Anxiety and depression have increased for adolescent youth, particularly since the pandemic. For certain students, this anxiety and depression connects to trauma because of inequity and bias in schools. This qualitative study examined successful urban middle school teachers and their perspectives on conditions they created for hope in their classrooms and ways they created hope for themselves. Eight middle school teachers who taught humanities shared their insights through semi-structured interviews. Findings aligned with pedagogical practices the teachers used that centered hope and voice for students: culturally responsive practices, relational practices, and justice-oriented practices. These specific teachers cared deeply about their students and worked to create classrooms that were safe and grounded in community. Participants also cultivated specific personal practices as a way to remain hopeful.

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Psychotherapist multicultural competence has been given increasing attention in the field of psychology since the 1970s. However, individuals and communities who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color are still less likely to attend psychotherapy and often drop out earlier than White clients. These trends highlight the importance of the ongoing research on therapist multicultural competence. There are many multicultural competencies, however, the current study focuses on therapist cultural humility. Specifically, we systematically searched all the current research on the association between cultural humility and client experiences and outcomes in therapy. Our literature search yielded eight studies that met our search criteria. Next, we synthesized the data by conducting a meta-analysis using the metric of Pearson's r as the effect size. In addition, we aggregated average item-level therapist scores and the reliability coefficient of the Cultural Humility Scale (CHS; Hook et al., 2013). We found a moderate positive correlation between client perceptions of therapist cultural humility and client experiences and outcomes in therapy of r = .39 (p < .05). Furthermore, we found the average item-level score to be 3.86 out of a maximum score of 5 (SE =.086), which corresponds with the rating of "mildly agree," indicating that clients typically perceive therapists to demonstrate cultural humility. Finally, we found CHS to be reliable across studies, with an average alpha coefficient of .91. These finding suggest that cultural humility is an important aspect of the psychotherapeutic relationship. Furthermore, they suggest that the CHS is a reliable measure and should continue to be used in future studies. Finally, because our review yielded only eight studies, more research on this relationship is needed.

The Writers’ Union of Canada was founded in November of 1973 “to unite Canadian writers for the advancement of their common interests.” Drawing on extensive archival collections – from both the Writers’ Union and its member authors – this dissertation offers the first critical history of the organization and its work, from pre-founding to the early 1990s, arguing that the Writers’ Union has fundamentally influenced Canadian literature, as an industry, as a community, and as a field of study. I begin by tracing the contextual history of the organization’s founding, interrogating how union organizing, celebrity, and friendship underpin the organization’s work. Chapter One discusses the Writers’ Union’s programs, reforms, and interventions aimed at ‘fostering’ writing in Canada as I argue that the Union was instrumental in building a fiscal-cultural futurity for CanLit. In Chapter Two, I consider the role that women played in this important work, as I highlight the labour of female Union members and the all-female administrative staff, who maintained and supported the organization’s work through its first twenty years. In Chapter Three I draw attention to the stories of, perspectives of, and experiences of BIPOC authors in relation to the Writers’ Union. While the Writers’ Union’s involvement in race relations is often positioned as having ‘begun’ with the Writing Thru Race conference in 1994, this chapter uses the archives to reveal a much longer trajectory of racialized conflict within and around the organization, providing important context for the very controversial and public battles about appropriation and race that would explode in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Throughout this work, I look to see how institutional narratives are deployed and upheld, and to what ends; how successful advocacy work is often effaced and forgotten; how institutional structures function; and how their boundaries and intentions are challenged and developed over time. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The Writers’ Union of Canada was founded in November of 1973 “to unite Canadian writers for the advancement of their common interests.” Drawing on extensive archival collections – from both the Writers’ Union and its member authors – this dissertation offers the first critical history of the organization and its work, from pre-founding to the early 1990s. I argue that the Writers’ Union has fundamentally influenced Canadian literature – as an industry, as a community, and as a field of study – as I consider how unionism, literary celebrity, and friendship underpinned the organization’s work. This dissertation recuperates and comments on the important volunteer labour of Writers’ Union members in the service of literary labour, gender equity, and racial equity over the organization’s first twenty years.

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This dissertation focuses on amplifying the voices of marginalized students in alternative education, with an emphasis on the positive impact of resilience on their outcomes. The study addresses the challenges these students face, particularly those from BIPOC communities, in navigating educational systems that have historically marginalized them. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the experiences of BIPOC students in a Central Valley alternative education program, highlighting how nurturing relationships, resilience, and the fulfillment of basic needs contribute to their academic success and personal growth. Utilizing a framework that incorporates theories of resilience, educational equity, and transformative leadership, the study situates the students' experiences within a broader context of systemic challenges and potential reform. Through in-depth interviews with five graduates from marginalized backgrounds, the research identified several key themes: (a) the power of resilience in overcoming adversity; (b) the significance of positive relationships with educators and peers; (c) the importance of addressing mental and emotional well-being; (d) the transformative potential of inclusive educational environments; and (e) the role of supportive communities in fostering success. The findings underscore the importance of resilience and relational strategies in helping marginalized students thrive in alternative educational settings. This study contributes to the ongoing conversation on educational equity by advocating for approaches that empower students to achieve their full potential, ensuring that their voices are heard, and their successes are celebrated.