Research about young people, with young people: reflections on youth co-research collaboration from co-researchers investigating culturally inclusive online experiences

SYDNEY, August 6, 2025: At the beginning of this year, the Young and Resilient Research Centre have launched the Decolonising Digital Design: Towards safe and inclusive experiences with children and young people study funded by the Internet Society Foundation. This project explores how industry, NGOs and governments can take a decolonising approach to digital design to foster an inclusive, just and safe internet that empowers, values, and represents diverse children and young people in different locations around the world.

To date, the design and governance of the internet has been dominated by Western / Eurocentric ways of seeing, knowing and acting, with little attention paid to marginalised perspectives, and particularly the perspectives of children and young people. As such, the Internet can contribute to deepening inequality and injustice, especially when its design doesn’t account for diverse and underrepresented needs. Use of the internet has the potential to undermine traditional ways of creating and sharing knowledge and potentially contributes to the loss of languages and cultural practices. Yet, it doesn’t need to. Digital experiences afford many benefits, particularly for young users, and can support the interests of marginalised communities being brought closer to the centre.

For this project, we are deploying a youth co-research approach, partnering with young people as collaborative researchers from the very beginning of the study. Our brand of co-research is grounded in a rights-based approach, which ensures that the research remains youth-centred, and builds the capacities of both young people and researchers alike. Meron and Logan, two youth co-researchers working with the Young and Resilient team, reflect on their experiences in the project so far.

Hi, my name is Meron and I was introduced to the project through the Centre for Multicultural Youth’s co-research program ‘Explore’. After researching more about the topic and previous research at the Young and Resilient Research Centre, I noticed that what they do and most importantly how they do it aligned with what initially sparked my interest in research: actively including young people as co-producers in research and fostering approaches that engage underrepresented communities.

My experience so far on the project has been informative and empowering due to the level of involvement and trust provided to me by the research team. Although challenging at times, many profound moments have progressed my way of thinking. This includes my involvement in designing culturally relevant workshop activities for children and young people in eight diverse countries: Brazil, Venezuela, Lebanon, Solomon Islands, Poland, India, Rwanda and Chad. After receiving feedback from in-country partner organisations, the experience showed me the importance of ongoing collaboration to enrich the research process and ensure there is space for capturing cultural nuances. Throughout this time, I was also tasked to research the socio-political contexts of the countries we will be working in. Doing this, I not only gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for the diverse experiences in these countries, but it also served as a reminder in the early stages of my research career to engage in ongoing reflexivity. Particularly when exploring topics like decolonisation and understanding that although I identify as a young woman from a multicultural background, my education and knowledge system has been shaped by a cultural landscape that is predominantly Western.

Observing cross-cultural collaboration has shown me that community engagement has limitless possibilities. I look forward to continuing to see this as we receive results from upcoming data collection.

My name is Logan, and I’m a proud Darkinjung man and First Nations Youth Co-Researcher. I was introduced to this opportunity by the project team and it immediately aligned with my passion for equity, representation, and cultural inclusion in digital spaces.

At its core, this project brings together collaborators from eight countries across the Global South to help reimagine the internet through a decolonial lens. We’ve recently completed much of our Phase 1 work — including training, recruitment, and development of research tools — and have now shifted focus to Phase 2.

Being involved as a co-researcher has reshaped how I think about social research. I’ve come to see it not just as data collection, but as a deeply relational and collaborative process grounded in community knowledge and lived experience.

Designing and delivering data collection workshops with young people and partners taught me the value of flexibility, deep listening, and co-creating activities that are accessible, meaningful, and culturally relevant. Our cultural snapshot research, in particular, deepened my appreciation for the ways cultural identity can shape how young people experience the digital world and highlighted the importance of designing from those differences, not around them.

Working alongside in-country partner organisations and completing workshop facilitator training broadened my understanding of what meaningful engagement looks like. There were challenges, particularly in navigating workshop design and administrative processes, but these became key learning moments.

This experience continues to shape how I think about leadership, voice, and inclusion. I’m excited to keep learning as the project continues to grow.

Keep up to date with the Decolonising Digital Design project here. You can learn more about co-research by accessing our practical toolkits.