Welcome to our 2023 Community Fellows

Melbourne Social Equity Institute’s Community Fellows Program recognises that community organisations are often best placed to undertake the research most relevant to their organisation and the communities they serve.

Piloted in 2016 and consolidated following evaluation in 2017, the program was developed in recognition that community organisations possess deep and extensive practice knowledge, but often lack the capacity, time and resources to test, codify and share this knowledge.

Last week we were delighted to welcome our fifth cohort of Community Fellows to the University of Melbourne for a three-day orientation. The 2023 Community Fellows come from a diverse range of organisations and their research projects encompass a broad range of social equity issues.

Bosede Adetifa, Yoruba Heritage and Cultural Association of Victoria
Connecting African Youths and Elders: Positive Change through Storytelling

Hannah Figueroa, Good Cycles
Understanding Unemployment, Underemployment and Structural Inequality Experienced by Young People with Intersecting Barriers to Employment

Meagan Gerrard, Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation
First Nations Stolen Generations Intergenerational Trauma and Healing

Giorgia Hall-Cook, Birth for Humankind
Effective Monitoring and Evaluation Approaches to Improve Community-based Doula Program Outcomes

Manu Kailom, THREE for All Foundation
Understanding the Challenges of Securing Housing for LGBTQIA+ Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Edmee Kenny, Centre for Multicultural Youth
How Can Open Data Be Harnessed by Small Community Organisations for Social Change?

Claire Livingston, Project Respect
Identifying Support Needs of International Students Who Work in the Sex Industry

Rachna Madaan-Bowman, South East Community Links
Accessibility and Inclusion for Multicultural Australian Communities in the Financial Service Sector

Alex McWhirter, Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation
First Nations Stolen Generations Intergenerational Trauma and Healing

Kobra Moradi, Australian Centre for International Justice
Conceptions of “Justice” Among Afghan Diaspora in Australia

Nandini Sengupta, Notting Hill Neighbourhood House
Neighbourhood Houses – Link Between Citizens and Local Governments?

Penne Thornton, Platform Arts
Child Leadership: How to Embed Child and Youth Agency in Creative Programming and Performance Making

Visit the Community Fellows Program website to learn more about the Fellows, their projects and their Academic Mentors.