In collaboration with the SA Youth Forum, the research study investigated how young people are impacted by loneliness, identified potential solutions, and developed a proof of concept for future research expansion.
“The research has already led to significant breakthroughs, and its co-design with young people from SA Youth Forum has proved pivotal to its success.”
Awarded the 2025 Young Australian of the Year for SA for her youth advocacy work, Amber Brock-Fabel founded the SA Youth Forum in 2021. The Forum’s 2022 annual report highlighted loneliness as a central issue affecting young people in South Australia.
“Loneliness has shaped my generation, especially through the isolation of COVID-19,” says Amber.
For the study, Amber and fellow Forum member Abbey Wilkinson also worked as peer researchers, gathering insights from young people at the Specialised Assistance School for Youth, an independent school in Adelaide dedicated to supporting marginalised and disengaged young people.
Through focus groups and interviews, the school students, aged 15 to 18, were asked to create visual maps of places they felt lonely and were encouraged to share their personal experiences with loneliness.
“Loneliness is often an invisible experience, hidden behind mustered smiles or bedroom doors,” says Abbey.
“The vocabulary we developed in this study offered young people a useful way to classify, unpack and articulate feelings of loneliness.
“It was rewarding to see how the research methods we co-designed and our presence as young researchers allowed the participants to talk freely about difficult experiences.”
Members of the SA Youth Forum also played an essential role in the analysis of the information gathered, enabling deeper, more nuanced understandings into the nature of youth loneliness and providing potential solutions.
Amber explains, “The study uncovered how loneliness is deeply intertwined with space, daily routines, and digital connections. It highlighted the importance of solitude as well as community, the role of music and headphones in shaping emotional landscapes, and the need for places to connect outside of school and home.”
A key recommendation of the study was to create smaller break-out rooms where students can retreat when they feel isolated – a simple yet powerful solution to combat loneliness in school environments.
“While the popularity of large open spaces in schools is designed to foster inclusivity, it’s unintentionally exacerbating feelings of isolation,” says Dr Lohmeyer. “These large spaces often make students feel exposed and vulnerable, especially when they are alone. It can contribute to bullying and further disconnection.”
The study also highlighted the significant impact youth workers and social workers can make by building meaningful connections with young people to reduce feelings of loneliness, and in providing support to help them build peer connections.
These insights are already sparking discussions about how schools and other institutions can re-design spaces and support systems to foster a greater sense of safety, connection and belonging.
Dr Lohmeyer says the impact of this donor-funded research on the community has been far-reaching, along with providing unexpected personal and professional benefits.
“The study allowed me to collaborate with some amazing young people and establish important research partnerships,” says Dr Lohmeyer.
“The Seed Funding has provided an invaluable foundation for my career, helping me to gain experience in leveraging media to raise awareness, managing research funds, and producing industry-relevant work.”
Continuing his collaboration with the SA Youth Forum, Dr Lohmeyer has now secured $50,000 in funding from the LGA of South Australia, to expand the research into the impact of youth centres on loneliness.
Dr Lohmeyer, Amber and Abbey believe the findings and recommendations of this innovative, co-designed study hold the potential to transform how schools
and communities respond to youth loneliness, offering hope for a more connected future for young people across Australia.
“Having the opportunity to develop and deliver a research study alongside academics has set a crucial precedent for how lived experience can be embedded in research to achieve meaningful solutions,” says Amber.
