Dr Ben Lohmeyer

Video (2min): Researching with Young People

Video (20min): Fearless Minds Series - Focussing on the Invisible: The unseen impacts of youth violence

I research young people and social harm – issues like violence, bullying and loneliness.

Viral videos of school bullying and anxiety over social media’s impact on young people’s social skills are an endless source of moral panic. But stories about violent and uncontrollable young people have inspired fear in Australia for generations. Try asking your (grand) parents about the “bodgies” and “widgies” of the 1950s.

The labels we give youth subcultures have changed, but the patterns of moral panic have not. My research steps back from eye-catching behaviours to investigate where violence is an invisible and accepted part of Australian society that shapes young people’s lives.

If we want to build a safer world, we must ask hard questions why violence is celebrated in professional sports, but not on the school oval? Why is bullying acceptable in Parliament, but not in the classroom? Why are young people so lonely when they are surrounded by friends and family?

I tackle these questions using a social lens. Rather than looking for the cause of violence inside young people’s minds and bodies, I follow the patterns of harm and inequalities deeply embedded in our stories, institutions, and societies.

Youth Worker and Sociologist

Prior to my academic career, I worked in the Non-Government Youth Work sector with young people around issues of violence and justice in alternative education and accommodation contexts. I keep connected to this sector through supporting networks like the Southern Youth Round Table and conferences like YP + Me.

In my research, I approach youth and social issues through a sociological lens. I use this lens to teach the Social Policy topics in the Bachelor and Marster of Social Work. Rather than requiring student to read mountains of policy, I use a flipped classroom approach and a bespoke podcast to transform the classroom into a space for debate about how should collectively respond to big social issues (e.g. Health Care, Public Education or Housing and Homelessness).