Stuart R. Poyntz

Stuart R. Poyntz is a Professor at the School of Communication and Director of the Community Engaged Research Centre (CERi) at Simon Fraser University. His research focuses on children’s media cultures, theories of public life, social care, and urban youth cultures, often involving participatory work with teenagers in informal learning spaces. He has held visiting scholar positions at Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, Hong Kong Baptist University, and the University of British Columbia, and served as President of the Association for Research in Cultures of Young People.

Research Interests: Poyntz investigates youth media production, digital media ecologies, media literacy, and the role of creative arts in urban youth development. His work emphasizes social justice, public action, and the impact of digital technologies on youth citizenship and cultural participation.

Grants & Projects: He leads major initiatives including:

• YouthSites Project (SSHRC-funded): Examines non-formal arts education for socially excluded youth in Vancouver, Toronto, and London.
• Define the Line: Co-investigator analyzing news/social media in a $2.6M SSHRC project addressing campus sexual violence.
• Youth Digital Media Ecologies: SSHRC-funded mapping of youth media practices across Canada.

Affiliations: Active in the Media Democracy Project, promoting noncommercial media in Canada through events like Media Democracy Days.