Community-Engaged Collaboration, Impact & Learning (CECIL)

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CECIL is the home of a dedicated team of UNSW academic and professional staff working towards societal impact, informed and often led by the communities we are engaged with. Our four key focus areas are:

Justice
Children & Young People
Aboriginal Community Capabilities & Control
Societal Impact.

We work with communities, other academic and professional staff at UNSW and beyond, and governments in three initiatives: the Yuwaya Ngarra-li Partnership, the Social Determinants of Justice Research Hub, and Community Engagement @ UNSW.

Our initiatives

UNSW VC with Yuwaya Ngarra-li staff from DEG and UNSW, sitting around a fire

Yuwaya Ngarra-li Partnership

A community-led, long-term partnership between the Dharriwaa Elders Group in Walgett and UNSW. Yuwaya Ngarra-li works together to improve the wellbeing, social, built and physical environment and life pathways of Aboriginal people in Walgett through collaborating on evidence-based initiatives, research and capacity building.

Peta MacGillivray is speaking into a microphone while sitting in parliament

Social Determinants of Justice Research Hub

The SDJ team builds on research that conceptualises the social determinants of justice: the factors associated with a higher likelihood of contact with the criminal justice system. They do this through systems-focused and community-led work that aims to reduce the criminalisation and incarceration of disadvantaged and targeted groups of people.

Eva Lloyd applauded the example set by the Euragai Garden project, saying, “The Euragai Goondi Garden sets a valuable precedent for the use of wicking beds to assist in drought-proofing community gardens in semi-arid environments such as Bourke. The Bourke project team appreciates the opportunity to learn from and build upon this work.

Community Engagement @ UNSW

This initiative progresses community-engaged capability, knowledge and resources across the University, through focusing on:

The practice of community-engaged collaboration
The scholarship of community-engaged research and education.

Our team

Ruth McCausland

Director & Associate Professor

Ruth's research focuses on the social determinants of justice, and enabling systemic and community-led solutions to incarceration and disadvantage. She has worked for 30 years in the fields of criminology, evaluation, human rights, and community development.

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Peta MacGillivray

Indigenous Lead

Peta is a Kalkutungu and South Sea Islander lawyer and researcher. She has worked as a researcher on a range of criminology, legal services and community-development projects in NSW and across Australia.

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Andrea Hadaway

Program Manager

Andrea has worked as a lawyer and programs lead with system-impacted children over the past 20 years and holds an MBA. She has also worked in the youth and community services sector, leading programs and services supporting children, young people, women, families and communities.