The voices of warriors: Urban girls unite to address violence and victimization

This exploratory project materialized through the 'Girlz Group,' a communityuniversity partnership responding to the social development challenges of First Nation's girl:; in an inner city environment. Using participatory action research (PAR), feminist and intersectionality frameworks, I document the continuum of violence and victimization the girls have faced, and th~e survival skills they have learned as they come of age in their community. A bricolage of methods was used to document the experiences including focus groups, questionnaires, and consultation interviews. In narrative form, I make meaning of the roles of systemic fixces such as racialization, gendering, poverty, and colonization in sustaining their vulnlerability to violence. The results highlight the importance of including marginalized youth voices in the design and delivery of violence prevention programs, and the value of collaborative research methods in mobilizing youth commitment towards social change.