What Makes a ‘Good Life?’ Perspectives from Black Youth in Ontario (67347)
Session Chair: Cynthia Northington-Purdie
Friday, January 6, 2023 (09:25)
Session: Session 1
Room: 318B
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
Although Canada is widely regarded as a ‘progressive country' with high standards of living, many youth face barriers related to race, poverty, immigration, and other sources of marginalization. For example, Black youth in Canada experience widespread anti-Black racism, which leads to disparities across various sectors, including the labour market, education, health and mental health, and so forth. All of this is exacerbated by the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which saw racialized inequities that disproportionately impacted Black communities. To understand what supports youth in Ontario, particularly within the context of COVID-19, require to thrive, that is, to live a ‘good life, we conducted a mixed-method study, inclusive of surveys and in-depth interviews with youth across Ontario. We present survey data findings, including thematic coding of open-ended responses, from 249 Black youth participants. The participants defined a ‘good life’ as being inclusive of mental health, self-awareness, aspirations, love, relationships, and financial stability – all at the individual, familial, and community levels. The participants also identified several barriers to a ‘good life,’ including insecurity and self-blame (internalized oppression) as well as structural and socio-economic challenges. Finally, participants identified systems changes to improve mental health services and affordability of living as opportunities to enable a good life.
Authors:
Uzo Anucha, York University, Canada
Rahma Said-Togane, York University, Canada
Sinthu Srikanthan, The Youth Research and Evaluation eXchange (YouthREX), Canada
Carol Wade, The Youth Research and Evaluation eXchange (YouthREX), Canada
Cyril Cromwell, The Youth Research and Evaluation eXchange (YouthREX), Canada
Clementine Utchay, The Youth Research and Evaluation eXchange (YouthREX), Canada
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Uzo Anucha is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at York University in Canada
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