Narrative
Sykes’s research underpinned the decision by the Catholic Diocese of Cairns, Australia, to establish a drop-in centre in 2015 in this seaport city, which is a hub for large multi- residential Papua New Guinean (PNG) households. Sykes described how households comprise a mutually dependent network spread across Australian and Papua New Guinean towns and villages, including cities in southeast Asia. Members move easily between several dwellings over the course of a year, but become vulnerable upon leaving their network.A proposal by priest [Text removed for publication] to the Diocese used Sykes’s data to advise that a centrally-located shopping mall near his church could be the location for a family centre to meet social needs, enhance wellbeing, and build the PNG community by linking together numerous household networks. The resultant Papua New Guinean Catholic Centre (PNGCC) is addressing these fundamental goals by providing members of PNG households with an essential point of contact for meeting and message-carrying.
| Impact date | 2014 → 2020 |
|---|---|
| Category of impact | Societal impacts |