INITIATIVES PROVIDED BY ORGANISATIONS TO HELP TOWNSVILLE’S CREATIVE UNDERGROUND – Activating Townsville's Creative Underground

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INITIATIVE: Improving Social Inclusion Pathways for Low-Income Families in Townsville through Place-Based Creative Collaborations

Completed (legacy) March 1, 2024 – August 30, 2024

Provided by DakTech, Queensland University of Technology, State Government of Queensland

This initiative was created to help Townsville’s creative underground (i) battle loneliness and social isolation, (ii) meet diverse peers and connect with resources from industry, so that (iii) more people, particularly from less fortunate circumstances, have an improved opportunity to pursue their dreams and ideas.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO PARTICIPATE

Participants for this initiative are required to interact with others to design and do projects. Project ideas are inspired by a participant’s purpose, dreams, ideas, and struggles in life. Examples of projects already making progress include a video documentary vignette about the local food pantry, a tool for budding artists, a pop song, and growing mushroom leather.

If you need help coming up with a project idea, doing a project, or connecting with others, contact initiative facilitator and researcher, Michael Bromage: [email protected].

ELIGIBILITY

(i) Humans who identify with one of the following categories; (ii) humans collaborating with people who identify with one of the following categories; or (iii) humans contributing to development of the initiative:

30 places for:

Low-income family
Feeling lonely
Socially isolated
Digitally excluded
Unemployed or underemployed
Single parent or guardian
Youth (18 – 30)

10 places for humans from organisations, including:

Business owners
Employees of local organisations
Educators.

WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE

For this initiative, participants from the creative underground, particularly humans who identify with one of the demographics in the eligibility list, can access DakTech’s Makerspace facilities for free, which includes machines like laser cutters and 3D printers. Participants can also request access to a researcher / project mentor, and a small budget to help pay for project consumables such as 3D filament, wood, clay, acrylic… anything required to help participants with their projects. To participate, please contact initiative facilitator and researcher, Michael Bromage: [email protected]

Recommended places: DakTech Makerspace Facility

Recommended helpers: Michael Bromage

USEFUL INFORMATION

This project provides opportunities for people who experience socioeconomic disadvantage to develop social connections, skills, sense of purpose, and confidence through creative practice with their peers and other diverse humans in the community. Secondary target groups affected may also include single parents and young people. The initiative evaluation assesses the impact on combating social isolation and improving economic outcomes.

This initiative is co-led by the QUT Design Lab, the Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC), DakTech, and The Smith Family to design, deliver, and test a pilot for an innovative program designed to combat social isolation and loneliness in low-income families and households in the City of Townsville, North Queensland.

The initiative is delivered in two parts:

A: Place design The initiative creates a safe accessible space to help people who experience social isolation and loneliness develop a sense of purpose, social connections, digital skills, and personal confidence. Participants engage in a range of creative practice activities at DakTech’s fully fitted maker space facility. Challenging deficit models of poverty and social isolation, the aim is to focus on vernacular forms of creativity that can instil pride and joy in participants.

B: Community engagement Since 2021, QUT and The Smith Family have been working on the ground in Townsville to advance digital inclusion in low-income families. This initiative will extend this work by adding a pathway for members of these families to experience peer support and training in a safe, informal and creative environment. Facilitators will assess how connected learning and skills development may lead to improved social and economic outcomes for families, communities and support organisations such as The Smith Family.

QUT contributes senior research expertise and provides an experienced practitioner who oversees the community engagement and facilitates the participants’ journey to improve social and technical skills. Social skills include collaboration with peers, time management, and communication. Technical skills include how to identify and develop ideas through vernacular creative practice and digital skills development. Industry partner DakTech provides a safe accessible maker space facility with digital tools and resources such as 3D printers that participants can use to create and collaborate on projects. The Smith Family has partnered with QUT on an Australian Research Council Linkage project and will assist with participant recruitment through their local Townsville branch.

Project Team

Prof Marcus Foth, QUT Design Lab
Dr Kim Osman, QUT Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC)
Prof Greg Hearn, QUT Design Lab
Michael Bromage, (PhD Candidate, QUT Design Lab and DMRC).

Funding / Grants QLD Department of Communities, Housing and the Digital Economy: Communities Innovation Fund – Response to Social Isolation and Loneliness, $50,000.

arts, Construction, education, Government, Manufacturing, social-services, Technology, training

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MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO…

DakTech, Queensland University of Technology, State Government of Queensland

This program initiative and participatory research project is aligned with the QUT Digital Media Research Centre’s ARC Linkage project (LP190100677) on “Advancing digital inclusion in low income Australian families”, which is in partnership with The Smith Family (thesmithfamily.com.au), and a QUT Design Lab project funded by the State Government of Queensland’s Department of Communities, Housing and the Digital Economy (“Improving Social Inclusion Pathways for Low-Income Families in Townsville through Place-Based Creative Collaborations”), and in collaboration with industry partner, DakTech, (daktech.com.au). QUT ethics approval 7204.

USEFUL LINKS AND DOCUMENTS

https://research.qut.edu.au/designlab/projects/townsville/, https://daktech.com.au/maker-space-bookings/, https://www.canva.com/design/DAF9Os-rpwQ/L7pQu5iYYvhGlm2MtwsMZw/view