More Than Words

More Than Words (MTW) is a research project that uses art and intergenerational mentoring to empower Indigenous young women, girls and LGBTQ2 youth to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and support survivors, families, and communities.

Young people are trained in art-based methods to develop leadership and facilitation skills so they may share their knowledge of SGBV and survivor support with their peers. Youth-led community events focus on participatory artmaking and sharing, they create spaces where survivors, families and community members can gather, share, and heal.

The project is operating in three field sites, Treaty 6/The Traditional Homeland of the Métis/Saskatoon, The northern community of Rankin Inlet and Eskasoni on Cape Breton Island. Each youth group choose their own approaches, corresponding with their personal, cultural, and community values. Each site is youth-led, Indigenous focussed, survivor-centred project that is supported by Indigenous community scholars on the ground.

MTW project is run by a team of student and faculty researchers led by Claudia Mitchell, Distinguished McGill Professor in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education, Project Director of Networks for Change and Well-being, Director of the McGill Institute of Human Development and Well-being (IHDW), and founder and director of the Participatory Cultures Lab.  The project is also supported by co-Investigators from Dalhousie University, Mount St-Vincent University and York University.

For more information, visit the More Than Words website.