The purpose of this thesis research is to better understand the experiences of street-involved youth in educational institutions. Data for this study was collected through a five-wave panel study of street-involved youth in Victoria, British Columbia (N=64). I used Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) as a framework for analyzing the responses to open-ended questions regarding the participants’ experience with education. At the time of first interview, 89% of the participants had not continued past grade ten and their average age was 16.7 years. Salient themes throughout the analysis included not fitting in, re-engaging, and connectedness. Under not fitting in participants detailed strained relationships with peers, staff and teachers, and difficult experiences trying to engage with their education and learning that did not fulfill their natural curiosity for knowledge. The experiences of not fitting in led to a devalued view of education. Participants also spoke extensively about trying to re-engage with their education and encountering many barriers. Their experiences re-engaging highlight difficulty fitting in within the school environment, policies that prevented their full participation and continued difficulties within the school environment. Despite this, through re-engaging with mainstream schools or alternative education programs some participants were able to find spaces where they fit. Points of connection within schools including positive relationships, positive experiences, and meaningful learning opportunities worked to encourage their participation and attendance in their education. The thesis concludes with a summary of the findings, limitations, implications for practice and future research. / Graduate

Little research has focused on street-involved youths’ social relationships. As some scholars have suggested that leisure is inherently social, my research sought to understand whether participation in structured and/or unstructured leisure activities influence street-involved youths’ social relationships with other street-involved youths as well with members of the mainstream community. Written in the publishable paper format, this thesis is comprised of two papers, both of which utilize Foucauldian theory. In the first paper, I examine the impacts of street-involved youths’ participation in Health Matters, a leisure program for street-involved youths in Ottawa, Canada. In the second paper, I examine street involved youths’ unstructured leisure activities (e.g., leisure in non-programmed settings) and their subsequent social impacts. Based on my findings, I argue that street-involved youths use both structured and unstructured leisure to form crucial social connections to make their lives more bearable.

Little research has focused on street-involved youths’ social relationships. As some scholars have suggested that leisure is inherently social, my research sought to understand whether participation in structured and/or unstructured leisure activities influence street-involved youths’ social relationships with other street-involved youths as well with members of the mainstream community. Written in the publishable paper format, this thesis is comprised of two papers, both of which utilize Foucauldian theory. In the first paper, I examine the impacts of street-involved youths’ participation in Health Matters, a leisure program for street-involved youths in Ottawa, Canada. In the second paper, I examine street involved youths’ unstructured leisure activities (e.g., leisure in non-programmed settings) and their subsequent social impacts. Based on my findings, I argue that street-involved youths use both structured and unstructured leisure to form crucial social connections to make their lives more bearable.

Background: The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to determine the prevalence of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) and to examine the role of survival sex in sexual risk among street-involved youth in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Methods: Between 1999 and 2003, 743 Winnipeg street youth were interviewed in three separate cohorts as part of a national multi-centred study by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Results: Among the 673 Winnipeg street youth who responded to questions relating to survival sex, 26.3% reported they had engaged in survival sex. Females and Aboriginal youth were at greatest risk for sex trade involvement. Youth engaged in survival sex were diagnosed with significantly higher rates of STBBI; experienced greater amounts of abuse; and were at greater risk for participating in high risk sexual behaviours compared to their non-sex trade counterparts. Conclusion: Gender specific, culturally appropriate, and youth oriented prevention and intervention strategies are urgently required to reduce the prevalence of STBBI and survival sex among this at-risk population.

Background: The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to determine the prevalence of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) and to examine the role of survival sex in sexual risk among street-involved youth in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Methods: Between 1999 and 2003, 743 Winnipeg street youth were interviewed in three separate cohorts as part of a national multi-centred study by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Results: Among the 673 Winnipeg street youth who responded to questions relating to survival sex, 26.3% reported they had engaged in survival sex. Females and Aboriginal youth were at greatest risk for sex trade involvement. Youth engaged in survival sex were diagnosed with significantly higher rates of STBBI; experienced greater amounts of abuse; and were at greater risk for participating in high risk sexual behaviours compared to their non-sex trade counterparts. Conclusion: Gender specific, culturally appropriate, and youth oriented prevention and intervention strategies are urgently required to reduce the prevalence of STBBI and survival sex among this at-risk population.

In this study, classic grounded theory is used to explore and explain the relationship between street-involved youth and the streets. The main concern of the youth in this study is negotiating duality, and at the heart of this negotiation process is seeking safety on the streets while struggling to emerge into mainstream society. Data was collected in a mid-sized urban Canadian city through semi-structured interviews, observation, conversations and photography with 52 current street-involved youth, 6 former street-involved youth, and 8 adults who work with this population. The study led to the development of a substantive theory of negotiating duality, the core construct which emerged as the means by which street-involved youth handle their need to both survive in the day-to-day context of the streets while simultaneously working their way off the streets and back to mainstream society. Four domains of duality emerged as significant: dual logic, dual space and place, dual identity, and dual normality. Additionally, three interrelated concepts (social processes) emerged from the data: seeking safety, struggling to emerge, and living outside normal. These processes were characterized by five bifocal strategies: escaping, provisioning, anchoring, routing, and using (in)visibility. This theory is a model of person-place interaction, explaining the dynamic relationship street-involved youth have with and between the street and mainstream society. The findings of this study enhance understanding about street-involved youth and their interaction with the streets and mainstream society and provide a framework that can be utilized to inform youth homelessness services, policy development, and future research. / Graduate

Little research has focused on street-involved youths’ social relationships. As some scholars have suggested that leisure is inherently social, my research sought to understand whether participation in structured and/or unstructured leisure activities influence street-involved youths’ social relationships with other street-involved youths as well with members of the mainstream community. Written in the publishable paper format, this thesis is comprised of two papers, both of which utilize Foucauldian theory. In the first paper, I examine the impacts of street-involved youths’ participation in Health Matters, a leisure program for street-involved youths in Ottawa, Canada. In the second paper, I examine street involved youths’ unstructured leisure activities (e.g., leisure in non-programmed settings) and their subsequent social impacts. Based on my findings, I argue that street-involved youths use both structured and unstructured leisure to form crucial social connections to make their lives more bearable.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze changes over time in the interactions of street-involved youth with their risk environments and to investigate how their integration into local, provincial, and federal systems and services impacts their lives, health, and substance use. This thesis employs a sequential explanatory mixed methods design and uses closed and open-ended questions collected over five waves of interviews during the longitudinal study Risky Business? Experiences of Street-Involved Youth. Quantitative (n = 50) methods of analysis include descriptive statistics and bivariate comparisons complemented by a qualitative (n = 15) thematic analysis comprised of open-ended interview questions. The risk environment framework proposed by Tim Rhodes is used to highlight structural and systemic forces informing the lives of street-involved youth, allowing for an analysis on three levels of influence (micro, meso, macro) and four types of environment (economic, physical, social, policy). Results indicate that comparatively high substance use and harms of substance use among street-involved youth decrease as they become integrated into local, provincial, and federal systems and services. Intersecting demographic and structural factors correspond with higher substance use for male youth and youth who had been involved with the foster care system during their life. Given the diversity of backgrounds and risk environment experiences, street-involved youth expressed diverse opinions and perspectives regarding the effectiveness of healthcare, harm reduction, and outreach services. Policy recommendations and suggestions for future research are suggested, with the aim of developing safer environments and environment interventions for street-involved youth that reduce substance use-related harms. / Graduate

Street-involved women with co-occurring disorders experience distinct and overwhelming health and social issues, while facing considerable barriers to appropriate and helpful services. Street Connections, a Population and Public Health program, provides services to this and other street-involved aggregates using Harm Reduction and mobile outreach to prevent sexually transmitted infections and blood borne pathogens. Three conceptual frameworks, Gender-based Analysis, the Comprehensive, Continuous, Integrated System of Care, and Harm Reduction guided the practicum. The purpose of the practicum was to develop policy/practice recommendations for Street Connections regarding service enhancement for this aggregate. Literature-based best-practices were compared to three agency case studies of programs providing services to this aggregate including Street Connections, the Program of Assertive Community Treatment, and Dream Catchers. Data, consisting of agency documents and person-centered interviews with nine staff, were analyzed using open coding to identify themes. Recommendations incorporate gender-based analysis, recovery, access, engagement, screening, integrated services, and staff development/support. / October 2007

This thesis is comprised of three studies examining the effects of pet ownership on street-involved youth in Ontario. As a relatively new area of study, issues surrounding pet ownership among homeless youth were first explored qualitatively. The first two studies utilized a series of one-on-one interviews with both pet-owning youth and youth service professionals to determine the major roles, relationships, challenges and effects that pets have in the lives of street-involved youth. The four themes that emerged from both of these interview groups included “pet before self” where youth placed the needs of their pet ahead of their own, physical effects of pet ownership, emotional effects of pet ownership, and the benefits and liabilities of pet ownership. Findings related to these themes, such as the strength of the human-animal bond and pets as drivers of change are discussed. Information derived from the qualitative interviews with pet-owning youth and youth workers contributed to the development of a questionnaire administered to a convenience sample of 89 pet-owning street-involved youth and 100 street-involved youth who were not pet owners in four urban centres in Ontario. This study sought to validate findings from previous qualitative research, provide descriptive information on the pet-owning youth population, their pets, and their human-animal relationship, as well as assess pet attachment based on the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale. Additionally, pet owners and non-pet owners were compared in terms of depression based on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, shelter use and drug use. The findings include a universally high level of pet attachment among this unique pet owning population, providing opportunity for youth to experience not only beneficial emotional and social support, but also the negative emotional consequences of pet loss. Pet ownership was also demonstrated to be significantly and negatively correlated with regular shelter use. Through logistic modelling and controlling for participant gender and regular drug use (of drugs other than cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana), pet ownership was found to be negatively associated with depression. Using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, this thesis provides evidence of the beneficial as well as the potential negative impacts of pet ownership for street-involved youth. It also provides the first quantitative description of this population and their human-animal relationship, while demonstrating support for further research into the effects of pet ownership on street-involved youth, and consideration for expanded education and service provision to support youth and their pets among youth services. / Anonymous, Ontario Veterinary College Deans Office