Exploration of multigenerational mother-daughter relationships by Filipina-Canadian youth using Readers Theatre

This paper shares the testimony of Filipina-Canadian youth participants in the “Asian-Canadian youth identities in a pandemic era: Arts-based research” study led by Dr. Nazilla Khanlou and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Grant. Through this study, six youth created a scripted story documenting their experiences as Asian-Canadian youth who navigated the COVID-19 pandemic in a Readers Theatre workshop. Their script, entitled Tita Barbie, is shared in this paper, as well as their general reflections on the experiences shared in the script and as study participants. Key themes identified in the script through this study included mental health stigma, mother-daughter relationships, and stereotypical representation in mainstream media. Key words: Readers Theatre, youth, identity, arts-based research, mental health stigma.