Expect the Unexpected

Natalie Bolzan and Fran Gale

Social Justice Social Change Research CentreUniversity of Western Sydney

Hearing from Children and Young people is becoming orthodoxy

Desire to hear from service usersGreater accuracy in understanding what

is being exploredResponse to the UN Convention on the

rights of Children to participate in decisions which affect them

Researching with children and Young people is not easy

Protection form unethical researchersThose who participate will not be

disadvantagedIssues around how to communicate with

childrenHow to collect data and how to record it

Social Foundations of Resilience

Young people in three sites in New South Wales.

‘Interrupted space’Youth workerSmall budgetRegular time to get togetherThe projects would last for 18mnths

The unexpected

Creativity

Entrenched relations

Authenticity

‘Through the Looking Glass’

Creativity

Entrenched Relations

Young people had internalised adults as the decision makers.

Adults wanted the young people to succeed

Adults had internalised themselves as ultimately responsible

‘Adults know best’ Us and them

Authenticity

Adults believed they were giving young people the power

Young people know this does not/can not happen

Young people have power and they will exercise it

A relationship grounded in reality

Lessons for us

Young people have a lot to teach us, learning is a way of life for them and they are keen to share the experience

They can be extremely patient but… If we are too obtuse, unresponsive or

patronising they simply stop and won’t bother with us.

The best results seem to emerge with the journey toward understanding is shared and the differences are acknowledged as are the similarities.

‘We are but older children dear who fret to find our bedtime near’.

(Through the Looking Glass. Lewis Carroll)

We really are all in this together.