Doing social sustainability: the utopian imagination of youth on the margins
Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies
ARC Linkage Project 2006–2008
Key researchers
- Emeritus Professor Alison Mackinnon
- Assoc Prof Patrick O'Leary
- Assoc Prof Peter Bishop
- Dr Simon Robb
- Ms Viv Szekeres, Director, Migration Museum
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Industry partners
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Project summary
The project aims to find out how young people on the margins of society imagine the future and what hope means to them. The premise of the project is that the utopian imagination of marginalised young people can contribute to the development of two key themes for social sustainability: hope and the future. The project conducted research in alternative education schools in South Australia in late 2006 and early 2007. The schools cater for males and females that may be ‘at risk’, unable to cope in mainstream education, and have problems with violence, substance abuse or with the juvenile justice system. The young people are aged between 14 and 17. The researchers talked with students in class, encouraged them to draw, interviewed them and gave them a camera to take some photographs of places, people and things that they associate with hopefulness and ‘the future’.
The results of these activities and interviews are the basis for an exhibition at the Migration Museum, South Australia. The exhibition, entitled Hope, is part of the 2008 Adelaide Festival of Arts.
Hope: the utopian imagination of young people on the margins
Migration Museum, 82 Kintore Ave, Adelaide
Curators: Simon Robb and Catherine Manning
29 February – 30 June 2008
Weekdays 10am–5pm, weekends and public holidays 1–5pm
Free