This 100 Families WA Bulletin focuses on what we are learning from the qualitative research component of the project. Researchers asked family members how they wanted their stories told.

People in entrenched disadvantage do not want to be treated as bystanders but as active agents in their own lives and stories. They do not want to be blamed and written off as defective humans. They are keen to take responsibility and ‘give something back’.

The main message they wanted us to share is that they are just like everyone else. They want good things for themselves and their families. They want to be active citizens in a world where they can meet their own needs as well as access the support they need to overcome the challenges they experience along the way. They also want to help others achieve their goals. The drive to become the most they can be in life is an essential part of human nature. We all share in this drive. The society we all want to live in is one that takes seriously the goals we all share, and the demands of justice.