Abstract

In this Master’s thesis, I looked at an alternative program as part of a Montreal inner-city high school, and explored through the use of narratives, both textual and visual, the participant’s situations as disenfranchised students, teachers and administrators. Through a series of semi-structured interviews, a total of six participants, including myself collectively became active agents of social change by employing reflexive approaches to this research in order to foster a sense of advocacy.
In so doing, I gained a researcher a new and better understanding of alternative programming in the public educational system, and the role of the arts within it. Finally, in using letter writing as creative form, I engaged participants to think critically about their identities as students, teachers, and researchers, thus democratizing the notion of pedagogy and public curriculum.