THE REAL TO: AN INSTAGRAM LIVE SERIES
Arts-based Research
Youth Health
MH Research
Youth-Adult Partnership Research
Youth Participatory Action Research
Contributors
About
The Real TO was born out of the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and the public reckoning with anti-Black racism and state-sponsored police violence. During that time, Black and racialized youth were contending with the simultaneous and profound isolation as a result of public health restrictions and the need and opportunity to connect and mobilize in new and creative ways.
The Real TO is a space curated by youth to explore and amplify the challenges they are experiencing and to partner with researchers, service providers, and policy-makers to develop solutions. Our Instagram Live Series, which aired in the spring of 2022, was curated by and with youth members of the YWL, community partners, and youth in the community.
The weekly series consisted of eight episodes and focused on topics and issues that young people were concerned about. The format of each episode varied, with youth sometimes opting to interview adult community leaders, and in other instances, their peers and other youth from the community. Topics ranged from online learning challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, experiences of young mothers, navigating challenges related to having a family member or loved one in the carceral system, among other topics. We conducted interviews with team members and participants; stay tuned for our findings.
Publications
Instagram Live as a “safe space”: Youths’ narratives of sharing their lived experiences online
Chowdhury, R., Begun, S., Fan, J., Mayorga, B., Lucas, V., Bautista, C., Arhinson, A., Olaosebikan, H., Appiah, J., Cooke, K., & King, B. (in progress). Instagram Live as a “safe space”: Youths’ narratives of sharing their lived experiences online.
COMING SOON
"This was something I was really able to make my own”: Youths’ curation of an Instagram Live series on social issues
Begun, S., Bautista, C. Arhinson, A., Fan, J., Lucas, V., Chowdhury, R., Appiah, J., Mayorga, B., Olaosebikan, H., Cooke, K., & King, B. (in progress). “This was something I was really able to make my own”: Youths’ curation of an Instagram Live series on social issues.
COMING SOON
Young Parents Project
This project explored the experiences of young mothers with involvement in the child welfare system while they were pregnant or parenting. (We have a lot of papers already out so take out findings coming soon).
Employment Outcomes of Youth from Care
Funded by the Children’s Aid Foundation and Royal Bank of Canada, this project studied employment outcomes for Ontario youth from out-of-home care.
Mapping Disparities for Black Families in the Child Welfare System
In partnership with One Vision One Voice, this project maps disparities in the system for Black children, youth, and families and the impact of anti-Black racism in creating and sustaining them.
