Participation - Project - English

What does it mean to participate in the project?

In this project, I will work with children between 8 - 12 years old and their parents. Participating in this project means to spend some time with me, talk to me, and give me some insights in your and your child's emotional world.

It is a lot to ask to share your feelings with me, but you are not alone here. You and your child are free to participate in any part of the project, but you do not have to do everything that I am asking for. All participation helps and is appreciated.

As the emotional sphere of a person is a private sphere, I will give you all flexibility and safe space that you need. Talking about emotions sometimes may be hard, not comfortable and too personal. But I really believe this will be worth it. You can meet other families that may feel the same, that also may want to know more, and that may also want to meet other families with same interests. Not everybody is into this "climate change topic", but I believe it may still be important to be part of this project. You do not necessarily have to care about the topic, I also think it is important to learn about the "other site". Not caring is also a feeling that needs to be explored in this topic - because, why is this the case? Why do you not care?

Please feel free to participate, either if you are interested in the topic, if you feel something or nothing at all about it, if you are worried about your child's future, if your child is interested in this (because they can learn a lot in this project!) or if you do not care (yet).

According to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research), research conducted with or about people is considered Human Research and requires obtaining ethical clearance prior to commencing research.

An application for ethics approval will be submitted to the UQ Human Research Ethics Committee. The project will start after validation and approval by the committee.

What are the conditions to participate?

Being able to participate in the project you need to meet the following conditions:

Be a child between 8 and 12 years old OR
be a parent of a child between 8 and 12 years old AND
live on the coast of either the Wadden Sea (region of Lower Saxony in northern Germany) or the Great Barrier Reef (region of Bundaberg or Townsville)

What will I ask you and your child to do in the project?

Preliminary plan

Workshop & Trip (kids only)

For both locations, I will offer two workshop days for the children, incl. a trip to either the Wadden Sea or the Reef (on the second workshop day, depending on where you live). If you want your child to attend the trips, she/ he will need to participate the first workshop.

NOTE: Please note, the places in the workshops are limited. Especially the trips will have limited places. The number of possible participants will depend on the tour operator and will be published in due course. First comes, first serves.

If your child does not want to or cannot participate in the workshop, or can only attend in the first workshop, then she/ he can also only attend the first workshop, take part in diary keeping and/ or has a chat with me (in-person or online).

Any participation helps and is appreciated!

More about the workshop & GBR trip

Interviews & surveys

At the workshops, your child will be asked to fill out short surveys to give me some expressions about her/ his thoughts and experiences. These will be anonym and you do not have to worry about giving some personal details.
As I also would like to know more about parents' thoughts, experiences and emotions, I will ask you to fill out a short online survey, too. This will also be anonym.

Between workshops days (which are at least 4 - 5 weeks apart), I will ask you and your child to have an interview or a chat with me. This is absolutely free to choose because as mother and full-time researcher I know how busy life can be. However, when interested, I would steal max. 1 hour of your time, and come to a place that suits you best or we can meet online. No need to worry, also this data will be anonym and no personal details will be published.

Children who do not attend the workshops can still participate in the project by having a chat with me (in-person or online).

You can get more details on interviews and surveys, just contact me!

Contact me for more information

Diary

Also between the workshop days, I will ask you and your child each to keep a diary for a duration of 4 weeks in any form you like: Journal writing, notes, paintings, recordings, Whatsapp (voice) messages, or any other form that you like.
I will ask you to do a diary entry ANY time you hear about, talk about, feel something about project related themes: Great Barrier Reef (or Wadden Sea for Germany), climate change, environmental change, marine politics, and so on. You do not need to write a novel, just some short thoughts about what you heard, where you heard it, and, most important, how you felt. This data will give me the opportunity to have some spontaneous, private, honest and realistic emotions that arose just in the moment.

Children who do not attend the workshop are also invited to keep a diary. I look forward to any participation!

You can get more details on the diary keeping, just contact me!

Contact me for more information

A fixed plan for participation will be published in due course
when the organisational part is finished.