Arts-Based Research

Our arts-based and participatory research projects give youth with refugee experience a platform to share their voices with academics, service providers, policy makers and other interested individuals. The pictures below were taken by youth to describe their experiences of becoming refugees and starting a new life in Canada. 
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“I always pictured my life as a path. Over every path there is destination we always hope for the best the bright light at the end of each road. The journey doesn’t end there; we keep on facing more challenges.”
- Chadia Kayinamura | Social Justice in Focus
“I took this picture because the way he was crying and felt lonely was reminding me the life from back home. There’s no diversity here and back home. I want people to know that the life we live here it’s the same to back home.”
- Zee Nolza | Social Justice in Focus
“This photo introduces the shisha, an old fashioned part of my culture that I brought with me to Canada. It’s about relaxing and being slow. I want people to know I came here with my culture and religion, and I will save it wherever I go, and keep it in my heart.”
- Saeed Alzoubi | Social Justice in Focus
"My name is Praise. Am a winner. Am the captain of my thoughts. I believe I was born to make a difference and to leave a mark."
- Praise Mugisho | Social Justice in Focus
“Stop wars. People are greedy, they want land and money. They make wars happen and a lot of people get killed, and countries hate each other… Then people that did nothing start hating each other.”
- Amro Asfour | Flash Forward Photography
“Co-exist- you don’t have to agree with people’s thoughts but at least respect that they are human like you.”
- Reema Alfarwati | Flash Forward Photography
“I would like to share the good things about my country more than that there is a war. There are a lot of people that think the countries that have wars- the people there are not good, I want to show that we are better than that”
- Saja Amer | Flash Forward Photography
“There are challenges. But you can overcome them on your own. It’s not necessary that someone helps you with it. Last year I started high school and the challenge was to make new friends - because when you start high school all your friends go to different schools. I don’t like to talk a lot to people - so it was a little hard. I like to listen more than talk. I’m happy I overcame this challenge.”
- Sima | Flash Forward Photography
“I liked photography before, and I used to try on my own, using YouTube, once I found out that there was a workshop, I said if there is someone that can fix my mistakes better than me learning on my own. That’s why I was excited to join and after the first session- I was more excited to know that there were other skills to learn.”
- Abdulrahman Kudduo | Flash Forward Photography
“I used to take photos using snapchat (filters), I used to not be able to take photos without filters, but recently after this program I started taking pictures without snapchat… I used to feel that all my pimples and stuff show…now I just accept myself for who I am and how I look like.”
- Alaa Rayan | Flash Forward Photography
“I look at the positive side- the good in the things that happen to me, I always think that everything happens for a good reason. This helps me a lot”
- Mona Awd | Flash Forward Photography
“If I’m scared of something I push myself to do it, so I face my fears and stop getting scared. If I am scared of animals I will research more about them to see them and stay around them so I know they won’t hurt me…that’s how I like to face my fears.”
- Abdullah Kudduo | Flash Forward Photography
“I took a photo of the lake and the waves and I liked it so much because my family was there and every time I look at it, it just reminds me of my family.”
- Hanen Mousa | Flash Forward Photography
“I feel like everyone has a form of expression, mine is photography”
- Rowida Sy | Flash Forward Photography
“People should think of others. Teach your children to love people and not be racist.”
- Nabeel Alkhayat | Flash Forward Photography
“I like the experiments- I used to like taking photos but this program made me like photography more.”
- Qamar | Flash Forward Photography
“Photography helped me express my feelings through colours..When you put dark colours it shows depression and sadness but with bright colours it shows happiness.”
- Sham Rh | Flash Forward Photography
“My experience was like a door that has been opened for me. I had hoped to study, succeed in my life. The door symbolizes paths or ways for the things that I like to do in life. [the interviewer and participants commented on the side the door opens]. It is that I stand in front of the world. The whole world is forward. Look, there are trees, and it is green outside. There are things that give me the hope to keep going. I took this photo I was 16 years old”
- Raghad | Syrian Youth Project
“My second picture is a path that I walk step by step. It has no end because there is no end to things. Once I finish one thing, I start doing the other thing. There is always something in front. In this picture, there is this line, it is like a stumble or any other thing along the way that may shock you or stop you, but no, you will go back to your plan that you had for yourself. You may learn from it, and there is this small plant in between the tiles. While you are going through your journey, there are beautiful things. It makes you feel the joy of the experience during the tough times.”
- Raghad | Syrian Youth Project
“In this picture, you can see the sun is far away, and the road is in front of the photo. From my experience, I want to arrive at some destinations, but it was far away from me. I kept going until I arrived, and I was still away from the sun. we were going to the beach when I took this picture... So, this photo represents my way and the difficulties that I have experienced till I arrive at where I want which is clear here in the second photo.”
- Yusra | Syrian Youth Project
“Then when you arrive, you are happy with things and start feeling comfortable in the community. If you see here in the first photo [figure 3], it is empty, right? but in this photo, there are clouds, trees, and birds. There is life. In the first picture [figure 3], it is just a road, empty and boring, but at the end of it is a great thing, the sun.
- Yusra | Syrian Youth Project
“This picture depicts the hope I have. I took this one when I first came here [Canada] in downtown. The road and the traffic lights mean a lot to me. There is an end to this road ... but when I go home and look at this picture, I see the road and see the hope too. the traffic lights are obstacles, and it is going to turn red, but that does not mean you are going to stop all your life. Yes, it is an obstacle, but you are going to continue your life. There is no straight road without bumps. It is a long way, but I will arrive."
- Adel | Syrian Youth Project
“The idea behind this video is to take the scene from the morning to the night. When I was coming back from school; I have noticed a narrow path. There were a lot of trees, the house! A lot of leaves falling. The scene was beautiful. I do not know what made me stop and take a video. It feels like it is a path to forget whatever sad and bad situations I went through. The falling leaves felt like saying let’s forget what happened and keep walking in this path. The leaves resemble us, and the nice breeze, Ahh. It felt saying nothing worth feeling this much pain. I felt it saying: let’s be as light as these flying leaves. This path for 14 me seemed like if it was a time machine that makes you forget the past, the sad memories.”
- Rahaf | Syrian Youth Project
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Research Projects

Project TitleLead Researcher(s)Research Partner(s)PublicationProject Status

Singing My Story: Building Capacity with Newcomer Youth Through Songwriting, Recording, and Creative Arts-based Pedagogies

Andrea Emberly
COSTI Immigrant ServicesN/AComplete

An Exploration of Integration Journeys and Well-being: A YPAR Project with Syrian Refugee Youth

Abe Oudshoorn
Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and IntegrationAvailableComplete
Social Justice in FocusSusie Brigham and April Mandrona
Immigrant Services Association of N.S. (ISANS) and Youth Art Connection (YAC)AvailableComplete
Flash Forward Photovoice ProjectApril Mandrona
Syrian Canadian Foundation AvailableComplete
Syrian Refugee Children’s Representations of their Memories of Syria, a Transition Country, and Early Days in CanadaMehrunnisa Ali
N/AAvailableComplete
Tough Conversations: “Things I Wish They Knew About Youth with Refugee Experience”Susan BrighamYouth Art ConnectionN/ACompleted

Publications & Reports

>Publication:
Rabiah-Mohammed, F. & Oudshoorn, A. (Sept 2021). An exploration of integration journeys, identity and well-being with Syrian refugee youth.
Brigham, Susan M., and Kharbach, Mohamed. (2020). Ethical Issues in a participatory photography research project involving youth with refugee experience. In Dodd, Savannah (editor). Ethics and Integrity in Visual Research Methods, v.5, 153–170. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2398-601820200000005014 .
Abu Alrob, Z., Khatib, B., Khobieh, M., & Mandrona, A. (April 2021). Flash Forward Photovoice Project: Research.
Ali, M. A., & Gibran, G. (2020). Documenting Syrian Refugee Children’s Memories: Methodological Insights and Further Questions. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, doi.org/10.1177/1609406920938958