Co-designing Responses to Cult Recruitment on Campus
SESSION OVERVIEW
The return of students to campus after lockdowns has resulted in high control groups – commonly known as cults – seizing this opportunity to recruit new members.
Sally Phu will provide education on cult recruitment tactics currently in use on our campuses, the characteristics of an unhealthy group and the impacts these groups have on students.
Tiff Hall will share the work so far at Swinburne to codesign a response with students, to prevent recruitment through education, collaboration and info sharing.
PRESENTERS
Sally Phu is a registered counsellor and member of the Australian Counselling Association. After several years of research on cultic groups, coupled with her personal experience, Sally provides counselling to people exiting cultic groups through online counselling and runs cult awareness workshops to educate people about high control groups.
Tiff Hall coordinates the Multi Faith Centre at Swinburne and has encountered many students caught up in high control groups in the course of this work. She is works with students though a consultative forum, spiritual club committees and spiritual wellbeing workshops to empower students to identify these groups early.
