Australian Red Cross x Portable: “I am a living question mark”

This post forms part of our series in showcasing abstracts of presentations featured at our annual postgraduate interdisciplinary conference on refugee and forced migration research, hosted in November 2018 at The University of Melbourne.

EDEN BAKER, JOE SCIGLITANO & MEGAN GOODWIN

People seeking asylum are often treated as a homogenous group, defined by their situation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Australian Red Cross and Portable are currently conducting a research and co-design project that aims to give a voice to people seeking asylum in Australia and engage them in the process of designing new services to improve their lives. Underpinned by a human-centred design approach, this unique project involves workshops and interviews with Australian Red Cross clients (people seeking asylum), caseworkers and volunteers across Australia. Our research sheds light on the varied and interconnected issues people seeking asylum are experiencing. These include complex issues around identity—such as attitudes and behaviours of help-seeking, social and cultural connections and purpose. It shows that while people seeking asylum have common needs, they are not defined by their situation. Each have their own interests, values and aspirations. Co-presented by Australian Red Cross and Portable, this presentation will provide an overview of the project, our research findings and our next steps.

Eden Baker is a researcher and strategist at Portable. Prior to this role she spent several years working as a policy adviser in the state and federal government. She has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and is currently studying an MBA (Social Impact) through the University of New South Wales.

Joe Sciglitano is a multidisciplinary designer with over 10 years’ experience in product, communication and user experience design. Joe works collaboratively with end users and clients to research and design strategic solutions that strike a balance between user and organisational needs.

Megan Goodwin works in Migration Support Programs at Australian Red Cross. Megan has worked with Australian Red Cross in a range of areas supporting people seeking asylum and refugees, including the Immigration Detention Program and the Restoring Family Links Program. She has also worked internationally with Red Cross in Indonesia and East Timor.

Image credit: Australian Red Cross (2015) https://vimeo.com/157385170