Using an ethnonarrative design within arts-based community research: SKETCH Toronto and its ongoing social impact

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of youth and their interaction with the Toronto arts organization “SKETCH Working Arts” using an ethnonarrative design to examine levels of impact through the organization. Drawing on ethnographic research utilizing participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups, the data offers a narrative and descriptive understanding of the role the arts play in youths’ lives with respect to personal and social development. It qualifies their interactions in the areas of career, education, and community connections. This research will: 1) present a guide that qualifies types of marginalized youth that access community services, suggesting that other organizations utilize this guide to better serve youth populations, 2) demonstrate how ethnonarrative can serve as an ideal methodological framework for research in community settings that serve marginalized populations. This research contributes to the growing scholarship on arts-based research and the pursuit of social change in the lives of marginalized youth.