Nothing About Them, Without Them (NATWIT)

What is research and what does it mean for children and young people to be a part of a research project?

This resource is dedicated to children, young people, caregivers, organisations and academics interested what is ethical research with children and young people, and how it works.

Our aim is to provide clear, simple and useful information, and to spark conversations and share real examples about what we are working on in relation to different topics that affect children and young people's lives.

  • Who created this resource?

    NATWIT Project had the aim of promoting high quality rights-based and participatory research with children and young people on issues that affect their health and wellbeing.  A special focus was placed on facilitating and showcasing initiatives that incorporate the views of children and young people in complex settings where their voices are still rarely heard.

    To do this, our project had two main goals:

    • Developing the NATWIT website as an online resource to connect researchers at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health (MSGPH) with children, young people and communities. The website was created by Dr Kati Marinkovic Chavez, Nicola Armstrong, Dr Ash Hosseini and Meg Chin, from the Child & Community Wellbeing Unit,  MSGPH.
    • Developing the NATWIT Youth Justice Detention initiative as the first step at the MSPGH to incorporate the views and ideas of young people in justice detention into research about their lives. This initiative was led by Dr Sanne Oostermeijer (MSGPH), Dr Lucas Calais Ferreira (MSGPH), Moey Eltom, Dr Sophie Rudolph (Melbourne Graduate School of Education), A/Prof Diana Johns (School of Social and Political Sciences) and Prof Stuart Kinner (School of Population Health, Curtin University).

    All illustrations in the NATWIT website were created by Nicola Armstrong.

    All illustrations for the NATWIT Youth Justice Detention initiative were created by Moey Eltom.

  • Who funded the creation of this resource?

    This project was funded by the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health Pitch Scheme 2022.

  • Where can I get more information about this resource?

    If you have any questions about this resource, please contact Dr Katitza Marinkovic Chavez  marinkovick@unimelb.edu.au