Analyzing Newcomer Narratives in a Student-Produced Video on Integration Challenges

This study sought to empower the perspectives of racial minority adolescent students by creating an opportunity to advocate for themselves and to seek change in the community they live in. The study took place in a highly diverse rural high school in Western Canada and included creating a social media advocacy campaign that addressed the challenges faced by these students. The researchers used Rose’s four sites for interpreting visual materials, focusing on a student-produced short film that depicted the issues and challenges of a racialized Muslim student, highlighting matters of belonging and the importance of building what is known as religious and racial literacy. The scholarship represents a transformational experience, encouraging student participants and administration to heighten awareness and understanding of self-advocacy in authentic discussions. It includes suggestions for teaching education programs, curriculum revisions, and pedagogical practices that awaken our sense of social justice.