The new study will seek to document, understand, and share ways young people who are often relegated to the margins of society are finding community and supporting each other in challenging times.
Zoe Corwin, Associate Professor of Research and lead researcher on a recent groundbreaking study at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Rossier School of Education Pullias Center that redefined skateboarding culture, has been awarded a grant for another look at skateboarding.
The new study, titled “Mattering in the Margins: Skateboarders’ Stories of Mental Health Challenges and Opportunities” seeks to take a timely look at skateboarders during this current period of upheaval as racial injustice and a global pandemic resound across all corners of society. The study is designed to develop actionable suggestions for practitioner, policymaker, academic, and industry audiences serving at-promise youth.
“Skateboarders are prone to negative stereotyping,” notes Corwin, “but survey and interview data from our first study clearly pointed to the positive role that skateboarding played in supporting the mental well-being of skateboarders from diverse backgrounds.” This new study will employ participatory action research – including narrative, digital and liberatory storytelling techniques – to more deeply understand how young people have found ways to practice self care and build community in response to challenges they face.
For this study, Dr. Corwin will work with an interdisciplinary team of scholars including Dr. Alan Green (Rossier School of Education), Dr. Brent Blair (School of Dramatic Arts), Drs. Rafael Angulo and Jordan Davis (Suzanne Dwork-Peck School of Social Work), Dr. Neftalie Williams, Dan Birman and Christina Bellantoni (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism), and Kevin Lyman (Thorton School of Music) in order to explore and share stories of skateboarders. “By bringing together faculty from diverse interdisciplinary and personal backgrounds – in partnership with skateboarders – we’ll be able to approach the challenge of debunking stereotypes about skateboarders in meaningful ways” notes Dr. Corwin. “In doing so, we hope to make a positive impact not only on skateboarders but on other industries, non-profits, and civic organizations which serve young people.”
Dr. Corwin’s initial skateboarding-related research, funded by The Skatepark Project (formerly known as the Tony Hawk Foundation), focused on skateboarding culture and its long term life effects. These included improvements in mental health, fostering of community, and encouragement of diversity and resilience. This revelation about the impact of skateboarding culture earned significant media attention, including stories in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.
Primary funding for this project was obtained through the Provost New Strategic Directions for Research Award (PNSDRA). The PNSDRA supports innovative, interdisciplinary, collaborative research and provides grants to seven teams, while aiming to identify underdeveloped areas of USC interdisciplinary strengths that present opportunities for cross-school collaborations.
