Laura Wright is a research and teacher fellow, Childhood and Youth Studies Research Group, University of Edinburgh and the Director of Participatory Methodologies, International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD).
Wright's research and practice with children, youth and adults has focused on play and arts based participatory methodologies, children’s meaningful participation, intergenerational partnerships, children’s rights, child protection and psychosocial wellbeing in Canada, South and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, East and West Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Experience
Wright has worked with many international NGOs, such as IICRD, Right To Play and Aga Khan Foundation. She has held research, teaching and supervision roles with the ResiliencebyDesign Lab, Royal Roads University, Resilience Research Centre, Dalhousie University and the University of Edinburgh. Wright is an active member on several child-centred networks (e.g. Child and Youth Participatory Research Network) and boards (e.g. Canadian Coalition of Children’s Rights) to support collaboration and positive transformation across sectors and disciplines.
Education
2021
PhD, Social Policy, School of Social and Political Science
University of Edinburgh
2017
Masters of Arts in Global Leadership
Royal Roads University
2011
Masters of Education, Sociology and Equity Studies in Education
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (University of Toronto)
2009
Bachelors of Arts in International Relations (Honours)
University of British Columbia
Publications
Collins, T., & Wright, L.H.V. (Submitted). The Challenges for Children’s Rights in International Child Protection: Embracing the Complexities. World Development.
Wright, L.H.V., Collins, T., Yue, C. (Submitted). Children’s Participation in Child Protection The Adult-Child Relationship & Priority of Education. Children’s Geographies.
Jamieson, L., Rizzini, I., Collins, T., Wright, L.H.V. (Forthcoming). International perspectives on the participation of children and young people in the Global South. Special Issue: Studies of Childhoods in the Global South: towards an Epistemic Turn in Transnational Childhood Research. Third World Thematics.
Wright, L.H.V., Tisdall, K., Moore, N. (2021). Taking emotions seriously: fun and pride in participatory research. Special Issue: The Emotional Relations of Children’s Participation Rights. Emotions, Space, and Society. 41 (2), 100836.
Cox, R., Heykoop, C. Fletcher, Scannel, L., Hill, T. Wright, L.H.V., Alexander, K., Plush, T., Deans, N. (2021). Creative Action Research. Educational Action Research, 1-19.
Lundy, L., Byrne, B., Lloyd, K., Templeton, M., Hope-Burchill, K., Singh, P., Brando, N., Corr, M-L., Heard, E., Holland, L., MacDonald, M., Marshall, G., McAlister, S., McNamee, C., Neill, G., Orr, K., Schubotz, D., Symington, E., Walsh, C., & Wright, L.H.V. (2021). Life Under Coronavirus: Children’s Views on their Experiences of Human Rights. International Journal of Children’s Rights. 29(2), 261-285.
Davidson, E. & Wright, L.H.V. (2020). Realising Children’s Rights in an ACE Aware Nation. Special Issue: Adverse Childhood Experiences in Scotland: Critical Reflections on Policy and Practice. Scottish Affairs, 29 (4), 538-555.
Davidson, E., Critchley, A., & Wright, L.H.V. (2020). Making Scotland an ACE-informed Nation. Special Issue: Adverse Childhood Experiences in Scotland: Critical Reflections on Policy and Practice. Scottish Affairs, 29 (4), 451-455.
Collins, T., Jamieson, L., Wright, L.H.V., Rizzini, I., Mayhew, A., Narang, J., Tisdall, K.M.E, Ruiz- Casares, M. (2020). Involving Child and Youth Advisors in Academic Research about Child Participation: The Child and Youth Advisory Committees of the International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership. Special Issue: Empirical Findings on Child and Youth Participation in Developing Countries. Children and Youth Services Review, 109 (104569).
Lee L, Currie, V., Saied, N., Wright, L.H.V. (2020). Journey to hope, self-expression and community engagement: Youth-led Arts-Based Participatory Action Research (PAR) for Social Change. Special Issue: Empirical Findings on Child and Youth Participation in Developing Countries. Children and Youth Services Review, 109 (104581).
Diaz-Varela, A. & Wright, L.H.V. (2019). Play for Adults-Play-based Approaches in Teacher Training. Special Issue: Play and Education. Scottish Educational Review, 51 (2), 132-136.
Wright, L.H.V. (2018). Play: Fostering relationships that inspire positive change in young people’s meaningful participation, Canadian Journal on Children’s Rights, 5 (1), 223-253.
Wright, L.H.V. (2017). Creating space for children and young people’s engagement in international conferences. Special Issue: Facilitating Child Participation in International Child Protection. International Journal of Human Rights, 21 (1), 47-58.
Colucci, E. & Wright, L.H.V. (2015). Moving Children’s Participation Forward Article 31-the Right To Play. Canadian Journal on Children’s Rights, 2 (1), 94-110.
Wright, L.H.V., Lee, L., Saied, N, Currie, V. Youth-led arts-based participatory action research In P. Liamputtong (Eds.). (Forthcoming). Handbook of Social Inclusion, Research and Practices in Health and Social Sciences. NY: Springer
Collins, T. & Wright, L.H.V. Advancing the Right To Play for Sustainable Development in International Development Programming. In C. Fenton-Glynn (Eds.). (2019). Children’s Rights and Sustainable Development. UK: Cambridge University Press.
Wright, L.H.V. Transforming Canada’s Hegemonic Global Education Paradigm Through an Anticolonial Framework. In G.J.S. Dei and P.B. Adjei (Eds.). (2014). Emerging Perspectives on ‘African Development’: Speaking Differently. NY: Peter Lang.