‘Being there’: technology to reduce isolation for young people with significant illness

Young people in physical isolation because of significant illness experience disconnection from social and educational contexts. A ground-breaking intervention in New Zealand aimed to foster social inclusion for young people who are hospital-or-home-bound due to cancer treatment. A formative assessment of five young people aged 13–18, their parents, and their teachers was undertaken to determine the efficacy of telepresence technology to connect young persons to a chosen educational environment. Results indicate that the use of this technology enabled young people to experience being there in familiar educational environments and provided early evidence of the effectiveness of this intervention in helping to disrupt isolation, increase connectedness, and lift participants’ moods. This paper highlights the implications for teachers, social workers, and counsellors.