series of events as part of the Cultural Wellbeing Rapid Sessions to promote and profile the importance of cultural safety, diversity, inclusion, and representation. Our Research Officer Dr Shiva Chandra will be speaking in one of the sessions, along with Professor Michelle Trudgett and Matilda Harry
Date: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Location: Online
Find out more here.
Using law and policy for children's rights
Hosted by our friends at the Law and Policy Working Group of the International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership, this online event will explore innovative opportunities that lie at the intersection of children’s rights, intergenerational participation, law and policy work. Attendees will hear from speakers across Canada, Australia, South Africa and Scotland. A recording will be available to all who register for the event.
Date: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Location: Online
Find out more here.
Our Safe Community Online Consultation
The Western Sydney Community Forum is seeking Western Sydney community-based organisations, community influencers and community-based media outlets to be part of this consultation! Our Safe Community Online (OSCO) aims to support young people to have safer online experiences. This consultation will facilitate OSCO in the development of an e-safety tool for Western Sydney community-based organisations to utilise in building online capacity for young people. There are two consultation slots available on 16 May.
Date: Tuesday, 16 May
Location: PHIVE, 5 Parramatta Square
Find out more here.
Launch: Practical Guides to Assist Researchers Engage with Young People
There is growing evidence that health research on issues affecting young people is better when young people are engaged across the research phases. Join us for a special and interactive March webinar, hosted by Professor Philippa Collin (from Durham in the UK), Research Officer Mia Cox, and a panel of WH&Y Commissioners. The team will introduce us to a suite of resources aimed at guiding researchers on how best to engage and collaborate with young people in ways that are respectful, inclusive, aware, and power-neutral.
Date: Tuesday, 28 March 1:00PM – 2:00PM AEDT
Location: Online
Find out more here.
Young Children in Digital Society 2023 seminar series: Seminar 1
The ACU Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education is hosting a seminar series on children and young people and the digital world. The first seminar kicks off with a discussion on partnership and conducting transdisciplinary research and collaborations under ARC linkage projects.
Date: Tuesday, 14 March 7:00PM – 8:00PM AEDT
Location: Zoom
Find out more here.
Graduate Research School Career Series: February Webinar
Join the first 2023 GRS webinar on February 23, with special guest Dr Jeni Stevens from NSW Health (Clinical Midwifery Consultant in Infant Feeding)! The GRS Career Series is a monthly Zoom webinar featuring a guest speaker with a PhD and a career outside of academia.
Date: Thursday, 23 February 12PM – 1PM
Location: Zoom
Find out more here.
▶ 2022 Events
Beyond Borders: Global Perspectives on Digital Media and Children
How do children from different cultures and countries use screens for education, social connection, and entertainment? What can we learn from what other communities are doing to protect and advocate for children? Join us and our friends at the Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development in this virtual webinar where an international panel of experts discuss and examine the latest trends in youth media habits, research, policies and parenting perspectives from around the world.
Date: Thursday 1 December 4:30 am AEDT
Location: Online
Find out more here.
Youth and money matters: Precarity, wellbeing and digital media
Issues related to precarity and economic insecurity are central concerns for many sociologists studying the lives of young people. However, direct discussions of money and its use and meaning in everyday life remain rare in youth sociology. Join us and our friends at the Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Sociology of Thematic Group for a full-day symposium. The event brings established and emerging scholars, including Young & Resilient's Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow, Dr Benjamin Hanckel, together with speakers from industry and stakeholder organisations to explore issues related to money and youth.
Date: Monday 28 November 9:00 am - 4:00 pm AEDT
Location: Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne Kwong Lee Dow Building, 234 Queensbury St. Carlton
Find out more here.
AAAH 2022 Youth Health Conference
What are the health needs of young people and what services and support do they require? Do health services cater for diverse communities and are we listening to young people enough? The Australian Association for Adolescence Health (AAAH) invites you to the 2022 Youth Health Conference to answer these questions and more.
Date: 7 – 9 November
Location: CENTREPIECE, Melbourne Park Melbourne, Victoria
Find out more here.
Rainbow Families Halloween Disco
Get set for an afternoon of great grooves and good times as Rainbow Families puts on their famous Halloween Disco! The wonderful Kate Monroe is returning on the decks, so expect to hear songs that will get both you and the kids shaking your booty. Bring a picnic blanket and set it up on the grass. We will have activities for the kids, snacks and drinks and of course the wonderful Kate Munroe playing all the best tunes!
Date: 5 November 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: 107 Green Square, 3A Joynton Avenue, Zetland
Find out more here.
The Rhetorics of Artificial Intelligence: A Symposium
The Rhetorics of Artificial Intelligence is a one-day symposium designed to explore the rhetoric of public discourses surrounding AI, and whether AI recognises and can employ rhetoric, broadly conceived. What do our ongoing conversations concerning AI reveal about larger social and political anxieties and phenomena? To what extent and in what ways will AI technologies transform language and meaning making in the world? Will AI ever emulate human modes of rhetorical interaction? As AI becomes a ubiquitous aspect of our everyday experience, such questions become more urgent and necessary. Join us to hear what members from Young & Resilient have to say.
Date: 3 November, 9:30 – 3:15pm
Location: Peter Shergold Building 1, Lvl 4, Rm 23 & 33, 169 Macquarie Street, Parramatta, Western Sydney University
Find out more here.
Navigating Collaborative Research: Technology & Impact for Young People
The Young and Resilient Research Centre invites you to an online seminar to celebrate research, as a part of Research Week 2022 at Western Sydney University. Join a panel of researchers, service providers and young people sharing their experiences in producing and participating in impactful research that results in real world change.
Date: 31 October 2022, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm AEDT
Location: Online Seminar
Find out more here.
‘You are much more than just data’ – meaningful roles for young people in research
Are you a young person who would like to know more about the world of research? Or a researcher who wants to work with young people to do research in meaningful and relevant ways? Join our team of young researchers from the Centre for Multicultural Youth and (not so young) researchers from the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies as we launch our new Youth Co-Research Toolkit!
Date: 15 August 2022 6pm - 7.15pm AEDT
Location: Online Webinar
Find out more here.
Foundations for Belonging 2022 – Insights on newly arrived refugees: Family separation and reunion during the pandemic
Settlement Services International will be launching the latest phase of the Foundations for Belonging research which explores insights on the impacts of the pandemic for newly arrived refugees in Australia. Join to hear Young & Resilient's Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow, Dr Sukhmani Khorana taking part in a live panel discussion with a Q&A moderated by Lydia Feng, ABC TV.
Date: 16 August 2022 11am - 12.30am AEST
Location: Online Webinar
Find out more here.
Sexualities And Genders Research Seminar & White Paper Launch
The Sexualities and Genders Research Network at Western Sydney University is hosting a research seminar and launch of a critical white paper. The panel will feature Young & Resilient's Dr Benjamin Hanckel and Dr Shiva Chandra, together with Assoc Prof Lucy Nicholas, Assoc Prof Jacqueline Ullman, and Assoc Prof Tania Ferfolja places WSU as a national leader for research into intersectionality and the inclusion of trans* and gender diversity in gender equity in workplaces.
Date: 25 August 2022 4pm - 7pm AEST
Location: Online Webinar
Find out more here.
