My name is Chloe Roberts, and I am an incoming fourth-year student studying Social Work. I am particularly interested in gender equality and women’s health/mental health, youth well-being and positive development, and supporting individuals and families across the lifespan. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I have learned the importance of community-led research for informing clinical practice and social policy. This summer, while interning at the Institute for Human Development and Well-Being (IHDW) in the Participatory Cultures Lab (PCL), I was able to develop this understanding further while engaging with a large-scale participatory research project.
The IHDW is a transdisciplinary unit in the Faculty of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill. Researchers from McGill's Departments of Family Medicine, Educational and Counselling Psychology, Integrated Studies in Education, Anthropology, Kinesiology and Physical Education, Psychiatry, Urban Planning, and Social Work collaborate to work on projects that “address the role that leadership and policy-making can play in positive human development and well-being for individuals who have physical, psychological, and/or intellectual disabilities, have experienced emotional, physiological and mental health issues, [or who] belong to traditionally at-risk populations, including those with low socioeconomic status, Indigenous peoples, and minorities” (Institute for Human Development and Well-Being [IHDW], n.d). The IHDW/PCL uses visual and participatory approaches to research and social action, including arts-based and digital storytelling methods. There are several ongoing projects at the lab that aim to facilitate community knowledge mobilization and empower participants to be active members in the research process. I was motivated to intern with the IHDW/PCL so that I could have the opportunity to participate in – and learn about – arts-based, community-led, and interdisciplinary research processes that highlight the voices of traditionally marginalized communities.
During the course of my internship, my main responsibilities focused on one of the lab's current projects, titled “Transforming Girls’ Education in Sierra Leone.” The Transforming Girls’ Education Project (TGEP) is a two-year project in Sierra Leone that aims to reduce barriers to education for girls and improve the quality of education for all youth in Sierra Leone. The project investigates sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and gender and sexual/reproductive health rights (SRHR) in Sierra Leone and their correlation to women’s/girls’ well-being and educational outcomes. Addressing the social and systemic barriers related to gender inequality, SGBV, and SRHR is fundamental in order to support girls’ access to and success in school. My tasks in assisting with this project included data organization, qualitative data analysis, and the transcription of preservice teacher and teacher educator interviews, focus groups, and arts-based research activities. Additionally, I was involved in organizing the 11th McGill International Cellphilm Festival. Toward the end of my internship, I had the opportunity to design and create a community knowledge mobilization E-Book titled “Picturing Gender Transformation Through the Eyes of Preservice Teachers and Teacher Educators.”
I am grateful to have gained valuable insight into how powerful participatory and arts-based research approaches can be in creating change for individuals and communities whose voices often go unheard in research. While transcribing interviews, pull-out groups, and focus groups, analyzing data, and producing a final data analysis report and E-Book, I learned how impactful Cellphilming initiatives were for TGEP participants as a tool for helping them understand – and spread awareness about – gender issues and SRHR in their communities. I have developed a greater understanding of how Cellphilms, as well as other arts-based methods like drawing and essay-writing, can provide people with platforms to raise awareness, have their voices heard, and build supportive communities for vulnerable groups like Sierra Leonean women. I have also been able to engage personally with the complexity of gender and sexual reproductive health rights issues in Sierra Leone, a topic that I did not know much about prior to beginning my internship with the IHDW/PCL. While it was initially challenging to jump headfirst into such a large-scale project without much prior research experience, I have now gained valuable research skills and confidence, as well as a newfound passion for using qualitative, community-led, arts-based research methodologies. I am excited to pursue this passion in my future studies at McGill and in graduate school.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Gregg Blachford and Mr. David McGillivray for their generous funding donation that allowed me to complete my internship this summer. The Gregg Blachford and David McGillivray Internship Award gave me the opportunity to pursue my interests in participatory research and invest in my future as a social researcher and health worker. This kind of support for students is so important, and I hope to be able to contribute to the success of other McGill Arts Interns in the future as well.
