La Loche, Sask., research project to share voices of village's youth in Thunder Bay

The sister of one of four people killed in the 2016 shootingin La Loche, Sask., will present research at Lakehead University tonight that she hopes will give the village's youth louder voices.

• 'I just knew that I had to': Sister of school shooting victim leads La Loche youth research project

Caitlin Wood's master's research involved giving young people in La Loche cameras to take photographs that reflect the positive influences in their lives, what changes they want to see and what they feel childhood should look like.

Wood's brother, Adam, was one of four people killed in the deadly shooting spree in the community, located about 500 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. Seven people were also wounded. Adam Wood, who was a teacher at La Loche Dene High School when he was killed, graduated from Lakehead University.

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The community's young people became the focus of Caitlin Wood's research for her master's research project in early childhood studies at Ryerson University.

"There was not a lot of portrayal of the strengths and the beauty of the community and the way that they pull through, and they way they support each other," she said of how the community was portrayed largely by outsiders in the wake of the shootings.

The photography project involved 11 young people between ages 13 and 19.

She gave each teenager a camera and asked them to take one photograph each in response to five questions: What is your life like? What is good about your life? What makes you strong? What needs to change? And what should childhood look like?

Wood then made audio recordingsof the students explaining their photographs.

She is scheduled to present her research alongside co-presenter Jazz Moise, a participant in the research and a student from La Loche.

Wednesday's event takes place at Lakehead University's School of Nursing Building from 7 - 9:30 p.m. A panel discussion is scheduled to follow, on how society can best listen and respond to the voices of Indigenous youth.