Listening to Young People

We’re working with The BC Office of the Representative for Children and Youth – an independent body in British Columbia that has a direct line to decision-makers – to understand young people’s role in the legal processes related to family law and child protection. This research is part of a project looking at how children/youth can participate or have a voice in important decisions that impact them, specifically when involved in legal proceedings under the Child, Family and Community Services Act and the Family Law Act.

We’re collecting stories of young people’s experiences dealing with family court. There have been few opportunities for them to have their voices heard. We need to change that. We believe that youth have the power to affect change, and that listening to stories is the first step to action.

Here is what it looks like when we listen to stories:

We want to spend time with and talk to young adults (16-24) who went through a legal process related to family law (breakdowns, divorce, custody) or child protection. We want to hear as much of their experience with these processes as they wish to share. What were the ups and downs? Did they want to be more or less involved? What did and didn’t they have choice over?  What have been the lasting impacts of this experiences? What would they tell other young people going through a similar experience now?

Our approach is different:

• We go where young people are at, whatever the time of day. We can hang out at the park, in McDonalds, at a house, walking the mall, wherever is comfortable.
• We go at people’s own pace. We have no fixed schedules.
• We give people choice over our topics of conversation.
• We respect people time and compensate for it.
• We invite young people to choose how they want to share their story. It can be included as part of a formal report. It might also look like a podcast, a video, a zine.
• We return the stories we create. Stories can use real first names or an alias, whichever is preferred.

This research will go to the B.C Representative for Children and Youth, and shape recommendations on young people’s participation in the Family Law Act and the Children, Family and Community Service Act. Youth can decide if they want their story included in a formal report to decision-makers, and tell us what other forms they’d like their voice to take.

This is a great question. As we use collect and use data from young people,  we aim to operate in the most ethical way we can and take measures to protect the security of that information. We always get informed consent at multiple stages of the project, young people get to determine the extent to which their story is known, and we always return stories back for the young person to review. Click here for a detailed look at our data ethics policies. 

COVID-19 presents new challenges to ethnographic fieldwork and meeting people where they are at. Our team is committed to upholding all provincial health safety guidelines. We will incorporate both in-person and online engagements into our research. During in-person sessions, we will follow the below guidelines:

• Wear a mask
• Keep the number people involved in research to a minimum (maximum 2 researchers per session)
• Meet in a location where physical distancing is possible, outdoors whenever possible
• Wash hands using soap or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer prior to the meeting
• Bring extra masks and sanitizer to give to participants
• Laminate tools and prompts so they can be easily sanitized
• After touching shared documents or prompts, do not touch face, eyes, mouth, or nose
• Wash hands after handling documents or prompts using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

We are part of a team that spends time across Canada meeting people in all kinds of situations. We are not social workers, lawyers, or therapists. We are designers, writers, flamenco dancers, and soccer players from the US, Chile and Canada who work alongside people to tell their stories.

What brings us together is that we really believe programs and policies have to start with people.

Email [email protected] with questions!