Esther-Joelle Asare is a Research Assistant with the “FLOURISH: Community-Engaged Arts for Social Wellness” Collective at the University of Toronto Scarborough, working under the guidance of Principal Investigator, Dr. Andrea Charise. With an undergraduate background in Biology for Health Sciences, Biomedical Communications, and Education Studies from the University of Toronto Mississauga, Esther-Joelle aims to use the health humanities to reframe traditional health narratives in innovative ways. Now, as a first-year Master’s student in the Social Dimensions of Health Program at the University of Victoria, she is drawn to understanding how health and well-being unfold across the life course and how social, cultural, and structural factors shape these experiences.

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

Andrea Charise, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Health & Society and Acting Associate Vice-Principal Research and Innovation (AVPRI) – Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), Canada. Visit www.andreacharise.ca for more information.

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

Shanice Chin is a Doctor of Public Health student at the University of Toronto. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in Public Health from Western University. Her research interests include artificial intelligence, data governance, mental health, and health humanities. Shanice has worked closely with community partners to examine the impact of anti-Black racism on the mental health and well-being of Black Canadians. Her contributions have supported the development of an annual mental health conference that brings together researchers, policymakers, and community members from across the country. This conference serves as a platform to synthesize knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and produce actionable knowledge mobilization tools, all with the aim of reducing barriers to mental health services and advancing equity in policy. Shanice is deeply committed to helping communities thrive, and contributing to work that empowers individuals to lead healthier and happier lives. She has been awarded for her work in improving health access for underserved populations and advancing equity within large-scale health initiatives.

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

Background:

More than 25% of older Canadians will identify as Black or racialized by 2032. Arts-infused, community-led health research is increasingly vital for amplifying the knowledges, worldviews, and lived realities of communities made marginalized by mainstream methods.

Intergenerational digital storytelling is one such modality. By creating short audiovisual narratives (typically two to five minutes), this approach fosters “collective memories of lived experience between distinct generations”(Charise et al., 2022) and offers research processes and products that center minoritized voices.

Centering Africentric principles of health and wellness (Gebremikael et al., 2022) this project asks: what do intergenerational digital storytelling methods reveal about the textured experiences of aging and older age for Black and racialized older adults?

Methods:

In partnership with TAIBU Community Health Centre, Digital Kuumba is an arts-led, community-based mixed-methods program engaging Black and racialized older adults in Scarborough, an eastern borough of Toronto, Ontario. Since 2024, the program has positioned older adults, facilitators, peer researchers, and the research team as co-researchers.

Our mixed-methods study draws from qualitative interviews, collective creative and digital making processes, validated scales (e.g., WHO-5 Wellbeing Index, The Three-Item Loneliness Scale), and the sharing of digital stories between March 2024-January 2026.

Results:

The program has generated 24 participant-driven digital stories of aging. Qualitative findings from thematic analysis of over twenty interviews and focus groups show that both the audiovisual stories and the process of creating and curating them enhance purpose, self-determination, and connection among Black and racialized older adults.

Discussion:

This research is among the first to merge digital storytelling with Africentric values, which contrast with Western health models focused on clinical metrics, medication, and age-related “decline.” Grounded in participatory methods and Africentric principles, intergenerational digital storytelling may help disrupt anti-Black racism and ageism, strengthening knowledge exchange, social wellness, and policy for Black and racialized older adults.

Research Assistant

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