Create & Grow Strong: Using Creative Exploration, Expression & Celebration to Foster Resilience in Youth
OCADU | ON | 2015
Laura Stavro-Beauchamp

“This research explored the idea that a creative project undertaken in a group setting could help youth to cultivate the traits that contribute to increased resilience elsewhere in life. This thesis was revised based on findings derived from praxis, reflective practice and grounded theory research. Create & Grow Strong, a six-week workshop program and showcase celebration, was developed with art and play therapy in mind, but without the goal of direct psychotherapeutic intervention. There was strong evidence that this was successful in fostering feelings of pride, confidence and hopefulness and in creating an environment of trust that allowed for group discussion about issues prevalent in the local community. The study was based in Toronto’s Regent Park – an area associated with crime and poverty that was undergoing a government-initiated revitalization. This thesis considers the inspiration for the research, the existing work both by theorists and practitioners working in the fields of social work, education, psychology and interaction design. Also the author’s own design process, both technologically and, as the author built the workshops, the results and the insights gained from a grounded theory approach. Finally, potential future iterations of the work are discussed.”

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