An Australian Catholic University student-led research project has recommended a friendly chat over a banh mi or hot chips could spark a broader conversation to tackle loneliness.
Private health insurer Medibank has backed the ACU team's Addressing Social Isolation Project and could roll out its initiatives within months.
The Medibank Connect No One Eats Alone initiative is the first plank of the Faculty of Law and Business's Work Integrated Learning unit project that will become a career reality for the student team who were selected following a competitive interview process.
Lauren Paddick-Croft, Niamh Mansfield, Ngima Lamu Sherpa, and Joelle Azzi wowed Medibank and other industry stakeholders with their presentation that proposed distributing conversation starter kits to promote connection between international students in dining areas.
The idea resonated with Ms Paddick-Croft, a fourth-year ACU Bachelor of Global Studies/Bachelor of Commerce student who experienced loneliness after moving to Melbourne from Essex in the UK.
"When I moved here the international borders had just re-opened but there was still so much apprehension, everyone was nervous and I felt so isolated," she said.
"Having these conversation starters could encourage young people to make more friends."
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In the short term, the student team aims to roll out the initiative across ACU's seven campuses before expanding it to other universities in Australia and overseas.
It could also have applications for the aged care sector.
Phase 2 of their plan involves developing an AI-driven multilingual wellbeing app capable of providing social connection support.
Medibank partnership manager – overseas portfolio – Cathy Liu said the project could make a real difference in enhancing student mental health and wellbeing.
"At Medibank, we are deeply impressed by the creativity and commitment shown by the ACU student team in addressing the growing challenge of loneliness and social isolation," she said.
"Their 'No One Eats Alone' initiative is both practical and powerful—rooted in the simple but transformative idea that meaningful connection can begin over a shared meal."
The presentation to Medibank was the culmination of the team's efforts in their Professional Experience unit that requires them to complete up to 105 hours of consulting experience.
A systematic analysis of research data provided by the client informed the project's planning phase which was then followed by weekly Zoom meetings with Medibank.
Communications skills, teamwork and problem solving came to the fore as the client challenged team members, and was ultimately satisfied, over the project's scalability.
"It was very intense, I'm not going to lie," Ms Paddick-Croft said. "It was a lot more hours than what was expected but we were very invested in the project.
"This experience has really set us up for the real world and in hindsight I'm glad it wasn't easy."
