Learning to Fail Better: Reflections on the Challenges and Risks of Community-Based Participatory Mental Health Research With Inuit Youth in Nunavut.

Polina Anang,Nora Gottlieb,Suzanne Putulik,Shelley Iguptak,Ellen Gordon

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.604668

Abstract

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a mine field of moral dilemmas. Even when carefully planned for and continuously critically reflected upon, conflicts are likely to occur as part of the process. This paper illustrates the lessons learned from “Building on Strengths in Naujaat”, a resiliency initiative with the objective of promoting sense of belonging, collective efficacy, and well-being in Inuit youth. Naujaat community members over time established strong meaningful relationships with academic researchers. Youth took on the challenge of organizing community events, trips out on the land, and fundraisers. While their creativity and resourcefulness are at the heart of the initiative, this paper explores conflicts and pitfalls that accompanied it. Based on three themes – struggles in coming together as academic and community partners, the danger of perpetuating colonial power structures, and the challenges of navigating complex layers of relations within the community – we examine the dilemmas unearthed by these conflicts, including an exploration of how much we as CBPR researchers are at risk of reproducing colonial power structures. Acknowledging and addressing power imbalances, while striving for transparency, accountability, and trust, are compelling guiding principles needed to support Indigenous communities on the road toward health equity.

Highlights

Building on Strengths in Naujaat worldwide [2,3,4]
This paper reflects on lessons learnt from “Building on Strengths in Naujaat”, a community-based participatory youth suicide prevention initiative, with two main goals: to understand the pitfalls of reproducing social and health inequalities, and to contribute to moving mental health promotion in Inuit communities forward
Naujaat Hamlet Council Elders requested that, instead of talking about “Inuit youth suicide,” the initiative shift the discourse to the role of mutual support and emotional ties within the community, intergenerational dialogue and cultural continuity in the youths’ future planning: “Why do we have to talk about suicide all the time? Let’s talk about love!” (Agatha Crawford, Naujaat Elder)

Summary

Introduction

Building on Strengths in Naujaat worldwide [2,3,4]. The age groups hit hardest by suicide in Nunavut are 18–27 year olds, followed by 13–17 year olds. Suicide awareness campaigns were found to increase the risk of suicide becoming entrenched in cultural self-image [9], whereas cultural continuity and community cohesion have been described as protective factors [10,11,12,13,14,15,16] These ideas of approaching the issue of suicide in a different way, while acknowledging the colonial context, made the academic partners consider a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. This article renders insights into challenges and learning opportunities from “Building on Strengths in Naujaat.” To this end, it analyzes the team’s reflections through the lens of three overarching themes: the need to bridge conflicting expectations and pressures of academic Qallunaat (white, non-Inuit) and Inuit community partners; the inherent danger of perpetuating colonial power structures; and the challenges of navigating complex layers of relations within the community. They are intended to make space for strong Indigenous voices, and to point to the power imbalances that get in the way of health equity [22]

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