This poster presentation examines “On Paper: Toward a Queer of Colour Archival Practice," an ongoing community-engaged research project which explores how art-making, storytelling, and archiving function as practices of care and identity formation for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Toronto’s eastern, diverse suburb of Scarborough.

Originally developed through a collaboration between the University of Toronto and a local arts non-profit program, the project seeks to build a digital archive documenting the creative and affective histories of queerness in Scarborough - a space too often omitted from dominant, downtown-centric queer narratives and histories. Through creative practices such as postcards-making, collage, and painting workshops facilitated by local QTBIPOC artists and researchers, the project investigates how acts of creation may foster individual and collective well-being.

Inspired by and building on works such as Ann Cvetkovich’s concept of archives of feeling, Saidiya Hartman’s storytelling/critical fabulations, and José Esteban Muñoz’s vision of queer futurity, the project reimagines archives not only as repositories of information but as technologies of survival which hold trauma, care, and possibility. Participants’ art and testimonies show how queer of colour youth cultivate resilience and belonging even in conditions marked by spatial, racial, and socioeconomic marginalization.

Anchored in the frameworks of health humanities and participatory/qualitative research, we argue that creative archival practices constitute a critical mode of health intervention. By foregrounding lived experience and affective knowledge, Queer Scarborough “On Paper” expands what counts as evidence in health and humanities research, offering an ethics of care rooted in co-creation and representation.

Ultimately, this presentation situates Scarborough’s queer communities within broader discourses of identity, wellness, and place-making. It demonstrates that artistic and archival practices - especially those led by youth - may reorient understandings of health away from purely clinical models toward relational, interdependent, and imaginative practices of flourishing.

Background:
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit patients often face barriers in accessing healthcare and report negative experiences within the healthcare system. Patient–provider communication is a key determinant of care quality and cultural safety. This review aimed to identify communication strategies used by healthcare providers that can strengthen clinical interactions and promote trust and understanding.

Methods:
We conducted a scoping review of studies published since 2015 describing First Nations, Métis, and Inuit patients’ and healthcare providers’ perspectives on clinical communication in Canada. Data were extracted on verbal and non-verbal strategies, approaches to relationship-building, and use of language or interpreters. A thematic analysis was performed, and each study was assessed for Indigenous involvement in research.

Results:
Of 3,285 records screened, 105 were included. 21 papers did not specify Indigenous community involvement but supported findings from the studies that did. Four key themes were identified: (1) expressing empathy and acknowledging systemic challenges; (2) discussing traditional healing practices and holistic perspectives; (3) conducting history-taking in ways that respect autonomy and preferences; and (4) conveying medical information and collaborating with Indigenous interpreters. Across studies, active listening, openness, and patient-led dialogue were associated with more positive care experiences. A few population-specific guidelines were also identified (for example, questions that healthcare providers can ask to support shared decision-making with Inuit cancer patients).

Discussion:
This review highlights practical communication approaches that foster culturally safe, relational care. The findings contribute to ongoing conversations about decolonizing healthcare and advancing reconciliation by centering respect, reciprocity, and contextual understanding in clinical encounters.

Second year medical student interested in health communication and health systems research.

COI Disclosure: I do not have an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with any for-profit or not-for-profit organizations