Ashley Kyne, finalist in SSHRC’s Storytellers Challenge

Criminology master student Ashley Kyne is one of the top 25 finalists of the 2023 Storytellers Challenge organized by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

The Storytellers Challenge invites post-secondary students to use storytelling to present their research, in up to three minutes or 300 words, and show Canadians how SSHRC-funded research is affecting our lives.

Kyne’s research involves offender risk assessment with a specific concentration on Indigenous offenders. Taking a decolonized, culturally-sensitive, and quantitative approach to identify correlates of crime, Kyne plans to develop community-engaged research and intercultural collaboration with Indigenous Peoples as she discovers strategies to address their overrepresentation in the criminal justice system (CJS).

This year’s finalists were selected among 200 applicants from institutions throughout Canada, and Kyne is the only student representing Simon Fraser University.

“I am honoured and excited to be one of the top 25 finalists. This challenge has prepared me for future events, including the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” says Kyne. “I am excited to attend the UN in Geneva this Summer and will use my SSHRC Storyteller skills to share my research.”

The 2023 finalists receive a cash prize of $3,000, and the invitation to participate in the Storytellers Showcase where they’ll present in front of a panel of judges and a live audience at the Congress for the Humanities and Social Sciences on May 29 at York University. They will be narrowed down to a final five and be eligible for additional prizes.

You can watch Kyne’s SSHRC Storyteller submission below.

See Kyne’s work on Indigenous offender risk assessment:

A Culturally-Informed Examination of Risk Factors for Crime among Indigenous Peoples. https://journals.lib.sfu.ca/index.php/ugrs/article/view/4091