Exploring Identity and Mental Health through Creative Methods and Food-Related Events: A Methodological Approach for Understanding Youth of Global Majority Background

Understanding how young people from global majority cultures navigate their identity and mental health is a complex task, particularly in the context of rising racism and cultural marginalisation. This paper proposes a methodological framework that utilises creative methods (such as participatory arts and storytelling) and food-related events as key tools for researching these sensitive issues. By providing youth with alternative means of self-expression, creative methods allow participants to engage more deeply with their cultural heritage and articulate their emotional experiences in ways that traditional research methods may not capture. Food-related events, as culturally significant and socially interactive settings, create an accessible and comfortable space for exploring connections to home culture and identity.

This paper will argue that these methods offer a unique advantage in addressing the needs of ethnic minority youth, particularly those attending youth drop-in centres, by fostering meaningful discussions in a non-threatening, creative environment. The study design will be tested in Wales, where youth from global majority cultures are increasingly facing challenges to their sense of belonging and mental wellbeing in light of recent social tensions.

The aim is to demonstrate how creative, culturally relevant approaches can lead to more nuanced and authentic data collection, allowing researchers to gain deeper insights into how ethnic minority youth perceive their identity and well-being. This paper contributes to the growing recognition of relational wellbeing as a socially and culturally embedded concept, positioning creative and food-based methodologies as effective tools for future research in this area.