Cree Youth Engagement in Health Planning

Abstract

Indigenous communities experience a greater burden of ill health than all other communities in Canada. Across the (Indigenous Region), all nine (Name) communities experience similar health challenges. In 2014, the (REGIONAL_BOARD) supported an initiative to stimulate local community prioritization for health change. While many challenges identified were specific to youth (10-29 years of age), youth’s perspectives in these reports to date have been limited. We sought to understand how (Indigenous) youth perceived youth health and their engagement in health and health planning across (Region). As part of a (REGIONAL_BOARD-University) partnership, this qualitative descriptive study adopted a community-based participatory research approach. Ten (Indigenous) youth participated in two focus groups, and five (Indigenous) youth coordinators participated in key informant interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted and inductive codes were grouped into themes. (Indigenous) participants characterized youth engagement into the following levels: participation in community and recreational activities; membership in youth councils at the local and regional levels; and, in decision-making as planners of health-related initiatives. (Indigenous) youth recommended greater use of social media, youth assemblies, and youth planners to strengthen their engagement and youth health in the region. Our findings revealed an interconnectedness between youth health and youth engagement; (Indigenous) youth described how they need to be engaged to be healthy, and need to be healthy to be engaged. (Indigenous) participants contributed novel and practical insights to engage Indigenous youth in health planning across Canada.

Enhancing health and wellness by, for and with Indigenous youth in Canada: a scoping review

“… The youth described body mapping as a valid data collection tool that advanced and promoted trust and youth voices in research while reducing verbal communication barriers and facilitating the collection of rich data on Indigenous youth experiences Youth affirmed that using the body mapping in FOXY encouraged and supported wellness and healing through self-reflection, introspection leading to self-discovery, and personal/cultural connectedness while enhancing the ability to process difficult emotions. The authors reported that directions for future research could explore repeat exposure to body mapping interventions and their impact on well-being 16 Merati et al, 2020 [ 8 ]. To explore how Cree youth perceived youth health and youth engagement in health and health planning.…”

“… Promoting strength-based approaches to youth engagement 19 (95.0) [ 5 , 8 , 16 , 44 , 57 , 71 – 84 ] 1. Lack of community support (social, financial, organizational for wellness promotion among Indigenous youth) 11 (55.0) [ 5 , 44 , 57 , 72 , 74 – 78 , 80 , 81 ] 1a Peer-to-peer mentoring (Indigenous youth mentored by, and with other Indigenous youth) 15 (75.0) [ 5 , 8 , 44 , 57 , 71 , 73 – 76 , 79 – 84 ] 2. Structural and organizational issues within Indigenous communities with regards to wellness promotion programs 10 (50.0) [ 5 , 8 , 72 , 73 , 76 – 78 , 81 – 83 ] 1b Engaging youth in activities that develop and promote self-determination, capacity budling, and empowerment (e.g., guided storyboarding, performative art, arts-based therapy, etc.)…”

“… Lack of community support (social, financial, organizational for wellness promotion among Indigenous youth) 11 (55.0) [ 5 , 44 , 57 , 72 , 74 – 78 , 80 , 81 ] 1a Peer-to-peer mentoring (Indigenous youth mentored by, and with other Indigenous youth) 15 (75.0) [ 5 , 8 , 44 , 57 , 71 , 73 – 76 , 79 – 84 ] 2. Structural and organizational issues within Indigenous communities with regards to wellness promotion programs 10 (50.0) [ 5 , 8 , 72 , 73 , 76 – 78 , 81 – 83 ] 1b Engaging youth in activities that develop and promote self-determination, capacity budling, and empowerment (e.g., guided storyboarding, performative art, arts-based therapy, etc.) 15 (75.0) [ 5 , 8 , 44 , 57 , 72 – 74 , 76 – 80 , 82 – 84 ] 2a Community concerns affecting the sustainability of instituted wellness programs/strategies 4 (20.0) [ 5 , 8 , 78 , 81 ] 1c Building positive relationships with one another, with nature and the environment ...…”

“… Structural and organizational issues within Indigenous communities with regards to wellness promotion programs 10 (50.0) [ 5 , 8 , 72 , 73 , 76 – 78 , 81 – 83 ] 1b Engaging youth in activities that develop and promote self-determination, capacity budling, and empowerment (e.g., guided storyboarding, performative art, arts-based therapy, etc.) 15 (75.0) [ 5 , 8 , 44 , 57 , 72 – 74 , 76 – 80 , 82 – 84 ] 2a Community concerns affecting the sustainability of instituted wellness programs/strategies 4 (20.0) [ 5 , 8 , 78 , 81 ] 1c Building positive relationships with one another, with nature and the environment 14 (70.0) [ 5 , 8 , 44 , 57 , 72 , 73 , 76 , 77 , 79 – 84 ] 2b Dogmatism about definitions regarding traditions of health among Indigenous communities 4 (20.0) [ 72 , 77 , 82 , 83 ] 1d Showing kindness to one another 9 (45.0) [ 5 , 16 , 44 , …”

“…Before European contact in North America, Indigenous peoples in Canada lived and thrived with their cultures, languages, and distinct ways of knowing [ 2 ]. However, Indigenous peoples in Canada rank lower in almost every health determinant when compared with non-Indigenous Canadians [ 8 – 10 ]. A report on health disparities in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, described First Nations peoples to be “more likely to experience poor health outcomes in essentially every indicator possible” (page 27) [ 11 ].…”