Pathways to Resilience III: Beyond Nature vs. Nurture

Spaces & Places: Visual Methods and Civic Engagement:

Abstract #212
Community-Based Research for Community-Based Services: The Interface of Reflective Participatory Visual Methods and Holistic Approaches to Community Mental Health Programs 
Presenter: Linda Liebenberg Co - Presenter: Daphne Hutt-MacLeod
Abstract:
The Spaces and Places Research Project (S&P) explores the ways in which communities can build better civic and cultural engagement with youth. The purpose is to 1) conceptualize spaces available to youth facing heightened risks that establish a sense of community and cultural connection, and 2) understand how these spaces facilitate the cultural and civic engagement of these youth, in turn fostering resilience. This participatory study involves youth in data analysis and arts-based dissemination projects designed to return findings back to local and broader communities. The study has taken place in two remote communities of Labrador and one rural community of Nova Scotia; all Aboriginal communities. Eskasoni Mental Health Services (EMHS) is a holistic community-based service, supporting the mental health of community members through formal and informal service provision. The organisation consists of 5 sectors (Clinical and Therapeutic Support, Residential School Support, Youth Center, Crisis and Referral Center, and Community-Based Case Management), operated by 19 staff. EMHS is one of three mental health service providers partnering on S&P. This presentation will review the design of S&P, provide an explanation of Eskasoni as the research context, an explanation of the research approach and the study’s relevance to community-based service providers.

Abstract # 168
Engaging Youth in Research: Lessons From Youth Participants
Presenter: Mallery Denny Co - Presenters: Jenny Reich, Hannah Battiste, Diome Denny, Angelo Bernard, Hugh Paul, Raylene Nicholas, Ivan Knockwood, Kevin Christmas, Ronald Dennis
Abstract:
 "The hand-drum is the beat of the soul; the eagle is the guide through our path; we unite as a team of speakers, as we mumble but never stumble. We are our people." These words are included in a mural on a community wall in Eskasoni, Canada. The mural shows what we have learned through the Spaces and Places Research Project (S&P) about what young people like us, in OU.R. Eskasoni, need to do well. We use the mural to share this knowledge with our community -- the people who support us to do better. In this presentation we will share with people outside of our community what young people in rural communities, and elsewhere, need to do well. We will also share with researchers what they need to know to do better research with young people like us. We will tell them what we enjoyed and found useful about participating in research; and what we didn't enjoy, what should have been different. We'll let them know what was hard, but what motivated us to stick it out, and care about the research project and how it could help us, and the young people who come after us.

Abstract #165
Meaningfully Engaging Youth in Research and Evaluation
Presenter: Daphne Hutt-MacLeod
Abstract:
This facilitated discussion will present core lessons gained from experiences of youth participants and researchers engaged in several research projects internationally. Specifically, we will present key points to elicit discussion around the following three questions: 1. Why should we engage youth meaningfully in research and evaluation? 2. How do we engage youth meaningfully in research/evaluation and dissemination of findings?3. How are community partners (including youth participants) working with researchers to protect the best interests of youth in the research/evaluation process?The focus will be on research and evaluation with youth living in challenging socioeconomically marginalised contexts. The goal of Understanding meaningful engagement is to facilitate connection and knowledge sharing between a diverse group of actors engaged in research (i.e. researchers, community-partners, and youth research participants); and to generate new knowledge about how to meaningfully engage youth in research and evaluation so as to reverse the flow of knowledge from marginalised and often silenced youth to adults in positions of decision-making power.