Research & Reports
The Hash It Out: Community-based Research on IRER Youth Cannabis and Mental Health project addresses the knowledge gaps in the relationship between cannabis and mental health among immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural, and racialized (IRER) youth aged 18 to 30 years old. Findings highlight the tensions in which IRER youth experience cannabis use and mental health, where their agency and consistent effort to nurture their physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing to the best of their capacity is met by their systemic responsibilities (i.e., in which exposure to risk is framed as an “individual choice”) that does not recognize the systemic barriers, discrimination, and lack of resources they experience in navigating cannabis information and mental health services.
The following report is intended to recontextualize the conversation around gun violence and youth street-level violence to decouple policing narratives from community voices. Vivic Research collaborated with the Centre for Resilience and Social Development (CRSD) and the Ottawa Coalition of Community Houses (OCCH) to conduct focus groups and surveys. The consultations aimed to gather perspectives from youth, adults, and service providers about the underlying causes of youth violence and potential non-carceral, community-based solutions to address it.
From Punishment to Prevention
The following report examines the root causes of community-level street-based violence, including gun violence, that implicates individuals between the ages of 13 and 25. The purpose of this report is to explore ways that youth violence can be prevented by transforming the social conditions that perpetuate violence at interpersonal, community, and state levels. The introduction of this report defines and contextualizes youth street-based violence and its relationship to intimate and state violence. The first section identifies poverty, racism, and prohibition as root causes of youth violence and proposes policy solutions. The second section explores the need to replace carceral responses to violence that only further entrench harm. This report does not propose specific community-based interventions that would react to violence that occurs but rather focuses on the structural shifts that are needed to prevent youth violence.
Rethinking Youth Violence
The past fiscal year has been a period of significant achievements and growth for the Student and Family Advocate Community of Practice (SFA COP). Our collaborative efforts have focused on enhancing advocacy, increasing access to educational and legal support, and strengthening the capacity of our community to support Black families and students across Ontario.
SFA Annual Report & Support Resources
