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RESEARCH
Research
Dr. Young's research centers on Indigenous resurgence, equity, mental health, and transformative education. Guided by relational accountability and community partnership, his work generates knowledge that strengthens communities and advances social justice.
Research Focus
Indigenous Resurgence
& Cultural Continuity
Exploring Indigenous identity formation, language, culture, land-based relations, and community resurgence.
Mental Health &
Well-Being
Examining Indigenous approaches to wellness, trauma-informed care, and
holistic well-being.
Equity &
Social Justice
Investigating anti-oppressive practice, decolonization, and structural change in social
work and education.
Transformative
Education
Developing relational pedagogies that center
Indigenous ways of knowing and learning.
Digital Spaces &
Belonging
Researching how digital environments shape
Indigenous identity, connection, and knowledge sharing.
Current Projects
2025 - 2027
Two-Eyed Seeing: Urban and Rural Indigenous Perspectives on Building Webs of Community in Digital and In-Person Spaces
FCS Seed Grant, PI
Faculty of Community Services,
Toronto Metropolitan University, $5,483.00
2026 - 2027
Silence, Voice, and Participation: Indigenous and Racialized Students Navigating Classroom Power
University of Guelph-Humber Research Grant Fund, PI
University of Guelph-Humber, $9,879.00
2026 - 2027
From Trauma-Centred to Resilience-Centred Pedagogy: Rebalancing Indigenous Curriculum Through Relational and Resurgence-Based Teaching Practices
Learning and Teaching Grant, PI
Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching,
Toronto Metropolitan University, $11,112.00
Selected Publications
View all publications →
Young, S. N., & Marche, S. (2026). Two-Spirit relational worlds beyond Western gender frames [Invited manuscript in preparation for the special issue “QueerCrit in Education: Genealogies, Current Endeavors, and Futurities”]. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.
2026
Young, S. N., & Prasad, L. (2026). Digital mentorship as Indigenous relational practice: Identity, resistance, and belonging in online spaces. Invited manuscript in preparation for the special issue "Identity as Resistance, Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research" (Taylor & Francis).
2026
Young, S. Attaining Wholeness Through Re-Claiming Indigenous Identity & Spirituality. In Njoki Wane, Rose Torres, and Dionisio Nyaga, eds., Transversing & Translocating Spirituality: An Epistemological, Theoretical and Pedagogical Conversation. Nsemia Inc., Toronto, Ontario.
2019
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