THIS IS ME

With recruitment support from the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, this study engaged 21 young people (ages 18-29) who had experiences in the child welfare system in Canada in virtual body-map storytelling workshops. Through this project, we aimed to: 1) better understand the experiences of young people who have aged out of the child welfare system in Canada; 2) examine how body-mapping can facilitate increased creative self-expression, social connectedness, and collective solidarity among young people who have experienced Canada’s child welfare system; and 3) explore the effectiveness of and methodological insights gained through conducting body-mapping workshops virtually. Our research team is currently analyzing post-project qualitative data that were collected to explore workshop participants’ experiences. Following our workshop facilitation and data collection process, Cam and Stephanie hosted an Instagram Live conversation about their experiences co-facilitating the project.