Centering Community, Indigenous Relationships, and Ceremony through an Alaska Native Collaborative Hub to Prevent Suicide and Promote Youth Wellbeing

Abstract

The Alaska Native Collaborative Hubfor Research on Resilience (ANCHRR) engages Indigenous leadership at all levelsin a strength-based study to deepen our understanding of community levelprotective factors in Indigenous communities, which are the collectiveinfluences shaping individual wellbeing across time. Overall, ANCHRR aims toposition Alaska Native Tribes, Tribal organizations, and community members asthe guides for culturally responsive research that is aligned with communitypriorities of increasing resilience and wellbeing among Alaska Native youth andreducing their suicide risk. Our approach brings together Indigenous knowledgeand research methods that humbly draw attention to the solutions that alreadyexist within communities. An Indigenous paradigm shifts the approach from asingular focus on individuals and their risks and deficits, to appreciation forthe cultural, community and systemic ways in which community members support,care for, and guide their young people into adulthood. We describe the lessonslearned about this unique approach to Indigenous leadership and community engagementand discuss the research processes that keep the relational heart-work at thecenter of every project activity. This capacity-building, mutually beneficialand relational approach offers new insights to knowledge development endeavors.