The Melbourne Social Equity Institute’s Community Fellows Program aims to meet the research needs of community organisations to conduct small research-related projects in collaboration with university-based researchers.

About the Program

Through the Community Fellows Program, we aim to support research that will lead to positive outcomes such as improved service delivery, the development of new services, improved ability to advocate effectively or the improved capacity to undertake future research projects.

Community Fellows are able to spend time at the University of Melbourne to develop research skills. Projects should be relevant to the work of community-based organisations and aim to promote social equity. Projects could involve conducting a scoping report, literature review, data analysis or a small research project.

The initiative is targeted at small to medium-sized community-based organisations (up to 199 employees) that currently have very limited capacity to conduct research. Projects should be small, tightly focused and address an issue of relevance to the organisation. Key objectives for the Community Fellows Program are to meet community-based needs for research and to foster community–academic collaborations.

The Community Fellows Program gives our small organisation an opportunity to do much-needed original research in our specialised field that would not have been otherwise possible. It gives me the space, time and resources to stop, think and investigate. Invaluable!

Fellowship Structure

Each Community Fellow is assigned an Academic Mentor with relevant expertise. The Melbourne Social Equity Institute and Academic Mentor will work with the Fellow to design a feasible project. The Mentor and Fellow will meet regularly over the course of the project and additional support will be provided by the Institute to assist Fellows to conduct and write up their research.

During their placement, Fellows will have opportunities to participate in a range of academic and professional development activities. Community Fellows will be provided with hot-desking facilities, a temporary email address, access to Canvas (the University’s Learning Management System) and to library and internet facilities.

Grants of $7000 are made available to the community-based organisations to compensate them for the time that Fellows spend working on their research projects. A small research budget will be allocated to each Community Fellow to enable them to undertake their research. A Collaboration Agreement will be created specifying project details, levels of financial support and expected outcomes.

Community Fellows will be expected to actively participate in the research training provided which will include an orientation and an intensive 3-day orientation and training program in February 2023. Fellows are also expected to engage with other Fellows as part of a cohort experience and to participate in a mid-term work-in-progress workshops with the rest of the cohort.

Commenced in 2021

Emma Antonetti

Whittlesea Community Connections

Volunteering and new arrivals: a social cohesion opportunity

This project aims to understand the individual client journey from arrival in Australia to being active citizens in their community with a focus on how volunteering impacts on this process. Working in partnership with people with migrant and refugee backgrounds recently arrived in Australia, it explores how volunteering along with different factors, approaches and inputs, inter-relate to help people overcome barriers to effective community participation. This understanding will enable us to maximse outcomes and opportunities for people with migrant and refugee backgrounds to settle well and contribute to a more cohesive community.

Academic Mentor

Dr Karen Block
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health

Loretta Asquini

North Melbourne Language and Learning

Digital inclusion of CALD communities

As a result of COVID-related restrictions in 2020, North Melbourne Language and Learning’s (NMLL) capacity to engage with the community in adult learning and community development (CD) programs was severely hampered by participants and the community’s lack of access to data, devices and reduced and varied digital capabilities.

This research project focuses on engaging participants of NMLL English and pre-accredited classes and community development programs, who in the main experienced intensified digital exclusion during the peak of the pandemic. Many of NMLL program participants also live in the North Melbourne and Flemington Public Housing estates who experienced some of the toughest lockdown measures during the height of the pandemic in Victoria and who experience a range of social and economic vulnerabilities before, during and after these measures were put into place. The research aims to investigate and analyse the impact that the pandemic has had on their ability to participate in adult learning and community activities because of digital exclusion.

This research will link to a broader research project Understanding Digital Inequality led by Dr Nicky Dulfer and supported by the Carlton Local Agencies Network (CLAN).

Academic Mentors

Dr Nicky Dulfer
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Dr Catherine Smith
Melbourne Graduate School of Education

Morgan Cataldo

Berry Street

Lived experience reflective practice tool

The focus of this project is the co-development of an online learning analytic tool in the form of a quiz, to support the community sector promote practice reflection with young Lived Experience Consultants and Peer Workers. The online tool aims to strengthen and enhance self-reflection and planning capability, and target methods through which young people are able to monitor their lived experience skill development through tailored feedback.

Academic Mentor

Dr Eduardo Araujo Oliveira
School of Computing and Information Systems

Maya Ghassali

Road to Refuge

Refugee representation in the Australian media

This research aims to fill a gap of knowledge in understanding why there is a very limited representation of people with the lived experience of being a refugee in the Australian media and to understand the steps needed to increase the representation of people with lived experience. It also aims to understand the current state of refugee representation in the Australian media and advocate for the necessary steps to be taken to increase refugee representation. The project plans to produce a media brief for institutions across Australia on how to increase refugee representation in the media and to develop and deliver workshops for journalists on how to increase refugee voices in their journalism.

Academic Mentor

Dr Denis Muller
School of Culture and Communication

Bronte Gosper

First Nations Media Australia

Above and Beyond Broadcasting: A Study of First Nations Media and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Bronte Gosper, a proud Wiradjuri woman from Orange, NSW, focused her research on the impact of First Nations, community-controlled media organisations in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work supported the need for culturally relevant messaging and discussed the role of First Nations journalists and media organisations as primary conduits of trusted information within First Nations communities. Drawing on three case study examples, Bronte supported semi-formal interviews, contributed desk research and editorial work to the Above & Beyond Broadcasting: A Study of First Nations Media and the COVID-19 Pandemic report due to be published in November 2021.

Academic Mentors

Dr Sharon Huebner
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
Dr Lyndon Ormond-Parker
Melbourne School Population and Global Health

This project is supported by the Indigenous Knowledge Institute.

James Houghton

Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria

Access to COVID-19 information and its influence on access to related services and supports for people with disabilities from migrant and refugee backgrounds

The project aims to understand how Victorians with disabilities from migrant and refugee backgrounds have obtained information about COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic. Applying an intersectional lens, the research will identify how these experiences influenced access to pandemic-related services and supports, and opportunities to make informed choices related to health, participation and connectedness during the pandemic. The key objectives of this research are to understand the perspectives of Victorians with disabilities from migrant and refugee backgrounds with regards to barriers and facilitators to accessing COVID-19 related information during the ongoing pandemic, and how access to this information influenced access to COVID-19 related services and supports.

Academic Mentors

Dr Mediya Rangi
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
Dr Alexandra Devine
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health

This project is supported by the Melbourne Disability Institute

Nyandit Lizzie Jok

Road to Refuge

Refugee representation in the Australian media

Academic Mentor

Dr Denis Muller
School of Culture and Communication

Karen Jones

Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation

Jacksons Creek (Sunbury) Cultural Values Study

The Water Unit of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation was developed as an organisational response to its collaboration with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). The Unit is dedicated to ensuring meaningful participation of Woiwurrung people in achieving water justice. The mechanisms for this have included legislation, advocacy, contributing to water policy and influencing decision making as it pertains to Country. Documentation of the Woiwurrung historic and contemporary land use and occupancy of Jacksons Creek will provide the basis for the management and protection of Woiwurrung values in the Victorian Government's Suburban Parks Program. Determining the cultural values will also enable the Corporation to produce recommendations in future waterways management decisions embedding Traditional Owners and their values and culture in waterway planning and management.

Academic Mentors

Dr Julia Hurst
School of Historical and Philosophical Studies
Dr Erin O'Donnell
Melbourne Law School

This project is supported by the Indigenous Knowledge Institute and Melbourne Law School.

Annelise Lecordier

It’s Not A Compliment

Capturing the voices of marginalised communities facing street harassment

Considerable gaps currently exist within street harassment literature on the experiences of individuals from marginalised communities. With most of the research up until this point largely focusing on the experience of cis-het white women, little is known about how people from particularly vulnerable groups experience harassment within public spaces in their day-to-day life. This project seeks to address this gap by applying an intersectional lens to the issue, conducting focus group discussions with individuals from communities known to be targets of harassment despite often being left out of public discourse on this issue. Through these, the project hopes to gain a more in-depth understanding of how particular aspects of an individual’s identity might influence their experiences of street harassment and what kind of responses marginalised communities would like to see developed to address this issue.

Academic Mentor

Dr Megan Sharp
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences

This project is supported by the African Research and Engagement in Australia Initiative (AREiA)

Brenna McIntyre

Kevin Heinze Grow

Access to COVID-19 information and its influence on access to related services and supports for people with disabilities from migrant and refugee backgrounds

Kevin Heinz Grow is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to support health and wellbeing through connection to nature and the community. It provides services and support to a range of people including those with disabilities and people experiencing mental ill health. In Australia, there is a continued reliance on traditional, verbal-based therapy as a source of support for people experiencing mental illness. This form of therapy may not be appropriate for everyone, including people diagnosed with a speech disability, as well as others unable to communicate through verbal means. This project explores the use of alternative forms of therapy that use the body and movement as a way of improving psychological wellbeing. This project seeks to address a gap in understanding about the mental health needs of people with speech disabilities who are frequently underrepresented or absent from research. It is hoped that evidence from this project will inform both future studies and practical support programs at Kevin Heinz Grow and elsewhere to provide more appropriate and effective mental health interventions for this population.

Academic Mentor

Dr Jennifer Davidson
School of Social Work

This project is supported by the Melbourne Disability Institute

Yohanna Mequwanint

Ethiopian Community Association in Victoria

Exploring the experiences of racism and discrimination for African Australian students in Victorian schools

This project is examining racialised experiences confronting young African Australians in Victorian schools. The objective is to review the historical and contemporary contexts of racism and discrimination in Australia as a settler and immigrant country; explore the experiences, challenges, and effects of racism and discrimination confronting African Australian students in Victorian schools; and develop culturally responsive anti-racism policy and practice recommendations to empower and support African Australian students confronting racism and discrimination. The anti-racism policy and practice recommendations will be presented to the Ethiopian Community Association in Victoria for use in educating and empowering young African Australians in the community.

Academic Mentor

Dr Gerald Onsando
School of Social And Political Sciences

This project is supported by the African Research and Engagement in Australia Initiative (AREiA)

Vivian Ying Hang Tong

Afri-Aus Care

Application of the positive change model with African Australians in facilitating posttraumatic growth

Afri-Aus Care (AAC) is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to empower African Australian youth, their families and those from other CALD backgrounds by providing culturally appropriate health and wellbeing support services. This research project is focused on the application of the Positive Change Model in AAC. Since it was founded in 2015, AAC has used the concept of Ubuntu and the Positive Change Model to support community members who suffer from unresolved trauma. Through this project, the Positive Change Model will be described, theorised and explained for the first time through the study of data collected from practitioners and service recipients of AAC. By establishing a concrete theoretical framework of the Positive Change Model, this project aims to enhance the quality of service delivery at AAC. A resource kit on the Positive Change Model with practice guidelines for broader community use will also be developed. Dr Sharon Huebner and Dr Lyndon Ormond-Parker

Academic Mentors

Professor Karen Farquharson
School of Social and Political Sciences
Dr Diana Johns
School of Social and Political Sciences

This project is supported by the African Research and Engagement in Australia Initiative (AREiA)

Najeeba Wazefadost

Asia Pacific Network of Refugees

Empowering refugees through self-representation

This project aims to develop a theoretically grounded analytical framework for evaluating and developing the Asia Pacific Network of Refugees' ongoing work on the self-representation of refugees in Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region, to build good evidence on the most effective types of self-representation instruments and tools and to document this work through scholarly publications

Academic Mentors

Professor Adrian Little
School of Social and Political Sciences
Associate Professor Terry MacDonald
School of Social and Political Sciences

James Houghton

Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria

Access to COVID-19 information and its influence on access to related services and supports for people with disabilities from migrant and refugee backgrounds

Academic Mentors

Dr Mediya Rangi
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
Dr Alexandra Devine
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health

This project is supported by the Melbourne Disability Institute

Commenced in 2018

Jessica Tran, 100 Story Building
Development of participatory evaluation toolkit
Academic Mentor: Professor Lisa Gibbs

Saba Alemayoh and Bigoa Chuol, AfroHub
Academic Mentors: Dr Ashley Barnwell and Dr Karen Block
Exploring traditional gender norms within Nuer and Tigrian communities living in Melbourne

Tessa Hens, Bayley House
Academic Mentor: Dr Kim Dunphy
Developing a participant self-assessment tool for people with an intellectual disability
Supported by Melbourne Disability Institute

Hayley Black, Carringbush Adult Education
Academic Mentor: Dr Julie Choi
Accessing online government services: digital literacy teaching strategies

Kelly Whitworth, Homeless Persons Union Victoria
Academic Mentor: Dr Crystal Legacy
Improving institutional responses to housing and homelessness activism

Freya Dinshaw, Human Rights Law Centre
Academic Mentor: Professor Susan Kneebone
Modern-day slavery in Australia

Mike Collins, Moreland City Council
Academic Mentor: Dr Crystal Legacy
Improving institutional responses to housing and homelessness activism (Public Policy Fellowship)

Kate Teggelove, PaKT4change
Academic Mentor: Professor Katrina Skewes McFerran
Benefits and challenges in delivering rhythm based programs for children
Linked with the Exploring the Value of Rhythm-based Support Research Project

Indigo Daya, Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council
Academic Mentor: Associate Professor Bridget Hamilton
Equitable consumer advocacy in mental health

Minh Nguyen, Vietnamese Community in Australia - Victorian Chapter
Academic Mentor: Dr Jane Dyson
Learning how to support the children of Vietnamese immigrants to thrive in Australia

Dalal Smiley, Wellsprings for Women
Academic Mentor: Dr Mohajer Hameed
Engaging men in gender equity and the prevention of violence against women

Tess Matthews, WEstjustice (Western Community Legal Centre)
Academic Mentor: Professor Jeannie Paterson
Creating Clearer Contracts: Consumer Law and New Australian Residents

Emma Wagg, Women's Health Goulburn North East
Academic Mentor: Associate Professor Jane Tomnay
Understanding stigma and social barriers to testing and treatment for STDs

COMMENCED IN 2017

Nick Cooper, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
Measuring #RightTrack digital engagement and uptake
Academic Mentor: Colette Einfeld

André Dao and Michael Green, Behind the Wire
Behind the Wire: A case study of collaborative activism
Academic Mentors: Associate Professor Sara Wills and Dr Jordy Silverstein

Denise Cauchi, Diaspora Action Australia
Understanding how South Sudanese and Sri Lankan communities in Australia contribute to peace-building in their countries of origin through community harmony and reconciliation initiatives
Academic Mentor: Associate Professor Jennifer Balint

Julian McDonald, Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre
Analysing police complaints data from community legal centres
Academic Mentor: Dr Diana Johns

Anna Dollard, Kids Own Publishing
South Sudanese Storytelling: Creative expression, cultural and intergenerational understandings
Academic Mentor: Dr Mary Tomsic

Helen Greig, Oakwood School: Caulfield Park Community Campus
Equipping young men to avoid becoming perpetrators of family violence
Academic Mentors: Professor Helen Cahill and Associate Professor Kylie Smith
Supported by Melbourne research Alliance to End Violence against women and their children (MAEVe)

Matt Addison, Not To Violence Incorporating Men's Referral Service
Better Lives: Applying Rehabilitative Principles to Family Violence Perpetrator Interventions
Academic Mentor: Professor Kelsey Hegarty
Supported by Melbourne research Alliance to End Violence against women and their children (MAEVe)

Jenny Chapman, Royal Women's Hospital
Older women’s experience of family violence
Academic Mentor: Professor Kelsey Hegarty
Supported by Melbourne research Alliance to End Violence against women and their children (MAEVE)

Dominic Golding, RISE
Overcoming impairment: disabled refugees and their perceptions of accessing disability support
Academic Mentors: Dr Cathy Vaughan and Dr Karen Block

Belinda Briggs, Shepparton Art Museum
Increasing the representation of Yorta Yorta and Southeast Indigenous art in the Shepparton Art Gallery
Academic Mentor: Genevieve Grieves

Katrina Cornwell, Women's Circus
Evaluating the effectiveness of Women’s Circus’ programs
Academic Mentor: Professor Katrina Skewes McFerran

COMMENCED IN 2016

Bec Harris, Carlton Primary School
A Trauma Informed Approach to Education Organisation
Academic Mentor: Greg Donoghue

Catherine Hemingway, Western Community Legal Centre
Final Project Report on Research into Issues of Migrant Employment
Academic Mentor: Professor Joo-Cheong Tham

Shawn Wilkey, Carlton Football Community Fund
Skills For Life Community Program Review
Academic Mentor: Dr Karen Block

Kamarra Bell-Wykes, ILBIJERRI Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre Company
Performing Arts Programs in Juvenile Justice in Victoria 2005–2015: Mapping Policy, Research and Programs
Academic Mentor: Dr Sophie Rudolph

Susan Timmins, Women’s Health West
Identifying Employment Barriers for Tertiary-educated Muslim Australian Women
Academic Mentor: Dr Richard Williams

Applications for the Community Fellows Program closed on Monday 17 October 2022. The details below are for information purposes only.

Applications for the 2023 Community Fellows Program are now open. A total of twelve Community Fellowships are expected to be offered, to commence in February.

Of these twelve, two Fellowships are for people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. The Fellows should also be from an Indigenous community organisation or be focusing on an Indigenous topic. The Fellows will be jointly supported by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and the Indigenous Knowledge Institute.

To be eligible to participate in the Community Fellows Program, please ensure that:

You are currently an employee of your organisation with the right to work in Australia. We are unable to support volunteers.
Your organisation is a small to medium-sized community organisation (up to 199 employees).
You are able to spend time on the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus, including a three-day orientation program on 8–10 February 2023.
You are able to commit between 100 and 200 hours to work on the project (depending on its complexity) including active participation in research training and cohort-based activities.
Your organisation is incorporated and holds insurance to the value of $10,000,000 public liability and $2,000,000 professional indemnity insurance (this is a fairly typical level of coverage for small organisations)
Your organisation was not awarded an MSEI Community Fellowship as part of the 2020 cohort – if unsure, please contact the MSEI to confirm social-equity@unimelb.edu.au.
Your organisation supports your application and will support you to complete the Fellowship project.

In addition, successful applicants will:

work at a community organisation that is involved in work that promotes social equity and works with marginalised communities.
having a viable idea for an original project such as a scoping report, literature review, data analysis or a small research project.
have a demonstrated ability to develop and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders.
have a commitment to sharing knowledge and supporting ethical research.
have experience in managing and completing projects.
have the capacity to conduct the research project (with guidance and support from an Academic Mentor).

Please note:

applicants with substantive research positions and/or PhDs will not usually be considered as suitable Community Fellows because the initiative is seeking to develop research capacities in organisations that do not currently have this in-house expertise.
organisations with in-house research and evaluation capacity will not usually be considered for this initiative.
we are also not able to fund local or state government departments or units. However, we will consider projects by state schools that support or host community-focused projects.

Information Session

An online information session about the Community Fellows Program was held on Thursday 15 September.

In the session, we provided an overview of the work of the Institute, information about the fellowship structure and some tips for completing the application form.

The video recording is below:

Application Form

The application process has three stages. In the first stage, individuals complete an application form via SmartyGrants outlining their background, the aims of their project idea and the anticipated outcomes.

In the second stage, selected applicants are shortlisted by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute who will then work to identify an Academic Mentor for the Fellowship. The Institute’s ability to support a project is dependent upon securing a suitable academic mentor at the University of Melbourne. Applicants are not required to identify their own Academic Mentors, however, applicants are able to specify a preferred Academic Mentor in their applications, if known.

In the third stage, shortlisted applications will be invited to an interview with the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and a potential Academic Mentor.

Applications closed on Monday 17 October 2022.

If you have any questions about the Community Fellows Program or the application process please contact:

Charlene Edwards
charlene.edwards@unimelb.edu.au
+61 (3) 9035 4738

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About the Program

Fellowship Structure

Commenced in 2021

Emma Antonetti

Academic Mentor

Loretta Asquini

Academic Mentors

Morgan Cataldo

Academic Mentor

Maya Ghassali

Academic Mentor

Bronte Gosper

Academic Mentors

James Houghton

Academic Mentors

Nyandit Lizzie Jok

Academic Mentor

Karen Jones

Academic Mentors

Annelise Lecordier

Academic Mentor

Brenna McIntyre

Academic Mentor

Yohanna Mequwanint

Academic Mentor

Vivian Ying Hang Tong

Academic Mentors

Najeeba Wazefadost

Academic Mentors

James Houghton

Academic Mentors

Commenced in 2018

COMMENCED IN 2017

COMMENCED IN 2016

Racism Experienced by African Students in Australian Educational Institutions

Welcoming Diverse Consumer and Survivor Views and Voices into Mental Health

Men Speak out on Migration and Gender Roles

Trauma Informed Practice in Education

Developing New Research Partnerships to Support Adult Learners from Refugee and Migrant backgrounds

Increasing Participant Voice in Creative Arts Therapy

Circus as a Tool for Social Change

Ending the Exploitation of Refugee and Migrant Workers

Understanding Diaspora Peacebuilding

Improving Institutional Responses to Housing and Homelessness Activism

Ex-detainees, Asylum Seekers and Refugees with Disabilities

Information Session

Application Form