Email: Janet.Newbury@viu.ca
Dr. Janet Newbury currently teaches and conducts research in the Department of Human and Social Development at the University of Victoria, Canada (in the School of Child and Youth Care), and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. She has also taught in the School of Communication and Culture at Royal Roads University and the Workplace Essential Skills Training program at Vancouver Island University. She has worked in group homes, camps, an after-school program, an orphanage, and a family resource centre, and as family initiatives worker and family enhancement worker.
The focus of her research and practice has shifted to community engagement as it relates to health and wellbeing, and to democracy in general terms. Her work experiences and research interests have led her to explore the connections between community-based approaches to economic and social development and the wellbeing of children, youth, and families.
Through this work she has participated as co-founding member of the Post Growth Institute, a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, an associate with the Taos Institute, and a member of the global Community Economies Collective. She has also been a co-founding member of a local civic literacy group called PR Voices, president of the Powell River Diversity Initiative, a board member of the Powell River Employment Program Society, and president of the Sunshine Musicfest, and is involved in a number of other community efforts that prioritize intergenerational and intercultural engagement. Her writing has been published widely for both academic and popular audiences.