FIFSW researchers breaking new ground in partnership with U of T’s Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Posted on October 13, 2022
Categories: Faculty, Research, Stephanie Begun

U of T’s Institutional Strategic Initiatives (ISI) portfolio facilitates tri-campus interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers at U of T and partner institutions. Examples include the Black Research Network (BRN), which seeks to promote Black research excellence at the University through mentorship, collaboration, investment and community, and the School of Cities, which brings interdisciplinary urban-focused researchers, students, institutions and the public together to build equitable and sustainable cities.

U of T News recently featured projects within this portfolio that are breaking new ground, including Lori Chambers‘ Because She Cares initiative and the U of T student-led Transit Access Project (TAP) for Youth, co-guided by FIFSW Assistant Professor Stephanie Begun.

Because She Cares

A former post-doctoral researcher at FIFSW, Chambers is using poetry, prose and spoken word performance to offer safe spaces for women to share their experiences living with HIV.

> Click here to read our Q&A with Chambers, published in February 2022.

Chambers is one of nine researchers supported by the Black Research Network (BRN). With $7,000 in seed funding through the BRN’s IGNITE grant, this summer Chambers and five spoken word artists travelled to Quebec for the International AIDS Conference, one of the largest AIDS conferences in the world, to perform stories from the Because She Cares project.

TAP for Youth

Founded by five undergraduate students as part of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at U of T, TAP for Youth is working with two Toronto-based homeless shelters and one transitional youth home to document the impact of free transit for youth.

Thanks to $2,000 in support from the Small Grants Program awarded by the School of Cities the group was able to hire a social worker to attend interviews with youth and inform them of any programs or supports to help with their needs. TAP is funded in partnership with Metrolinx, the City of Toronto’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Office and the Toronto Shelter Network, along with other stakeholders.

> Click here to read the full story in U of T News.

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