Abstract

The Alberta Resilience Communities (ARC) research project examines the lived realities of children, youth and their communities impacted by the 2013 Alberta flood, to inform and strengthen resilience, health and well-being in the context of disaster recovery. The 2013 Alberta flood is recognized as among the most severe and costliest disaster in Canadian history. A mixed methods approach was utilized to understand the unique experiences of disaster-affected children and youth on the journey to post-disaster recovery and resilience. This article shares the results of a “paint nite” research activity that used an arts-informed and community-based research method to engage children and youth. The arts-informed research approach served to enhance understanding of the post-disaster experiences of children and youth through an alternative process compared to more traditional dialogical research interview methods. In addition, the Child and Youth Resiliency Measure (CYRM) was administered during the activity to measure resiliency among research participants. This article discusses the effectiveness of arts-informed and community-based research as a means to engage children and youth in mixed methods research in collaboration with community partners. Implications for disaster recovery are also discussed.