This internship will extend a research partnership between For Youth Initiative (FYI) organization and the Applied Social Welfare Research and Evaluation Group at the School of Social Work, York University. The internship project will build a comprehensive leadership development model that articulates best and promising evidence-based practices for engaging and building the leadership capacity of […]

Achieving permanency for children and youth placed in out-of-home care enables them to form loving, consistent relationships, a sense of connectedness and belonging to their family and community, and a stable place that they call ‘home’. Permanency is critical to the well-being of placed children and youth now and in the future. This proposed study […]

The purpose of the research is to describe the nature of university policies and practices related to gendered violence at Canadian universities, in order to identify promising practices for preventing and responding to gendered violence. A description and analysis of university policies from across Canada will provide a useful context for evaluating the policies on […]

While the use of specific drugs including cannabis cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin by youth 15-24 in Canada decreased in 2011 (Health Canada), the rate of drug use by youth 15-24 years of age remains much higher compared to that of adults 25 years and older.  (Health Canada).  Early intervention and education for youth has been […]

This project aims to provide crucial and much needed knowledge in the area of "innovative social support resources" for parents of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. To accomplish this, an online parent peer support group, facilitated by experienced  professionals, will be established. operated, and analyzed over a four month period, This expertly mediated network will […]

This project will be completed in partnership with Pine River Institute, a residential and wilderness treatment centre in Ontario for youths aged 13 – 19. I plan to investigate if/how Pine River Institute is able to help substance-addicted youth achieve the core developmental tasks of adolescence, including developing a healthy sense of self and healthy […]

The mandate of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness is to end homelessness in the Capital Region by 2018. Significant progress has been made, 162 units of supportive and 129 units of affordable housing have been built since 2009, yet homelessness remains a significant problem in Victoria, BC (Pauly et al., 2013). There continues […]

Adults with Autism (ASD) and/or intellectual disabilities (ID) who seek medical and dental treatments often require specialized interventions that are not always accessible in the community. The Centre for Innovation in Autism and Intellectual Disabilities See Things my Way clinic (STMW) developed a specialized Medical/Dental Clinic to address this important gap. Providing care through a […]

Across Canada, many provinces and municipalities are struggling to address poverty in their communities. Communities are attempting to address poverty with poverty reduction strategies. With a lack of literature to support these attempts, it is difficult for communities to best address poverty and to best engage people experiencing poverty in their poverty reduction initiatives. Results […]

Research has shown that persons with disabilities have difficulty establishing relationships and becoming involved in their communities, which can generate barriers to generating and maintaining social capital. Microboards are small groups of people who have agreed to collaborate with an individual with a disability to form a person-centered ‘board’. Microboards have generated anecdotal attention for […]

This research project aims to develop a greater understanding of environmental factors that contribute to affordances in risky play for children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institutions in Levanger, Norway. The study will analyse observational data collected such as, semi-structured interviews with children and practitioners, video observations and field memos. All data will […]

This study 1) examines the lives of 3 to 5 non-status migrants in Calgary; 2) determines the challenges that these individuals face in accessing healthcare and social services; and 3) ascertains available services as well as the obstacles to services that are essential to these individuals’ social and economic integration. In general, my research answers […]