Exploring the Educational Experiences of Afghan Refugee Youth in Canada: A Photovoice Study

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Creative and Critical Approaches in Youth Participatory Action Research

Abstract

This paper presents a participatory photovoice study with Afghan refugee youth in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland, centering their lived experiences navigating public schools amid systemic racialization and displacement. Grounded in Empowerment Theory and Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth framework, this research amplifies youth voices as agents of resistance and knowledge production. Through their photographs and narratives, participants reveal both barriers and sources of strength, including familial, linguistic, and navigational capital. The study advances grassroots educational justice by fostering youth-led inquiry and collective empowerment, highlighting how refugee youth mobilize for more inclusive and equitable educational futures. It challenges traditional academic boundaries by situating knowledge production within community collaboration and advocates for educational spaces that honor refugee histories and support transformative, life-affirming change.

Author

• Narjes Hashemi, McGill University