Digital Kuumba is a U of T Scarborough research project, developed with the TAIBU Community Health Centre, that brings Black and racialized older adults and younger participants together through storytelling, creative writing and digital media. It launched in 2024 with an SSHRC Insight Development Grant awarded to Andrea Charise, an associate professor in health and society at U of T Scarborough.
During the 10-week program, participants share meals, discuss Black literary texts and do creative writing, then make digital stories from photographs and personal mementos. Participants presented their stories at the Ontario Public Service Black History Month event in February 2026.
Shanice Chin, a doctoral student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, says preliminary findings suggest the approach strengthens cultural identity, belonging and well-being.
Reported from Storytelling project that brings generations together shows promise in fostering belonging and well-being (Dalla Lana School of Public Health news, September 30, 2026).
More from the original reporting: www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/2026/09/30/digital-kuumba-shanice-chin-dlsph/