Dr Ani Wierenga is a Future Generation Research Fellow, based at the Australian Youth Research Centre, the University of Melbourne. As a youthworker and then sociologist, Ani has been active in the youth sector for 20 years. For the past 12 years Ani’s focus has been on research and teaching which supports effective policy and practice with young people, in their wellbeing, learning and active social participation. She continues to explore these areas through research projects with young people, communities, governments, departments, and non-government organizations, and also through post-graduate teaching.

International Sociological Association (ISA), Research Committee 34: Sociology of Youth, Vice President, Australia New Zealand and Oceania, (elected for term 2006-2010)

The Australian Sociological Association (TASA)

Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) New Investigators Network, Extended Member

National Representative Council, Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC)

SPIRAL: Systemic - Participatory - Inquiry - Research - Action – Learning. Victorian Action Research Network

Consulting Editorial Group, Youth Studies Australia

BA (Hons), (University of Tasmania), 1995
PhD (University of Tasmania – Sociology), 2001

Current
Regular guest lectures in the following courses:
460 692 Citizenship, wellbeing and participation
166 083 The sociology of Youth and Youth Policy
571 661 Youth Policy and Theory in Practice

Recent
Course and subject coordination:
Master of Youth Health and Education Management
Youth Policy and Theory in Practice
Community based youth research project 1 & 2

Ani is particularly interested in social change and what it takes for young people to establish meaning, livelihood and social connectedness. She explores the implications of research findings for policy and practice. She uses a variety of approaches, and specializes in qualitative, narrative, action research and participatory research methods.

Ani has been awarded one of the University of Melbourne’s inaugural ‘Future Generation’ Fellowships (2008-11), which is a role designed specifically to address contemporary social issues, by working collaboratively across disciplines and sectors. Her research program focuses on the social and structural conditions that support young people’s wellbeing, in a fast-changing world. Current projects have a mix of local Australian and regional (Asia-Pacific) focus. The fellowship is based at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, through the Australian Youth Research Centre, in association with the McCaughey Centre (Public Health), and the Nossal Institute (Global Health), in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Ani is currently Chief Investigator on Australian Research Council funded Linkage Project called Youth led learning: local connections and global citizenship, with Johanna Wyn (University of Melbourne), Jose Roberto Guevara, Annette Gough (RMIT University) Heather Brown and Lisa Schultz, Plan International (Australia) (2008-11). Working with Plan’s Global Connections program, this research is exploring the processes which enhance civic engagement and awareness of global and local issues by Australian school-aged youth and their neigbours in Indonesia.

Through Making a rural village: fifteen years on, she is exploring restorative social change in a small rural community, and what drives it. This project has been funded University of Melbourne Early Career Researcher Grant Scheme. (2008)

1. Books:

Wierenga, Ani (2009) Young People Making a Life Palgrave Macmillan: Houndmills, Basingstoke http://www.palgrave.com/Products/title.aspx?PID=280297

2. Refereed journal articles:

Schultz, Lisa, Guevara, Jose Roberto, Wierenga, Ani, Ratnam, Samantha, Sowerby, Charlotte and Wyn Johanna (in press, 2009) ‘Global Connections: a tool for active citizenship’ Accepted April 1 for publication in Development in Practice Journal (Routledge)

Eckersley, Richard, Wierenga, Ani and Wyn, Johanna (2006) ‘Success and Wellbeing: a preview of the Australia21 report on young people's wellbeing’ Youth Studies Australia, 26 (1), pp 10-18

Eckersley, Richard, Wierenga, Ani, and Johanna Wyn (2005) ‘Life in a time of uncertainty: optimising the health and wellbeing of young Australians’ Medical Journal of Australia, 183 (8), pp 3 – 6

Wierenga, Ani (2005) ‘Practitioner learning for inter-agency collaboration’ in Journal of Community Work and Community Development, 6 (Spring), pp 77-94

Wierenga, Ani (2002) 'Finding and losing the plot: storying and the value of listening to young people' Scottish Journal of Youth Issues, 4, pp 9-30

4. Products, resources, kits:

Wierenga, Ani (2007) (Editor) ‘Peer Reviewed Papers’ in Are we there yet? Past learnings, current realities, future directions for youth affairs in Australia, National Youth Affairs Conference Melbourne 1–3 May 2007, available online at
http://www.yacvic.org.au/includes/pdfs_wordfiles/YACVic_ConfProceedings_Complete.pdf
Youth Affairs Council of Victoria: Melbourne.

Wadsworth, Yoland, Wierenga, Ani and Gai Wilson (2nd ed. 2007) Writing narrative action evaluation reports in health promotion – manual of guidelines, resources, case
studies and QuickGuide, State of Victoria, Department of Human Services and the University of Melbourne, Australia. Available online at http://www.health.vic.gov.au/healthpromotion/hp_practice/eval_dissem.htm#near

Yoland Wadsworth, Ani Wierenga & Gai Wilson (2004) Manual of Guidelines & Resource Kit for Writing Narrative Action Evaluation Reports in Health Promotion The Department of Human Services: Melbourne.

Gai Wilson, Ani Wierenga and Yoland Wadsworth (Editors) (2004) Six Case Studies in Writing Narrative Action Evaluation Reports in Health Promotion The Department of Human Services: Melbourne.

Wierenga, Ani, with Anna Woods, Gabrielle Trenbath, Jessie Kelly and Olivia Vidokovic (2003) Sharing a new story: young people in decision making for The Foundation for Young Australians, Australian Youth Research Centre: Melbourne. http://www.youngaustralians.org/resources/ya_resources_publications.asp

5. Reports:

Wierenga, Ani, Wyn, Johanna, Guevara, Jose Roberto, Gough, Annette, Schultz, Lisa, Beadle, Sally, Ratnam, Samantha and King, Jeff (2008) Youth-led learning: Local connections & global citizenship Research Report 31, Australian Youth Research Centre. Available online at: http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/yrc/publications/

Eckersley, Richard, Cahill, Helen, Wierenga, Ani, and Johanna Wyn (2007) Generations in Dialogue about the Future: the hopes and fears of young Australians Australia 21 Ltd and the Australian Youth Research Centre: Melbourne. Available online at: http://www.australia21.org.au/pdf/youth_futures.pdf

Ministry of Education, Royal Government of Bhutan, and Youth Development Fund (2006) The Situation of Bhutanese Youth 2005-2006 Ministry of Education, Youth Development Fund, supported by Save the Children US: Thimpu, Bhutan. (This report has been published in the form it was written by Ani Wierenga and Helen Stokes, and was recently endorsed by the Minister for Education and passed through the Bhutanese Government).

Eckersley, Richard, Wierenga, Ani, and Johanna Wyn (2006) Flashpoints and Signposts: Pathways to success and wellbeing for Australia’s young people Australia 21 Ltd, the Australian Youth Research Centre and Victorian Health Promotion Foundation: Melbourne. Available onli

Current projects

1. Competitive grants:

A Wierenga Young people in context: enhancing youth and community wellbeing,
University of Melbourne Inaugural Future Generation Fellowship,
awarded October 2007 for 2008-11

A Wierenga, J Wyn, J.R Guevara, A Gough, and S Dyer,
Youth led learning: local connections and global citizenship,
Australian Research Council Linkage Project LP0882159
University of Melbourne, RMIT University, Plan International (Australia),
awarded September 2007 for 2008-10

A Wierenga, Schools and sustainable futures for young people in disadvantaged areas,
Melbourne Graduate School of Education Staff Competitive Research Grants Scheme,
awarded in December 2008 for 2009

A Wierenga, Making a rural village: fifteen years on,
University of Melbourne Early Career Researcher Grant Scheme,
awarded September 2007 for 2008

2. Non-competitive grants and consultancies:

Johanna Wyn, Ani Wierenga Future Builders Social Ventures Australia 2007-10


Recently completed projects:

Ani Wierenga, Youth Services: trends and needs, Monash City Council Youth and Family Services, 2007-8

A Wierenga, ARACY ARC / NHMRC ‘Future Generation’ Research Network Early Career Scholarship (2007)

Yoland Wadsworth, Ani Wierenga, Gai Wilson, Narrative Evaluation Action Research (NEAR) Phase 3, Integrated Health Promotion Evaluation Capacity Building, Victorian Department of Human Services, North and West Metropolitan Region, September 2006- July 2007

Richard Eckersley, Ani Wierenga, Johanna Wyn, Pathways to the preferred futures for young Australians, University of Melbourne, a Grant from the Vice Chancellor, September 2005-September 2007

Ani Wierenga and Helen Stokes, The Situation of Bhutanese Youth in Bhutan, Youth Development Fund, Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Bhutan, September 2004-January 2006

Ani Wierenga, Evaluation of the Global Connections Project, Plan International Australia, July-December 2005

Yoland Wadsworth, Gai Wilson, Ani Wierenga, Narrative Evaluation Action Research (NEAR) Phase 2, Integrated Health Promotion Evaluation Capacity Building: Further Action Research (FAR) Victorian Department of Human Services, North and West Metropolitan Region, September 2004- September 2005

Richard Eckersley, Johanna Wyn, Ani Wierenga, Australia 21: Pathways to success and well being for Australia's young people, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, March 2004-September 2005