Garden of Emotions: a humanities-informed approach to mitigating the social determinants of health in at-risk children and youth.
5 affiliations
- 1NB Social Pediatrics Inc., Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
- 2Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
- 3Department of Pediatrics, Horizon Health Network, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
- 4Department of Integrated Health, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
- 5Department of Pediatrics, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Abstract
Children and youth lack access to social spaces outside of their home and work/school where they can play, experience joy, be creative, and discover friendship and connection. This is crucial for the wellbeing and development of children. Community-based programs for children and youth can act as this space and are crucial in mitigating unmet social determinants of health. Programs that intentionally teach children and youth about their mind-body connection can ensure they foster healthy relationships with peers, family, and the self. Healthcare spaces can be utilized as this place for children and youth by bridging the gap between humanities-based programs and medical care. This is especially true for our children living in poverty and facing enormous adversity. The Community Social Pediatrics clinic in the South End of Saint John, New Brunswick, has worked tirelessly to be a third space for youth where friendship, connection to caring adults, learning, authenticity, and a medical space collide. New Brunswick Social Pediatrics (NBSP) is an interdisciplinary community-based approach to care for children and families in New Brunswick. The model includes tailored services for families, community programs, mentorship, advocacy, research and policy. Creative Expressions (CE) is one of the community programs that supports social-emotional health by teaching children about emotion identification, the sensations that accompany those emotions, their nervous system, and how different art mediums can be used to express their feelings.
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BibTeX
@article{leblanc2026garden,
title = {{Garden of Emotions: a humanities-informed approach to mitigating the social determinants of health in at-risk children and youth.}},
author = {Destiny LeBlanc and Jennifer M Nagel and Natalia Fana and Sarah Lunney and Sarah Gander},
journal = {Paediatrics \& child health},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1093/pch/pxag089},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42947948},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Garden of Emotions: a humanities-informed approach to mitigating the social determinants of health in at-risk children and youth.
AU - Destiny LeBlanc
AU - Jennifer M Nagel
AU - Natalia Fana
AU - Sarah Lunney
AU - Sarah Gander
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - Paediatrics & child health
DO - 10.1093/pch/pxag089
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42947948
AB - Children and youth lack access to social spaces outside of their home and work/school where they can play, experience joy, be creative, and discover friendship and connection. This is crucial for the wellbeing and development of children. Community-based programs for children and youth can act as this space and are crucial in mitigating unmet social determinants of health. Programs that intentionally teach children and youth about their mind-body connection can ensure they foster healthy relationships with peers, family, and the self. Healthcare spaces can be utilized as this place for children and youth by bridging the gap between humanities-based programs and medical care. This is especially true for our children living in poverty and facing enormous adversity. The Community Social Pediatrics clinic in the South End of Saint John, New Brunswick, has worked tirelessly to be a third space for youth where friendship, connection to caring adults, learning, authenticity, and a medical space collide. New Brunswick Social Pediatrics (NBSP) is an interdisciplinary community-based approach to care for children and families in New Brunswick. The model includes tailored services for families, community programs, mentorship, advocacy, research and policy. Creative Expressions (CE) is one of the community programs that supports social-emotional health by teaching children about emotion identification, the sensations that accompany those emotions, their nervous system, and how different art mediums can be used to express their feelings.
SN - 1205-7088
SN - 1918-1485
ER -