Melbourne Early Career Researcher Grants

Project Title: Making a rural village: fifteen years on

Chief Investigator: Dr Ani Wierenga

Funded by: 2008 Early Career Researcher Grant Scheme

Project Summary: In 1993 the rural town of Geeveston was economically and socially depressed, with one of the highest unemployment rates in Australia. This project will revisit the setting of my PhD with 32 young people, interviewed every 2 years as they grew up. The young people changed but so did their community. By recording and analyzing the stories of key individuals 15 years later, this project aims to gather information about social and economic recovery in one Australian town, and particularly the restoration of hope. Highlighting social process and its drivers, it will address gaps in knowledge about restorative social change.