In the summer of 2009 and 2010, 21 multi-cultural youth from St. James Town completed a Photovoice projectand disseminated their findings in a community forum that attracted the attention of news media. The goal of the arts-based project was to investigate the impact of neighbourhood on youth health and well-being. Using photography and storytelling, the youth delivered a striking account of their personal experiences and beliefs regarding various neighbourhood and community issues that impact their lives. Some very interesting themes emerged, such as the importance of green and public spaces in their largely concrete neighbourhood, and the youth’s keen interest in collective community efforts for creating change.
St. James Town Initiative: Multicultural Youth Voices project has yielded three new publications and and a video.
A detailed background on neighbourhood effects on immigrant youth health and an analysis of the major themes to emerge from the Youth Photovoice research project is now available in the Multicultural Youth Voice report. The report features photographs taken by the youth and quotes from their stories about their neighbourhood.
A summary policy brief identifying potential policy actions arising from the Youth Photovoice research findings is also available. This policy brief is the first in a series and provides a glimpse into key policy directions that will be detailed in several issue-focused policy briefs to follow.
The Urban and Open Spaces fact sheet provides a quick description of the key channels through which urban neighbourhoods impact the health and well-being of multicultural youth.
The Introduction to St. James Town video is an extension of the Multicultural Youth Voices project . Filmed by three youths from St. James Town and featuring commentary by some of the research participants, this video reflects the opinions and experiences of newcomer youth in St. James Town. The footage was edited by a SJT Initiative intern, a student from Toronto Centre for Community Learning and Development.
Download our new report here.