Canada Research Chair on Youth, Disasters and Social Justice

The Chair

Mandate

The research program of the ZENITH Chair – Canada Research Chair in Youth, Disasters and Social Justice seeks to better understand and support young people under the age of 25 who have been exposed to disasters, taking into account the social inequalities that shape their life trajectories. The Chair’s research approach is at once phenomenological, participatory and interdisciplinary. It draws on mixed-methods designs (quantitative and qualitative) to capture the full complexity of post-disaster pathways.

What sets the Chair apart is its focus on the perspectives of young people themselves, recognizing them as legitimate social actors. Their experiences, which are often absent from the scientific literature, are treated here as essential sources of knowledge. The methodology relies on innovative tools such as digital storytelling and design thinking, which foster the active participation of young people throughout the research process and make it possible to identify concrete levers for action.

The program is also innovative in that it challenges conventional approaches centred on mental health diagnoses while offering a holistic, dynamic and contextualized reading of the trajectories of young people exposed to disasters. It brings to light the cumulative effects of social disadvantage and frames disaster as a long-term process shaped by social inequalities. Grounded in a perspective of equity, diversity and inclusion, the program carries strong potential for social impact. It contributes to enriching psychosocial interventions and to strengthening young people’s adaptive capacities in the face of future disasters, in a global context marked by the rise of climate- and health-related catastrophes.

  • Research Topic 1

    Giving young people a voice by documenting the consequences of disasters on different spheres of their lives
    Research within this area aims to better understand, from the perspective of young people themselves, their experiences following disasters. It seeks to document the positive and negative consequences that can arise from these experiences in different spheres of their lives, particularly in the psychological, familial, academic, social, and community spheres. This area pays particular attention to the meaning that young people ascribe to the events they experience, the turning points that mark their trajectories, and the transformations that emerge in the wake of disasters. By recognizing the epistemic value of young people’s lived experiences, this research contributes to the emergence of new knowledge about their realities, which are often overlooked in research and practice.

  • Research Topic 2

    Identify the vulnerability and protective factors influencing young people’s trajectories
    The research grouped within this theme aims to better understand the individual, family, educational, social, and community factors that influence young people’s trajectories following a disaster. It focuses particularly on the influence of social inequalities, cumulative vulnerabilities, and living conditions on post-disaster pathways, as well as the resources and support systems that can foster resilience and recovery. By adopting a longitudinal and ecosystemic perspective, this theme seeks to shed light on the mechanisms by which certain contexts weaken young people, while others support their adaptation and well-being over time.

  • Research Topic 3

    Co-developing innovative prevention and intervention practices with young people and various stakeholders to better cope with disasters
    The work within this framework aims to co-create, with young people and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, innovative prevention and intervention practices to better address the realities experienced in disaster contexts. This framework seeks to transform the knowledge generated into levers for action, empowering young people, strengthening collective resources, and improving practices in family, school, community, and institutional settings. Grounded in a social justice perspective, this work aims to contribute to the development of more equitable, inclusive, and appropriate responses, while supporting social transformations that can reduce the inequalities exacerbated by disasters.

The work of the Chair is made possible thanks to the contribution of