Providing an avenue of expression for youth with firsthand experience of displacement, this program honours their lived experiences while supporting efforts to enrich public understanding of the contributing factors + consequences of displacement + forced migration.
The production phase of the program will see 24 youth creating 6 new (dis)placed-based digital stories, and up to 24 vlogs. The outreach phase will see participants publically screening and presenting their work, creating / facilitating workshops + online resources designed to increase awareness and prompt dialogue in schools + beyond.
Featuring youth-made videos, lesson plans, background info + activities, the resources developed will:
• Enable newcomer + indigenous youth to see themselves/their experiences reflected in the school curriculum, while easing some of the burden of explanation off of them.
• Assist educators, students, + support workers in: (i) unlearning biases, dispelling misconceptions, challenging racialized violence, and institutionalized hate; (ii) learning about circumstances forcing Indigenous, refugee and newcomer students to leave their homeland, challenges faced in the process, and possible ways forward.
The learning/unlearning that these resources facilitate are essential aspects of creating educational environments that are inclusive, support marginalized youth in “transitioning through and out of the education system”, and enhance their potential for broader civic engagement