Initially Funded by REACH Edmonton Council for Safe Communities & Support for Advancement of Scholarship, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, and Kule Institute for Advanced Study, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta.
This participatory research project is a partnership between the not-for-profit community arts-based youth organization iHuman Youth Society (Co-founder and outreach worker, Wallis Kendal; www.ihuman.org), Edmonton and Area Child and Family Services High Risk Youth Unit (Regional Specialist for High Risk Youth Services, Peter Smyth), and the University of Alberta (Dr. Diane Conrad). Based on a need identified by the community, the project involves a number of iHuman youth as key collaborators working at developing a series of arts-based workshops to educate service providers about how to best meet the particular needs of the high risk youth populations they serve. Youth are involved in identifying issues, developing curriculum materials and presenting the workshops. As well as educating service providers (educators, social workers, law enforcement, health practitioners, etc.), the project benefits the youth involved and the community at large.
The Alberta government defines high risk youth as youth aged 14-22, whose drug/alcohol use interferes with daily functioning, whose decisions may jeopardize their safety, who lack healthy adult connections, and who have experienced multiple residential placements and multi-generational child protection involvement, as well as suffering from mental health issues and involvement with the criminal justice system. Working from a harm reduction perspective the project aims to add to our understanding of issues related to the experiences of high risk youth towards concrete material improvements in their lives.
As part of the first phase of the project an evaluation of outcomes for service provider participants was undertaken (see report below) with assistance from Research and Evaluation Services, Faculty of Extension, U of A. The final phase of the project involved an arts-based evaluation of outcomes for youth participants funded by the Kule Institute for Advanced Study, U of A. The video (see links below) is a product of that evaluation.
Uncensored Evaluation Report (outcomes for service provider participants)
Uncensored evaluation of youth outcomes video:
10 min. version - password: uncensoredvideo10
30 min. version - password: uncensored30min
Uncensored wins gold Laurel Award:
Edmonton Journal September 20, 2011
Paula Simon's Blog September 20, 2011
Secondary Education News Article, May 19, 2011
Edmonton Journal January 24, 2011
CBC Radio Edmonton News August 31, 2010
CBC Radio Edmonton a.m. August 31, 2010
Visit our Uncensored Ning Group social network site for research materials and video scenes :
http://arts-basedresearchstudio.ning.com/group/uncensored
Conrad, D., Smyth, P. & Kendal, W. (2015). Uncensored: Participatory arts-based research with youth. In D. Conrad &
A. Sinner (Eds.), Creating together: Participatory, community-based and collaborative arts practices and scholarship across Canada (pp. 21-38).
Waterloo, ON: Wilfred Laurier University Press.
Conrad, D. (2015). Education and social innovation: The Youth Uncensored Project – a case study of youth participatory research and cultural
democracy in action. Canadian Journal of Education, 38(1) [Online].
Conrad, D., Kendal, W., Smyth, P., Olson, B., Belcourt, T., Anand, A., Hunt, L., Robinson, L. & iHuman youth. Community workshops
for participatory research project High Risk Youth Uncensored: An Educational Exchange:
(2010, June 30). Pilot workshop – iHuman, REACH Edmonton Council for Safe Communities, etc. Edmonton, AB.
(2010, August 11). Taking Teaching to the Edges (of the classroom) and Beyond. Centre for Teaching and Learning & Community
Service Learning, University of Alberta. Edmonton, AB.
(2010, Nov. 7). Homefest (homelessness event), Edmonton, AB.
2010, December 8). EDPY 523 The Practice of School Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.
(2011, January 26). iHuman Youth Society & Pohna Keepers of the Fire, Native Counseling Services. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, February 2). International Week, University of Alberta. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, February 28). EDPY 397 Mentor Children & Adolescents & EDSE 501 Theorizing Youth Culture in Curriculum and Teacher
Education, University of Alberta. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, March 10). Calgary visitors - Youth Criminal Defense Office, Prosecutions Unit, Calgary Police Services. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, May 13). Amiqaaq Conference, University of Alberta. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, May 27). Edmonton Public Library. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, June 1). Alberta Harm Reduction Conference. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, June 7). Alberta School Boards Association. Red Deer, AB.
(2011, July 29). Global Youth Assembly. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, Sept. 15). Relentless Youth Worker Program – YouCan. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, Oct. 19). Tags (anti-grafitti) Conference, Edmonton, AB.
(2011, Oct. 21). Provoking Curriculum Conference, U of A, Edmonton, AB.
(2011, Nov. 4). U of Calgary Social Work Program. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, Nov. 18). Edmonton Public Library. Edmonton, AB.
(2011, Dec. 1). EDPY 397 Mentor Children & Adolescents, U of A.
(2012, Feb. 12). iCare Conference, Edmonton Ismaiil community
(2012, March, 21). Canadian Liver Foundation's - Hep C & Art project. Edmonton, AB.
(2012, May 9). Kule Dialogues - Uncensored Showcase Celebration, Edmonton, AB.
(2012, June 18-20). Research Storytelling Workshop: Activating the Heart: Storytelling, Knowledge Sharing and Relationship (SSHRC & Trudeau Foundation), Yellowknife, NT.
(2012, Nov. 8). EDPY 397 Mentor Children & Adolescents, U of A.
