Storytelling project that brings generations together shows promise in fostering belonging and well-being

A University of Toronto Scarborough research project is exploring how intergenerational storytelling can create new ways for older adults to understand themselves. 

Digital Kuumba, developed in partnership with the TAIBU Community Health Centre, brings Black and racialized older adults and younger participants together through storytelling, creative writing and digital media.  

Preliminary findings suggest the approach can help participants see aging as a time of growth and creativity while strengthening cultural identity, belonging and well-being. 

“We want aging to be viewed as a site of creativity, connection and becoming,” says Shanice Chin, a doctoral student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.  

“Our work really seeks to explore this arts-based method as a form of social wellness but also as a means of fostering self-determination and growth.” 

Launched in 2024, Digital Kuumba is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant awarded to Andrea Charise, associate professor and associate chair, research, in the Department of Health & Society at U of T Scarborough. The initiative is part of The Resemblage Project, a digital humanities storytelling initiative that explores what it means to grow older.  

During the 10-week program, participants gather for shared meals, discuss Black literary texts, and take part in creative writing exercises and group storytelling. They then create digital stories using photographs and personal mementos with support from Charise’s research team. 

“Participants report that this program has generated new forms of self-expression, challenging deficit ideas about this stage of life,” Chin says. 

Participants have also described the program as strengthening their sense of belonging. Digital Kuumba draws on Africentric principles to community connection and collective knowledge sharing. 

“In our early findings, participants have described Digital Kuumba as a modern-day quaasi – an informal space for knowledge exchange where they can reconnect with memories of storytelling from their childhoods, including growing up in the Caribbean,” Chin says. 

“We emphasize the importance of building trust and fostering community because research has not always prioritized the well-being of racialized participants, and digital storytelling was an unfamiliar method. Over time, we’ve seen growing enthusiasm for both.”  

“What really inspires me about this work is making an impact…” 

Canada’s older population is becoming increasingly diverse. Between 2016 and 2021, the number of racialized adults aged 65 and older grew by 38 per cent, compared with 18 per cent growth among non-racialized older adults, according to Statistics Canada. 

For Chin, that demographic shift makes it important to consider how Black Health can be meaningfully reflected in approaches to aging and social well-being.   

“When we consider our aging racialized population, it’s important that Black Health is meaningfully considered,” Chin says. 

Reaching beyond community  

Digital Kuumba has completed three cohorts, with its next starting in September 2026. 

Participants have since presented their stories at events including the 2025 City of Toronto Black Mental Health Week opening ceremony, an Ontario Public Service Black History Month event and the Healthy Cities, Healthy People 2025, a symposium hosted by Women’s College Hospital. 

In spring 2026, Chin travelled to Germany to present the team’s research findings with the support of the BRN Pathways Grant, an initiative designed to elevate the presence and participation of Black graduate students in scholarly spaces. 

As Digital Kuumba continues to grow, Chin’s research is expanding beyond arts-based methods to include how artificial intelligence is being adopted for clinical applications in mental health.  

“What really inspires me about this work is making an impact and understanding how I can then help my own aging family members and the broader community.”