Youth Voices Central To Project Aimed At Better Well-being

What young people in Aotearoa most need to thrive is the focus of Our Voices, a project led by the University of Auckland, and on display as a digital interactive exhibition at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum from 4 December until 16 February 2025.

Our Voices is aimed at understanding the diverse experience of growing up in Aotearoa, to better decide what will make the most difference to youth well-being.

Led by researchers at the University of Auckland, the project wants to inform policies and services that will improve young people’s lives, with the added authenticity of having been co-designed by young people themselves.

The pop-up digital interactive at Auckland Museum will provide young visitors with an opportunity to learn about the Our Voices project, and connect with the hopes, concerns, interests and experiences of young people in Aotearoa.

The exhibition draws on insights and data collected through the project’s innovative app that was co-designed by 25 young people from around the North Island, aged between 12 and 13, who are part of the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) longitudinal study.

This group collaborated with researchers and tech experts to design the ‘Tō Mātou Rerenga – Our Journey’ app, which has now recorded data from 873 young people in the GUiNZ study (aged 13 to 14) from across the country and overseas, which researchers are analysing to find common themes and issues.

Principal investigator Kane Meissel, an associate professor of educational psychology in the University’s Faculty of Education and Social Work, says that from the start, they knew they wanted to do things differently.

“We had to find a fun way of asking rangatahi what works for them, and who best to ask but the youth themselves?”

He says each ‘island’ within the app connects to a theme young people said was an important part of their lives, like school, friendships, family and hobbies, for example.

“Young people helped to design the questions we asked related to these themes, which could be answered using text, audio, images or video, and then submitted via the app.”

By generously contributing their thoughts and experiences, he says, those rangatahi are helping shape the future, both for themselves, and those who come after.

“For example, Dr Valerie Sotardi, a team member and researcher at the University of Canterbury, has found that young people draw on six distinct sources of support to get them through tough times: social support, comfort and companionship from pets, distraction and escapism via media, self-reliance, spirituality and faith, and engagement in physical activities.”

Meissel says they often tap into more than one of these sources, perhaps at different times, to overcome different challenges.

“We hope this information can help policy makers, community organisations, schools and parents ensure that our rangatahi have access to these different support mechanisms to promote their well-being.”

And, in partnership with Auckland Museum, the Our Voices team has developed the free, interactive exhibition that focuses on three key themes from the gathered data: school experiences, support systems and societal issues.

It features a big screen and interactive spotlights where visitors can explore and listen to young people’s thoughts and experiences.

Auckland Museum chief executive David Reeves says the museum’s collaboration with Our Voices reflects a commitment to creating opportunities for young people to engage with research and ideas that impact their lives.

“The Museum is a place where young people can discover, learn, and connect with ideas that matter to them. Our Voices amplifies their perspectives, celebrates their diverse identities, and shows how their insights can shape a better future.

“By engaging with the research in this creative and interactive exhibition, we hope that young people can see the power of their collective voice and the positive change it can inspire," says Reeves.

Meissel says researchers are currently compiling the information the public will engage with in the exhibition, as well as further findings, into reports that will be shared with policy makers, community organisations and other key stakeholders.

“With the hope that we can make things better for young people in important, practical ways in years to come.”

The Our Voices exhibition launches on 4 December and runs until 16 February 2025 in Auckland Museum’s South Atrium Orientation Space.

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