Still a Mess: A Community-Engaged Theatre Project Exploring Lived Experiences of Homelessness to Build Resilience and Support in Kamloops, BC

A participatory community-engaged research planning event to co-design a future project building on the 2014 Home Less Mess project. Homelessness in Kamloops has intensified in the context of rising poverty, unaffordable housing, climate emergencies, toxic drugs poisonings, and service system strain and there is currently no coordinated forum to bring lived experience, community organizations, artists, and researchers together to address these intersecting crises. This activity addresses that gap. Over the course of 3 months, students and local organizations will revisit the 2014 project to build from it and develop a team of players ready to lend their expertise to the next project. The group will meet in person for a full day structured collaborative conversation to brainstorm needs and imagine what a participatory theatre project might look like in today’s complex context. Participants will re-imagine and explore the benefits and possibilities offered by co-developing a 2027 participatory theatre approach to address homelessness. Students will be mentored by the applicants as they create conversation prompts and activities, develop a list of partners, and invite partners into the conversation. The full day in-person event will involve guided dialogue, small group discussion, and creative exploration of lived experience, public health emergencies, climate impacts, and resilience. The group will co-create research aims, outcomes, and partnership roles and assess feasibility, ethical considerations, and alignment with community needs. The event will be held at accessible venue in Kamloops with attention to cultural safety and trauma-informed facilitation. Participants will include people with lived experience of homelessness, staff from A Way Home Kamloops and partner organizations such as ASK Wellness and the Canadian Mental Health Association, artists familiar with applied theatre, and academic collaborators. Everyone will contribute as equal partners in shaping the direction of the future project. A graphic recorder will capture the discussion, and a summary report will be shared with all involved. Expected outcomes include strengthened relationships across sectors, shared understanding of arts based methods in homelessness research, and a co-developed participatory and applied arts research concept. Tangible outputs will include an agreed upon research focus, partnership framework, and next steps toward a subsequent research funding application.