UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #905

Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Karina Donald
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: She, her
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: kdonald@fsu.edu
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): kdonald@fsu.edu
Position Title: Faculty
FSU College (if applicable): Fine Arts
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: Florida State University
Headshot (optional): https://cre.fsu.edu/system/files/webform/urop_project_proposal_portal/15151/Headshot%20091923_1.jpg

Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above): {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable): {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
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Overall Project Details
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Title of the Project: Community Art Therapy for At-risk Youth
Project Keywords: International, adolescent, teens, community-based, visual art, art therapy
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: No
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 1
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Open to all majors

Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: {Empty}
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 5-7
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description:
Community engagement is considered helpful among Caribbean people who are navigating challenges. In particular, research indicates the protective nature of social support on adolescent self-esteem. It is believed that community art therapy plays a pivotal role in strengthening and enhancing communities and participatory research approach could assist in assessing and addressing community needs. However, it is unclear how art therapists should merge community and other cultural values for sustaining or increasing self-esteem among Caribbean youth. Therefore, this project explores the impact of community art therapy on the well-being of Caribbean youth, specifically focusing on self-esteem and types of visual arts that boost Caribbean youth well-being.

Research Tasks:
Literature review; data collection, arts data analysis; manuscript preparation

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
The research assistant(s) will be working with graduate students and I to collect data, analyze visual arts data, manuscript preparation and possibly present at a research conference in late Spring 2024. Therefore, curiosity about the research process is important. Research assistants will need to learn from their experiences and from ongoing collaboration. Although experiences of working in a team is not required, openness to working in a team on a research project is necessary. Skills that will be helpful are: literature review, academic writing, data analysis, and preparation of a manuscript. Writing skills are important because we will be preparing a manuscript. There will be opportunities to learn new skills; therefore, I hope that research assistant(s) will be open to share their triumphs, mistakes, and questions throughout our research relationship.

Mentoring Philosophy:
I enjoy the process of collaborating with students and also seeing them grow in knowledge about themselves and about the world. Therefore, I prefer a developmental approach in my mentorship. Mentees learn through having a variety of experiences. I believe that there are phases that mentees work in reaching their professional goals. Each phase is built upon previous knowledge, skills, and experiences. Through disclosing my research and professional experiences that are applicable to mentees’ tasks, I hope that mentees can process how they are gaining new insights and skills to increase openness to talk about successes, challenges, and mistakes in their work. I prefer open communication about mentees’ needs and goals to support accomplishment of research projects.
Ultimately, my mentorship model is experiential. Hands-on learning is beneficial to mentees’ development. I do not believe in talking at mentees; talking with mentees creates stronger relationships and teams. Change occurs in teams through mutual encouragement of growth and being flexible. When one team member changes through authentic communication, the entire team shifts and benefits. My collaborative way of processing options in research helps mentees develop skills that are applicable yet unique to their professional goals and personality. By mentees willing to integrate their personality in our collaborative work, their confidence and skills in research blossoms.

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: {Empty}
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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
Tuesday September 3  2-2:30 pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97603242073
Wednesday September 4  5-5:30 pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97603242073
Thursday September 5  6-6:30 pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/99971152596

Roundtable Info:
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UROP Program Elements
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Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes

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Year: 2024