Community leaders from urban, regional and remote communities in Papua New Guinea have joined Griffith University researchers in a study tour designed to strengthen knowledge and leadership in gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI).
The GEDSI Short Course was delivered by the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research as part of a two-year program funded through a $1.18 million grant from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Program participants work across community organisations and government agencies in Papua New Guinea, engaging closely with their communities through initiatives such as family services and violence prevention programs.
Embracing a traditional Papua New Guinean knowledge-sharing approach called 'Tok Stori', Griffith researchers previously engaged with participants during a two-week visit in November 2025 in Port Moresby, to explore areas of education, leisure, family and work through a GEDSI lens.
Participant Veronica Payawi is the program manager for a safe house that provides emergency assistance for women, and said the GEDSI Short Course hads been transformative.
"For me, GEDSI is about transforming communities so that everyone can thrive, live with dignity, and seize opportunities equally," Ms Payawi said.
"While I have spent many years advocating for women and communities, I realised I lacked formal GEDSI knowledge - a structured approach that ensures everyone, including women, people with disabilities, and marginalised groups, is included and empowered.
"My vision is to create programs that not only include women and marginalised groups but also enable them to lead, make decisions, and shape the systems that affect their lives."
Project lead, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research Director Associate Professor Adele Pavlidis said the GEDSI Short Course aimed to build the foundation for lasting impact.
"The course was designed to weave an understanding of Papua New Guinean cultural worldviews and perspectives in context to GEDSI concepts and Australian perspectives," Associate Professor Pavlidis said.
"It seeks to weave together these worldviews in a respectful, mutually beneficial, and feasible manner".
The GEDSI Short Course was designed to embed GEDSI principles into policy and practice across Papua New Guinea's public, private, and community sectors, to build the foundation for lasting social impact.
