[Athabasca’s going unmanned is set in a youth offender jail in Alberta, Canada and tells the story of three incarcerated youth and the corrections staff who work with them. The story centres on an escape plot hatched by the inmates and ultimately examines the needs of incarcerated youth and the prospects for offering them programming with transformative potential. Based on extensive research with “at-risk” youth and incarcerated youth, the play addresses a range of real-world issues with sociological, criminal justice, policy and educational implications. Moreover, issues of race and ethnicity feature prominently. The fictionalized format invites readers to engage with complex questions without relying on an “authoritative” text that closes off meaning-making. Rather, readers are invited into the meaning-making process as they engage with the play and its alternative endings. , Athabasca’s going unmanned is set in a youth offender jail in Alberta, Canada and tells the story of three incarcerated youth and the corrections staff who work with them. The story centres on an escape plot hatched by the inmates and ultimately examines the needs of incarcerated youth and the prospects for offering them programming with transformative potential. Based on extensive research with “at-risk” youth and incarcerated youth, the play addresses a range of real-world issues with sociological, criminal justice, policy and educational implications. Moreover, issues of race and ethnicity feature prominently. The fictionalized format invites readers to engage with complex questions without relying on an “authoritative” text that closes off meaning-making. Rather, readers are invited into the meaning-making process as they engage with the play and its alternative endings. ]