Indigenous Young People Research Articles

RADICAL CARE AND DECOLONIAL FUTURES: CONVERSATIONS ON IDENTITY, HEALTH, AND SPIRITUALITY WITH INDIGENOUS QUEER, TRANS, AND TWO-SPIRIT YOUTH

The spirituality and health of Indigenous queer, trans, and two-spirit people occurs within and responds to contexts of extreme colonial violence. However, few studies have examined the relationships among the identity, health, and spirituality of Indigenous queer, trans, and two-spirit youth and their perspectives and activism work in relation to the context of this violence. This study aims to better understand the importance of the connections among identity, health, and spirituality and their role in supporting Indigenous queer, trans, and two-spirit leadership in the enactment of care practices to promote health amidst colonial violence and the worlding of decolonial futures beyond and outside it. Informed by key insights from the grassroots movements and fields of Indigenous feminism, Indigenous queer thought, and radical resurgence, this study brings these insights into conversation, via qualitative interviews with five Indigenous youth activists (18 to 35 years old) from across the part of Turtle Island now known as Canada. Our analysis results in four themes: (1) identity, (2) spirituality, (3) the multidimensional nature of colonial violence, and (4) radical care. We delineate activating practices for decolonial futures, and signal the value of grounded, context-reflective, culturally safe, and intersectional health and youth services. This research demonstrates that spirituality is constitutive of and foundational to the identity and health of Indigenous queer, trans, and two-spirit youth, and shows that health promotion and youth services must address the multidimensional nature of these needs if they are to truly support Indigenous young people, their movements of radical care, and the creation of a decolonial elsewhere marked by belonging, love, self-determinism, responsibility, and joy.

HOW MOBILE MEDIA ENABLED AND LIMITED ONLINE CIVIC PARTICIPATION AMONG LOW-INCOME U.S. YOUNG PEOPLE DURING THE PANDEMIC

This paper presents comparative research from two youth-centered interdisciplinary ethnographic research projects in media studies, social work, and education. Originally designed as in-person interventions meant to provide digital media literacy and civic leadership development activities for 35 Latinx, Black, Indigenous, Asian American and White young people between ages 15-20 living in low-income neighborhoods, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic forced both projects to take place online. Whereas each project found some benefits to holding endeavors in an online rather than an in-person environment, this paper centers on similar patterns that emerged across the projects in how and why differing participants dropped out over the one-year period between March 2020 through March 2021. The central research question of this paper is: what are the prospects for and barriers to online civic participation activities in the everyday lives of young people who, along with their families, are experiencing economic precarity and other forms of marginalization? The paper explores how mobile media were put to use for coping with everyday life during the pandemic, revealing some assumptions about both coping and online civic engagement that were dismantled.The analysis of these experiences force a reckoning with structural inequities that existed prior to the pandemic and that were further exacerbated because of it. The paper thus unearths new questions regarding how to design online civic participation activities involving young people with multiply intersecting experiences of both marginalization and resilience.

Migranthood: Youth in a new era of deportationbyLaurenHeidbrink (2020) Stanford: Stanford University Press, ISBN 9781503612075, 240 pp., $25 (paperback).

Migranthood: Youth in a new era of deportationbyLaurenHeidbrink (2020) Stanford: Stanford University Press, ISBN 9781503612075, 240 pp., $25 (paperback).

THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS FOR THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION FOR INDIGENOUS CHILDREN

The concept of protecting human rights, such as the right to education, has become a centerpiece for the international law system. Particularly, ensuring indigenous peoples' rights has increased attention at the universal, regional, and national levels. The protection of the rights of indigenous children as a vulnerable category of the world population is complex due to climate change, forced displacement, economic exclusion, exploitation, or armed conflict. It is evident that adequate realization of the right to education depends on access to health services, self-determination, and cultural identity, protection from exploitation, abuse, discrimination, and violence. As indigenous peoples are the custodians of unique knowledge and rare languages, which are significant elements of humanity's heritage, the educational process for their children must include specified educational methodologies and other features. So various international and regional mechanisms have been established to promote and protect indigenous children's right to education and other fundamental freedoms. The article is concerned with the United Nations (UN) activities for ensuring indigenous children's right to education according to the international human rights protection system. The investigation describes international legal standards and the UN's programs and strategies for aboriginal and tribal peoples from different continents to increase the percentage of educated and competent indigenous children and young people and their results. The UN's framework contains specific methods, skills, tools, and rules. There is significant progress in the rise of educational levels among indigenous peoples. The article can be helpful for those who are searching for new positive methods of educating various categories of children in different countries. It contains specific information about the educational process for ethnic minorities.

Pandemic Impacts for Indigenous Children and Youth Within Canada: An Ethical Analysis

In response to new and exacerbated challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Indigenous children and youth in Canada have developed innovative and holistic solutions to amplify their voices, continue cultural engagement and combat social isolation for themselves and their communities as a whole. In this analysis, we have selected three Indigenous philosophical tenets as an ethical orientation for discussion of how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the well-being of Indigenous young people. The guiding values of interconnected relationships, holism and Indigenous-informed restorative justice help us interpret existing pandemic-specific literature and identify, define and prioritize considerations of child and youth well-being from an Indigenous-centred worldview. This analysis can (a) help inform future pandemic measures affecting Indigenous young people and (b) foster similar considerations for Indigenous communities in other regions of the world.

Outcomes for Indigenous Children in Care Presenting at a Specialist Child and Youth Mental Health Service

ABSTRACT Limited evaluation research has been conducted on the effectiveness of mental health services and intervention provided to Indigenous children and young people (C&YP) in care. The primary objective of the study was to examine the difference in functioning and mental health outcomes of C&YP in care at a specialist mental health service for Indigenous and non-Indigenous C&YP. Of the total 259 C&YP included in this study, 38.2% (N = 99) were Indigenous. Two measures were used to examine C&YP’s mental health and functioning. Indigenous consumers showed a significantly greater improvement in antisocial behaviour, emotional symptoms, and peer relationships compared to non-Indigenous consumers at discharge from the program. The findings of this study provide support for the program’s therapeutic intent to be a culturally supportive tertiary level mental health service for vulnerable C&YP in care. IMPLICATIONS Equivalent outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous consumers provide support for the program’s intent to be a culturally supportive and safe tertiary level mental health service for vulnerable children and young people in care. Further research is needed to determine the key components of cultural consultation that are advantageous for consumers, care providers, and their families.

The Cedar Project: exploring the role of colonial harms and childhood maltreatment on HIV and hepatitis C infection in a cohort study involving young Indigenous people who use drugs in two Canadian cities

ObjectivesThis study examined associations between childhood maltreatment, colonial harms and sex/drug-related risks for HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among young Indigenous people who use drugs.DesignThe Cedar Project is...

Cedar Project: Conducting Health Research with Indigenous Peoples in a Good Way

The Cedar Project is an interdisciplinary, community-driven research project responding to the crises of HIV and Hepatitis C infection and contributing to the healing of young Indigenous people who use or have used drugs. We are a collective membership of Indigenous Elders, health/social service experts, researchers, and non-Indigenous allies. We situate our work in the context of strength, resilience, and rights to self-determination for Indigenous peoples while also acknowledging the ongoing impacts of historical, intergenerational, and current trauma, specifically those related to the child welfare systems. We provide epidemiological and qualitative evidence that reflects Indigenous perspectives of health and wellness. In this paper, we highlight over seventeen years of shared learnings on conducting research with Indigenous communities in a good way. Specifically, we elaborate on four key components of our unique project. First, our paradigm is to build on young Indigenous people's strengths while acknowledging grief and historical trauma. We recognize that Cedar participants are not statistics—they are relatives of Indigenous partners governing this study. Second, our processes are determined by Indigenous governance, led by Elders and rooted in cultural safety. Third, our research ethics are determined by terms of reference created by the Cedar Project Partnership and by embracing guidelines of TCPS and community-based research. Fourth, we are informed by multiple perspectives and research relationships between Elders, partners, students, academics, and research staff. Sharing our learnings with the larger research community can contribute to decolonizing research spaces by centering Indigenous knowledges and privileging Indigenous voice.

The Cedar Project: Relationship between child apprehension and attempted suicide among young Indigenous mothers impacted by substance use in two Canadian cities.

Indigenous leaders are gravely concerned over disproportionate representation of Indigenous children in Canada’s child welfare systems. Forced separation from children is deeply traumatizing for mothers and detrimental to the wellbeing of Indigenous families, communities and Nations. This study examined relationships between child apprehension and suicide attempt within a cohort of young Indigenous women impacted by substance use. We utilized data collected every 6 months (2008–2016) by the Cedar Project, an Indigenous-governed cohort study involving young Indigenous people who use drugs in British Columbia, Canada. Recent child apprehension was defined as having a child apprehended by the Ministry of Child and Family Development since last visit. Recurrent event Cox proportional hazards models estimated the independent effect of child apprehension on maternal suicide attempt. Among 293 participants, 78 (27%) reported 136 child apprehensions; incidence of first apprehension was 6.64 (95%CI: 5.25–8.29) per 100 person-years. Forty-seven (16%) participants reported 75 suicide attempts with an incidence of 4.00 (95%CI: 2.94–5.33) per 100 person-years. Participants who reported recent child apprehension (HR: 1.88, 95%CI: 1.00–3.55), had a parent attend residential school (HR: 4.12, 95%CI: 1.63–10.46), experienced recent sexual assault (HR: 4.04, 95%CI: 2.04–7.99), violence (HR: 2.54, 95%CI: 1.52–4.27) or overdose (HR: 4.97, 95%CI: 2.96–8.35) were more likely to attempt suicide. Participants who had a traditional language spoken in the home growing up were half as likely to attempt suicide (HR: 0.49, 95%CI: 0.23–1.01). Results suggest that child welfare systems in Canada perpetuate historical and intergenerational trauma among young Indigenous mothers. Indigenous self-determination over child welfare and culturally safe services are urgently needed to end cycles of child apprehension and support the wellbeing of families, communities and Nations.

What Racism Has to Do with It: Understanding and Reducing Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Youth of Color.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are high in populations of color compared to Whites. High-risk sexual behaviors are widely viewed as the key contributors to the levels of STDs, especially in adolescents and young adults. This article situates the sexual risk behaviors of Black, Indigenous, and other young people of color within the framework of racism. It begins with an overview of racial inequities in common STDs and shows how racism gives rise to several risk factors for high-risk sexual behaviors. These risk factors for STDs identified in prior research are best understood as adaptations to the challenges and constraints faced by youth in socially disadvantaged environments. Both social adversity and the mental health problems that it triggers can lead to risky sexual behaviors. Drawing on findings from prior research with youth of color, this paper describes the needed interventions that can markedly reduce STDs and their risk factors. It also describes needed research on interventions that could contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the adverse conditions fueled by racism that affect youth of color, their health, and their communities.

Involvement of Indigenous young people in the design and evaluation of digital mental health interventions: a scoping review protocol

BackgroundIndigenous young people worldwide are at greater risk of developing mental health concerns due to ongoing inequity and disadvantage. Digital mental health (dMH) interventions are identified as a potential approach to improving access to mental health treatment for Indigenous youth. Although involvement in the development and evaluation of dMH resources is widely recommended, there is limited evidence to guide engagement of Indigenous young people in these processes. This scoping review aims to examine the methods used to involve Indigenous young people in the development or evaluation of dMH interventions.MethodsArticles published in English, involving Indigenous young people (aged 10–24 years) in the development or evaluation of dMH interventions, originating from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA will be eligible for inclusion. PubMed, Scopus and EBSCOhost databases (Academic Search Premiere, Computer and Applied Science complete, CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsychArticles, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences collection, APA PsychInfo) will be searched to identify eligible articles (from January 1990 onwards). Infomit and Google Scholar (limited to 200 results) will be searched for grey literature. Two reviewers will independently screen citations, abstracts and full-text articles. Study methods, methodologies, dMH intervention details, participant information and engagement, and dissemination methods will be extracted, analysed (utilising content analysis), and qualitatively assessed for alignment with best practice ethical guidelines for undertaking Indigenous health research. A narrative summary of findings will be presented. Reporting will follow the Consolidated Criteria for Strengthening Reporting of Health Research involving Indigenous peoples (CONSIDER) and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.DiscussionTo date, there are no reviews which analyse engagement of Indigenous young people in the development and evaluation of dMH interventions. This review will appraise alignment of current practice with best practice guidelines to inform future research. It will highlight appropriate methods for the engagement of young people in study processes, providing guidance for health practitioners, policy makers, and researchers working in the field of Indigenous youth and dMH.Systematic review registrationOpen Science Framework (osf.io/2nkc6).

Sexual and reproductive health education and learning among Indigenous youth of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama

ABSTRACT Indigenous adolescents and young people in Panama are at high-risk for sexually transmitted infections, due in part to limited access to condoms and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education. There is a paucity of evidence on how to develop sexual and reproductive health education programmes that incorporate different sources of learning. We used Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory to understand two key sources of learning: noncaregivers (school or healthcare personnel) and caregivers (parents/grandparents/stepparents). Better understanding about sexual and reproductive health learning sources could provide a foundation for the development of targeted, culturally congruent interventions. This study included ethnographic observation in two Indigenous communities in Panama, followed by semi-structured interviews with young people and caregivers. Findings suggest non-caregiver sexual and reproductive health education was commonly provided by teachers, and increasingly through the Internet. Caregivers focused on topics of abstinence/delaying sexual debut, pregnancy, and STIs/HIV; condoms pregnancy, and STIs/HIV. Condoms and condom use were not mentioned. Traditional sexual and reproductive health teaching by same-gender caregivers took place through the rituals of mokän (girls at menarche) and grön (boys 13–14 years). To develop culturally congruent interventions, wesuggest programmes to improve sexual and reproductive health knowledge and access to condoms, which respect and build on social and traditional learning spaces.

Going Nowhere: Ambivalence about Drug Treatment during an Overdose Public Health Emergency in Vancouver.

The declaration of an overdose public health emergency in Vancouver has generated an “affective churn” of intervention across youth‐focused drug treatment settings, including the expanded provision of opioid agonist therapy. In this article, I track moments when young people became swept up in the momentum of this churn and the future possibilities that treatment seemed to promise. I also track moments when treatment and what happened next engendered a sense of stagnation, arguing that the churn of intervention ensnared many youth in rhythms of starts and stops that generated significant ambivalence toward treatment. The colonial past and present deepened this ambivalence among some Indigenous young people and informed moments of refusal. Youth's lives unfolded through but also around treatment programs, in zones of the city where drug use could generate a sense of momentum that was hooked not on futures, but on the sensorial possibilities of the now. [North America, overdose, drug treatment interventions, youth, affect]

Locating the voices of Indigenous young people on identity in Australia: an Indigenist analysis

ABSTRACT The identities of Indigenous young people in Australia have increasingly been recognized in the health and education research literature as being significant. Over half of the Indigenous population in Australia is under the age of 25 years, emphasizing the importance of centering the voices of this cohort. In this paper, two Indigenous scholars undertake an Indigenist analysis of the ways that the voices of Indigenous young people are present within knowledge production about them in relation to their identities. This paper presents a number of themes that emerge from the analysis of how the voices of Indigenous young people in Australia are privileged in the literature, highlighting the significance of closer examination of knowledge paradigms and representations. Creating a deeper understanding of identity and the impact on wellbeing through their lens as Indigenous young people is critical for improving policy and program development as well as future research.

Learning together on Country: reimagining design education in Australia

ABSTRACT Euro-Western perspectives dominate visual communication design education in Australia. This paper examines how the “8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning” pedagogical framework transformed the learning and teaching of design within high school contexts in two Aboriginal communities – Ntaria in the Northern Territory and Warmun in Western Australia. Known as 8 Ways, this model facilitates a culturally safe space for knowledge sharing, encourages teachers to engage with Indigenous pedagogies within the classroom, and emphasizes relational learning. Multiple participatory methods informed our approaches, including the development of place-based design curricula to embed and evaluate 8 Ways. These case studies reveal how Indigenous pedagogical approaches to design education can create value and meaning for Indigenous young people through the enactment and expression of cultural identity, while reinforcing connection to land, family, and community. We argue that non-Indigenous educators can draw upon Indigenous pedagogies to decolonize their teaching strategies and to engage Indigenous students in meaningful culture-centered, intergenerational, and on-Country learning experiences. This research paves the way for participatory and place-based models of design education that reinforce and return the knowledge systems, land stewardship practices, and cultural values of Australia’s First Nations peoples to the classroom.

From resilience to wellbeing: Identity‐building as an alternative framework for schools’ role in promoting children’s mental health

This paper explores schools’ new role in promoting children’s mental health, as a key focus for policy makers across the global north. An education policy analysis is conducted for England and Australia, two nations advocating a ‘bottom‐up’ approach to mental health promotion, granting flexibility to schools and municipal authorities. Here it is argued that a common policy lexicon is evident where key concepts—wellbeing, resilience, character—are constructed on taken‐for‐granted assumptions. These are argued to be limited by an emphasis upon the individual constituents of mental health, which is contrasted against a broader conception of wellbeing, evident in recent non‐governmental international policy. Empirical data is then presented from two separate studies in England and Australia, where young peoples’ perspectives are used to arbitrate the efficacy of the policy construction of wellbeing, in canvassing a relational and social identity approach as a viable alternative. Both studies privilege the voices of young people on wellbeing and identity, with findings from England highlighting that the dominant schooling narrative of resilience perceived by students, misses the ontological and social dimensions of their wellbeing. Research with Indigenous young people in Australia is then evaluated for the affordances generated by identity building and affirming programmes in schools. Notwithstanding cultural differences, common aspects were evident across both datasets, revealing the centrality to young people of self‐authenticity, relatedness, and connectedness to nature, as key to their wellbeing. The paper concludes in advancing a set of principles to underpin a relational and social identity approach to schools’ wellbeing promotion strategy.

Implementation of a model to embed culturally appropriate care for Indigenous children and young people within the Connected Care Program at Children's Health Queensland

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021.

Connection to... Addressing Digital Inequities in Supporting the Well-Being of Young Indigenous Australians in the Wake of COVID-19.

(1) Background: This article examines whether connection to digital technologies helps connect young Indigenous people in Australia to culture, community and country to support good mental health and well-being and protect against indirect and potentially long-term effects of COVID-19. (2) Method: We reviewed literature published between February and November 2020 and policy responses related to digital strategies. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, government policy websites and key Indigenous literature sources, identifying 3460 articles. Of these, 30 articles and 26 policy documents were included and analysed to identify existing and expected mental health outcomes among Indigenous young people associated with COVID-19 and more broadly. (3) Results: There are inequities in affordable access to digital technologies. Only 63% of Indigenous people have access to internet at home. Digital technologies and social media contribute to strong cultural identity, enhance connections to community and country and improve mental health and social and emotional well-being outcomes. (4) Discussion: Access to digital technologies can facilitate healing and cultural continuity, self-determination and empowerment for young people to thrive, not just survive, in the future. (5) Conclusion: More targeted policies and funding is urgently needed to promote digital technologies to enhance Indigenous young people’s access to mental health and well-being services, maintain cultural connections and evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives using Indigenous well-being indicators.

Navigating between two the worlds of school and ‘being on the land’: Arctic Indigenous young people, structural violence, cultural continuity and selfhood

ABSTRACT This qualitative study examines two contexts shaping circumpolar Indigenous young people's contemporary lives. In Arctic North America, the recent, rapid experiences of colonization are linked to disproportionately high rates of youth suicide. It is important to understand how different contexts, central to identity narratives, enhance or challenge resilience: the negotiated capacity to overcome hardship. We examine two settings: school and the land using thematic analysis. School settings occupy significant time in the lives of Indigenous youth from which parents and Indigenous traditions are largely removed. In contrast, the deepening of relationships, spiritual grounding and traditional practices in which Indigenous families engage on the land, signify and amplify cultural and family strengths. Using youth narratives about their lives, we contrast these two settings and the ways they influence young people's wellness through their perceptions of themselves and society. We recommend how schools can better support strengths of Indigenous cultures, including close relationships with family and the land.

Socio-demographic, psychosocial and environmental factors associated with suicidal behaviour in Indigenous Sami and Greenlandic Inuit adolescents; the WBYG and NAAHS studies

ABSTRACT Background. For young Indigenous people, suicide is one of the leading causes of death, and high rates in Arctic areas indicate serious health- and societal concerns. More knowledge is needed, as suicidal behaviour predictslater death by suicide. Objectives. The objective was to study associations between suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts and socio-demographic, psychosocial, and environmental factors in Sami and Greenlandic adolescents, within and between groups and gender. Methods. Working samples included 442 Sami and 399 Greenlandic Inuit (15-16-year-olds), in “The Norwegian Arctic Adolescent Health Study” (NAAHS) and “Well–being among Youth in Greenland” (WBYG). Multivariable logistic regression explored associations between suicidal behaviour and family , ethnic language , school, friendship, and suicide in close relations. Results. Across Indigenous groups, suicidal behaviour was associated with the female gender, relationships with parents, suicide of friends, and rural living. Sami adolescents in stepparent families reported more suicidal behaviour. Inuit adolescents living outside the family and with poor school performance reported more suicidal thoughts. Inuit adolescents spending less time with friends reported more attempts. Gender differences occurred in both groups. Conclusion. To Sami and Greenlandic Inuit, family and peer relations are important factors of suicidal behaviour. Prevention programmes should be sensitive to gender and bereavement.