First Annual Young & Resilient Showcase
Children’s experiences, insights and their desire to create a better tomorrow were at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the first annual Young and Resilient Research Centre Showcase.
Hosted by former Western Sydney University Chancellor Emeritus Professor Peter Shergold AC and Young & Resilient Board Chair Lesley Podesta, on March 14, at the Telstra's Customer Insights Centre in Sydney, the event featured key research and findings about how we can promote young people's resilience in the digital age.
The night was an opportunity for members of government, NGOs and the private sector to discuss community and industry needs, and how we might work together to create real world change.
“The challenges facing young people today are complex, and having these conversations brings us one step closer to creating the partnerships and collaborations we need to solve them together,” says Professor Amanda Third, Young & Resilient Co-Director.
The audience heard from a few of our partners – Samantha Yorke, Government and Public Policy at Google Australia; Tom Riley, Research and Policy Manager at Batyr and Julie Inman Grant Australia’s eSafety Commissioner – about the tangible impacts of collaborating with Young & Resilient.
“We’re really values aligned, really trying to elevate the voices of young people,” says Riley. “Driving it forward and doing it as equals has been a big part of it,” he adds. “Together we were able to develop a project that added value for us, for Western and for the young people hopefully that will benefit from the findings.”
Betty Nguyen and Rose Lewis, two young collaborators, discussed their journey with Young & Resilient and shared their experiences of working on impactful, actionable and innovative projects. Researchers Dr Michelle Catanzaro, Linda Marsden and Dr Benjamin Hanckel spoke to the power of technology in documenting emotion, the importance of accessible and equitable connectivity, and the benefits of involving youth voices in policy development. Prof Third finished off the presentations with some of the insights of the 709 children across 27 countries who informed the UN Committee for the Rights of the Child General Comment 25.
We’d like to thank everyone who supported and attended the Showcase. A special thank you to the Telstra Foundation for hosting our event in their wonderful venue – we're incredibly appreciative of the support. We look forward to hosting similar events in the years to come.
If you’d like to make sure you’re aware of future events, please contact our Impact Officer, Dr Nukte Ogun (n.ogun@westernsydney.edu.au).
