As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health, economic and social systems around the world continue to be felt, researchers are uniquely placed to learn how we deal with crisis and how we can better deal with it.

This is the aim of a new project just awarded funding by VicHealth to Prof Anita Harris, Dr Kim Lam and Dr Sherene Idriss, along with colleagues from Western Sydney University and the Centre for Multicultural Youth. The project, Enhancing Digital Participation amongst Refugee & Migrant Background Youth, will explore the opportunities and challenges experienced by young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in harnessing technology for their employment, education, social connection and wellbeing. The findings will be used to develop resources with young people that support them to better access and use technology.

The project is a response to the challenges that migrant-background and refugee young people have faced in pivoting to digital platforms and networks during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, looking at what platforms assist these young people and how they leverage their networks to find work, the project seeks to understand these young people’s pathways to employment during time of crisis.

“Young people of refugee and migrant backgrounds have enormous potential to harness technology for employment, education, social connection and wellbeing. But the pandemic has exposed the barriers they face in accessing and using technology, as well as their under-recognised digital capacities,” Prof Harris said, “In partnership with talented young researchers from refugee and migrant communities, we can identify the challenges these young Victorians face and build their strengths to support them to better engage in online opportunities.”

Prof Harris’s project is one of four research projects and two fellowships awarded funding by VicHealth, which seeks to fund research initiatives to support Victorians to build back better and fairer in the new COVID-normal. “As we create our new normal, we see a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build back better and fairer. To do this, we need bold, timely and innovative research,” VicHealth’s CEO Dr Sandro Demaio said.  

Of these six research initiatives, four are Deakin-led. Learn more here.