Abstracts
Abstract
Dispossession from social and ecological support systems is a major concern for many Indigenous communities. In response to community health challenges in these settings a number of initiatives such as youth mentorship programs have shown some value in enhancing adaptive capacity. The pilot Going Off, Growing Strong program provides opportunities for at-risk youth to engage in community- and land-based activities and build relationships with positive adult role models in Nain, Nunatsiavut (Labrador, Canada). This paper offers an interpretive description drawing from autobiographical accounts of the development of this innovative program. A collaboratively developed conceptual framework, based on the literature, is used to present and explain program operator’s experiences and rationale for program development. The emergent goals of Going Off, Growing Strong are to strengthen individual youth and collective community resilience through intergenerational exchange of land, social, and cultural skills and knowledge by drawing on social supports, such as a community freezer and experienced harvesters. We found that the process of collaborating over time with multiple stakeholders in creating this conceptual framework was an important one for solidifying the goals of Going Off, Growing Strong and creating context-specific, meaningful evaluation outcomes to enable future measurement of impacts on the community.
Résumé
De nombreuses communautés autochtones redoutent de se voir dépossédées de leurs systèmes de soutiens sociaux et écologiques. En réponse aux défis que pose la santé communautaire dans de tels contextes, un certain nombre d’initiatives, telles que les programmes de mentorat pour les jeunes, ont démontré une certaine valeur sur le plan de l’accroissement des capacités adaptatives. Le programme pilote Going Off, Growing Strong (« Sortir, grandir ») procure aux jeunes à risque des opportunités de s’engager dans des activités communautaires – et enracinées dans le territoire – et de nouer des relations avec des adultes jouant le rôle de modèles à Nain, au Nunatsiavut (Labrador, Canada). Cet article représente une description interprétative de l’élaboration de ce programme novateur à partir de récits autobiographiques. Nous utilisons un cadre conceptuel développé en collaboration et se basant sur de précédents travaux pour présenter et expliquer les expériences des acteurs et la raison d’être du développement de ce programme. Les objectifs émergents de Going Off, Growing Strong sont de renforcer la résilience des jeunes de la communauté au niveau individuel et collectif par l’intermédiaire des échanges intergénérationnels de compétences et de savoirs relatifs au territoire, à la société et à la culture, en se fondant sur des appuis sociaux tels qu’un congélateur communautaire et des chasseurs-pêcheurs expérimentés. Nous avons découvert que le processus de collaboration au fil du temps avec de multiples parties prenantes pour créer ce cadre conceptuel s’est avéré important pour solidifier les objectifs de Going Off, Growing Strong et en faire ressortir une évaluation significative, propre à ce contexte, pour permettre à l’avenir d’en mesurer les impacts sur la communauté.
Appendices
Appendices
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