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Browsing by Author "Minaker, Joanne"

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    Been, being, becoming: an auto-ethnographical analysis of black youth in Canada
    (2020) Odera, James; Minaker, Joanne
    Black youth often contend with negative external social constructions, labels, and categories, defining who they are as individuals and as racialized others. Regardless of the degree to which Black youth identify with these narratives of deviance, the expectations and assumptions within this discourse have consequences. This research project analyzed Black youth identity and racialization through the lens of my racialized experience of growing up Black in Canada. Thus, this study attempted to answer the following question: How have I as a Black youth made sense of the “narrative of deviance” as I created my identity during adolescence? The method used for this research was an auto-ethnographical approach, which allowed me to analyze my own life experiences and explore the themes in relation to academic literature on Black youth and adolescent experiences. As the primary researcher I coded the selected life experiences using MAXQDA coding software, analyzed them for major themes, and drew on the major connections that existed between the data and the existing literature. The existing literature represented Black youth identity as frequently being fraught with internal identity tension, varying levels of performative tendencies, and denial of individual recognition. My research found that throughout my life, I contended with social process that constructed Blackness, through creation, performance, and judgment, making my Blackness an object that was meant to represent a stereotypical image of a Black male.
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    Does compassion go viral? Social media, caring, and the Fort McMurray wildfire
    (2018) Boulianne, Shelley; Minaker, Joanne; Haney, Timothy
    In May 2016, an enormous wildfire threatened the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta and forced the evacuation of all of the city’s residents. Outpourings of support teemed in from all across Canada and over the world, prompting the largest charitable response in Canadian Red Cross history. This paper examines Albertans’ response to the wildfire by exploring caring and helping behaviors as well as the role of social media in facilitating these remarkable charitable efforts. The paper uses mixed methods including an analysis of the most popular Tweets related to the wildfire and an Alberta survey collected months after the disaster. The analysis of tweets reveals that care, concern, and invitations to help were prominent in social media discourse about the wildfire. The analysis of survey data demonstrates that those who followed news about the wildfire on social media express higher overall levels of care and concern for those affected, which led to helping those impacted by the wildfire. The findings provide important insights about the role of social media in disaster relief and recovery as well as citizens’ civic engagement.
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    Teachers and care: a relational narrative inquiry of the power of education
    (2019) Johnson, Kaitlin; Minaker, Joanne
    This project is an exploration into the relational process of teacher-student connections from the vantage point of junior high educators to better understand why and how teachers form these significant relationships with students.
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    Teachers and care: a relational narrative inquiry of the power of educators for youth
    (2019) Johnson, Kaitlin; Minaker, Joanne
    Our human process of becoming, which involves identity formation and an emerging sense of self (Worth, 2009, p.1050), begins at a very young age and reaches critical points through youth's educational life course. Through the process of becoming, the ways through which youth deal with the challenges in their lives are potentially supported or thwarted, depending on the presence of caring adults who may act as guides, adult mentors, or what can be referred to as "champions." According to Rita Pierson (2013), a champion for youth is "an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be.” During adolescence, the transition from elementary school to junior high can result in “heightened levels of mistrust between teachers and students, student perceptions that teachers no longer care about them, and a decrease in opportunities for students to establish meaningful relationships with teachers” (Wentzel, 1997, p.411). Therefore, the position that teachers occupy at such a necessary time for youth becoming gives these adult authorities a unique opportunity to connect with youth and to establish a relationship that can serve as a role model and a support system as youth learn who they are and aspire to become. This project is a sociological exploration into the dynamics of building caring relationships between youth and teachers. Specifically, what are the relational processes of teacher-student connections according to junior high teachers?
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    Youth disengagement: what's CARE got to do with it?
    (2017) Dobler, Samantha; Minaker, Joanne
    Do youth who disengage from society find their way into the criminal justice system or does the criminal justice system lead youth to disengage from society? This paper aims to contribute a student’s perspective on the (dis)engagement debate. In other words, to dispel the myth that “disengaged youth” just don’t care. Drawing on a critical, youth justice perspective, I conceptualize youth engagement, examine the bridges and barriers contributing to social inclusion/exclusion. I develop a CARE model for increasing access for youth. I pose practical questions concerning social support availability and opportunities for young people to contribute in meaningful ways to their community.