Jayse’s Research Journey

My name is Jayse Matonovich, and one of my passions in life is human rights and social justice. I currently play basketball on the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Women’s Wolfpack Basketball team, which is another passion of mine.

Growing up, many people would tell me that high school would be an experience filled with ups and downs. A lot of the time, many people are faced with barriers as high school is a place where people are trying to figure out who they are. In my grade 11 year I wanted to do a capstone research project that could give students a voice to explore equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), so their perspectives could be heard to create positive change. I partnered with the TRU Research Office and began being mentored by Dr. Will Garrett-Petts in a research method called cultural mapping.

 “Cultural mapping provides an integrated picture of the cultural character, significance, and workings of a place in order to help communities recognize, celebrate, and support cultural diversity for economic, social and regional development”

Nancy Duxbury, PhD

Cultural Mapping allowed the participants to share their thoughts on different areas in the school, and reflect on their feelings towards them. The hope for this project was that high schools are seen as a place filled with positive spaces/places/people that make students, staff, and admin feel safe and comfortable. However, the majority of the participant’s maps expressed complex and negative experiences and feelings.

The overall goal for Project EDI was to build awareness around how students, staff, and admin feel about EDI within the school about the spaces/places, and people. The maps, or data, were collected and analyzed and can aid in reflecting upon the issues that students, staff, and admin raised. A report was written, and a documentary film was produced to share their stories.