Home Podcasts The whyPAR Podcast

The whyPAR Podcast

The Youth Research Lab @ OISE, U of T 18 episodes Latest Dec 2, 2025

The whyPAR Podcast explores the ethical dimensions of youth participatory action research (YPAR). Practitioners discuss co-leading YPAR projects, building relationships, power dynamics, and sharing their work. The podcast is based out of the Youth Research Lab at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.

Episodes

Facilitator Archetypes: Navigating Institutions as Community Engaged Facilitators Dec 2, 2025 00:30:14 This podcast episode uses 3 archetypes: the doula, the smuggler and translator to explore the role that many community engaged facilitators take in navigating the institutions that they work within and for. Through the lens of these archetypes, we expand on the ways that community engaged facilitators leverage their power or position to work towards justice and safety for the communities they are

From “oh sh*t!” to “oh shift”, a conversation with Leila Angod, Jessica Bleuer, Rose Gutierrez, and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández Dec 2, 2025 00:38:46 In this podcast, we share moments when our facilitation plans were ruptured by unexpected challenges or situations. We discuss how we moved from through those moments and the shifts we made to adjust our practice. With hosting, music, and production by Sherry Ostapovitch

Saving or Engaging: Rethinking Community Facilitation, a conversation with Ananya Banerjee and Annie Chau Nov 30, 2025 00:29:21 This podcast explores the tension between “saving” and “engaging” when working with communities. Through personal stories and reflective conversations, the Ananya Banerjee and Annie Chau discuss the risks of falling into saviourism and highlight the importance of shifting toward facilitation that empowers people and communities. The podcast poses critical questions: Are we acting as saviours or su

“Creating joyful resistance in communities”: On Visual Participatory Methods with Casey Burkholder Jun 13, 2024 00:39:21 This episode features Dr. Casey Burkholder, with podcast host, Dr. Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández. In this conversation, Casey shares about her experience doing participatory visual research with queer and trans communities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. She also tells us about her work with teacher candidates in New Brunswick, where she thinks alongside classro

“People who live in their neighbourhoods know it better”: On community engaged and participatory urban planning research with Dr. Aditi Mehta Jul 6, 2023 00:41:48 This episode features Dr. Aditi Mehta, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies at the University of Toronto, and podcast host Dr. Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández, Professor and Director of the Youth Research Lab here at OISE. Drawing on her diverse experiences conducting PAR neighbourhoods in the USA and Canada, Dr. Mehta reflects on the politics of knowledge production and dissemination within contexts o

“There’s no one way to do this”: On youth-adult partnerships and embracing complexity, a conversation with Sharif Mahdy, Stoney McCart, Kwaku Agyemang, and Maddy Ross May 12, 2023 00:28:21 This episode features Sharif Mahdy, Stoney McCart, Kwaku Agyemang from the Students Commission of Canada (SCC) and podcast host Maddy Ross. In this conversation, they reflect on how the SCC’s origins at a national youth conference in 1991 helped to shape four core values, referred to as the Four Pillars, as a process for youth engagement. Drawing on these Four Pillars - Respect, Listen, Understand

“Not everything can be fully participatory, right?”: On "True" PAR, A Conversation between Aurora Santiago-Ortiz and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández Aug 15, 2022 00:45:59 This episode features conversation between Dr. Aurora Santiago-Ortiz, Assistant Professor of Gender and Women studies the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with podcast host Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández, a Professor here at OISE, the Director of the Youth Research Lab, and one of the Co-Producers of The WhyPAR podcast. In this episode, Aurora and Rubén discuss the principles that constitute “pure” P

“What happens when you run onto the edges of progressivism?”: On Conducting YPAR in Elite Schools, A Conversation Between Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández and Leila Angod Mar 1, 2022 00:40:00 This episode features conversation between Dr. Leila Angod, Assistant Professor in the Childhood and Youth Studies Program at Carleton University, and a former postdoctoral fellow at the Youth Research Lab with podcast host Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández, a Professor here at OISE, the Director of the Youth Research Lab, and one of the Co-Producers of The Why PAR podcast. In this episode, Leila and Rub

“Art Is Research”: On Knowledge from Identity and Place - A Conversation between Maddy Ross and Artist-Researchers Pree Rehal, Bert Whitecrow, Ayrah Taerb, Ammarah Syed, and Jahmal Nugent Nov 11, 2021 00:35:39 This episode features five artist-researchers from the Making With Place Research Project (MWP), a collaborative initiative in T’karonto between York University graduate students Charlotte Lombardo and Phyllis Novak and SKETCH, an award-winning community arts program. Pree Rehal, Bert Whitecrow, Ayrah Taerb, Ammarah Syed, and Jahmal Nugent are all established young artists who came together during

“How to Empower Themselves in an Industry Not Meant for Them”: On Community-Engaged Programming with Lil Sis (Alma Ahmed, Suzanna Maharaj, Rayan Saied, Belul Kidane, and Kamilah Apong) and Naima Raza Oct 27, 2021 00:36:59 This episode features conversation between the Lil Sis team - Alma Ahmed, Suzanna Maharaj, Rayan Saied, Belul Kidane, and Kamilah Apong-  and podcast host Naima Raza. In this episode, Lil Sis and Naima discuss community-engaged youth research and programming. They discuss the need for arts-based programming for queer and racialized youth in Regent Park; the importance of community-based resea

“Now that we were conducting the research, it felt more like power“: On Doing YPAR Before and During COVID-19 - A Conversation between Maddy Ross and youth researchers at the Youth Research Lab Oct 6, 2021 00:32:42 This episode is the second in a two-part series featuring conversations between the WhyPAR Podcast’s new co-host, Maddy Ross and five youth researchers: Valeria Pineda, Lainey Rios, Luisa Gonzalez, Jaden McGregor, and Annie Silva. In this episode, the five youth researchers discuss their most recent YPAR project conducted in the summer of 2020 that explored the experiences of Indigenous and Latinx

“If we really learned like this in school, school would be so much better”: On Building Generative Classrooms - A Conversation Between Maddy Ross and youth researchers at the Youth Research Lab Oct 4, 2021 00:34:46 This episode is the first in a two-part series featuring conversations between the WhyPAR Podcast’s new co-host, Maddy Ross and five youth researchers: Valeria Pineda, Lainey Rios, Luisa Gonzalez, Jaden McGregor, and Annie Silva. In this episode, the five youth researchers reflect on their experiences in a school-based YPAR project, Youth Solidarities Across Boundaries (YSAB), a collaboration betw

“Getting to the point where we erase the Y the P and the A”: A Conversation Between Nicole Mirra, Antero Garcia and Melanie Bertrand Mar 30, 2021 00:38:16 This episode is the first featuring conversation between Mel Bertrand, Nicole Mirra, and Antero Garcia. In this episode, Mel, Nicole, and Antero discuss ethical commitments and dissemination of youth knowledge while conducting YPAR. They discuss the opportunities and tensions of conducting YPAR within schools; and how YPAR must both expand the definition of what counts as research and also serve p

“Beauty emerges out of commitment”: How Youth Collectives Create Beauty, A Conversation Between Rangoato Hlasane and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández Mar 2, 2021 00:28:19 This episode is the third in a three-part series featuring conversations between Rangoato Hlasane and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez. Rangoato Hlasane from the Keleketla! Library and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez discuss how youth collectivities create beauty, and specifically, within Ra’s program, the Keleketla! Library in Johannesburg, South Africa. Keleketla is a library and media arts project co-foun

"It wasn't about being an artist, it was about getting together": On Building Youth Collectivities, A Conversation Between Rangoato Hlasane and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández Mar 2, 2021 00:22:48 This episode is the second in a three-part series featuring conversations between Rangoato Hlasane and  Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez. Rangoato Hlasane from the Keleketla! Library and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez discuss the process and importance of building youth collectivities, and specifically, within Ra’s program, the Keleketla! Library in Johannesburg, South Africa. Keleketla is a library an

"A space that belongs to the city, but is being neglected by the city": On The Geographies of YPAR, A Conversation Between Rangoato Hlasane and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández Mar 2, 2021 00:25:16 This episode is the first in a three-part series featuring conversations between Rangoato Hlasane and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez. Rangoato Hlasane (Ra) from the Keleketla! Library and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez discuss how YPAR plays out in marginalized geographies, and specifically, in Ra’s context of the Joubert Park neighbourhood in Johannesburg, South Africa. In this episode, they will discuss

“We don't talk about the work without the youth researchers”: On Ethical Commitments and the Politics of Dissemination (Part Two) Jan 11, 2021 00:29:49 Sarah Switzer and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto discuss the dissemination of youth knowledge in youth participatory action research (YPAR). They discuss the opportunities and tensions around knowledge dissemination; honouring youth voices while navigating the politics of dissemination within academic spaces; the importan

“It’s all about your relationships”: On Ethical Commitments and the Politics of Dissemination (Part One) Dec 28, 2020 00:32:42 Sarah Switzer and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto discuss ethical commitments while conducting youth participatory action research (YPAR). They reflect on the importance of relationships while conducting YPAR; the challenges and opportunities faced while conducting YPAR across different settings such as schools and communi

The whyPAR Podcast

Episodes

Recommended

—