Title: Storying Youth Grief in Nova Scotia: A Cartooning Workshop Initiative
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Description: This study represents a two-year, arts-based community research project led by Dr. Mary Ellen Macdonald at Dalhousie University in collaboration with healthcare, community, and youth partners across Nova Scotia. Building on previous VOICE-funded research, the project explores how creative storytelling through cartooning can support young people in expressing and making meaning of grief arising from both death- and non-death-related losses.
The project will engage youth aged 8–17 in a series of facilitated cartooning workshops delivered across Nova Scotia and virtually to improve accessibility. Guided by professional comic creators, psychosocial practitioners, and researchers, participants will create original cartoons that explore their experiences of grief while contributing to research on youth grief, grief literacy, and peer support. Optional surveys and focus groups will further examine young people’s experiences and identify opportunities to improve grief supports for youth in Nova Scotia.
Grounded in grief literacy and childhood ethics, the project recognizes young people as active contributors to conversations about loss and aims to reduce stigma surrounding grief through creative, youth-led knowledge mobilization. Key outputs include a youth-created zine, research reports, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed publications, providing practical resources for schools, healthcare organizations, families, and community groups while informing future grief literacy initiatives across the province.
Funding: The project is supported through a VOICE Innovation Regular Grant with $19,936 in funding.
The Death and Grief Research Collaborative 