Healthy spaces: Exploring urban Indigenous youth perspectives of social support and health using photovoice

Land and nature as sources of health and resilience among Indigenous youth in an urban Canadian context: a photovoice exploration

“…Due to long histories of settler colonialism, dispossession, oppression, and contemporary forms of racism, certain aspects of urban environments, like city parks or walking trails, are not always safe spaces for Indigenous young people. In such ways, young people continue to face subtle and overt forms of discrimination, racism, or do not enjoy basic rights that other non-Indigenous youth populations living within urban environments may take for granted or are privileged to assume are normalized [29,32,71,72]. Indeed, many young people in our research expressed how, in their 18 or so years of life, they still have not crossed the bridges across Saskatoon's river from the west to the east sides of the city, and do not feel like they belong in certain parks or green spaces that are primarily associated with the dominant "White" population of the city.…”

“…This is also important given that, due to the histories of colonization, ongoing industrialization, and increasing urbanization, several Indigenous young people within urban contexts can have limited exposure to or culturally meaningful ways to engage with nature and the "land" [51,52]. Looking forward, in urban settings and culturally "safe" development, then, these natural spaces can be better offered through accessible and decolonizing city parks, community gardens, and youth cultural spaces that are co-designed with the young people that are intended to access them [29,61,71,72]. Future research could also explore further what decolonizing processes in the local space could mean or look like as a form of population level structural intervention in order to ensure young people within the city are included, belong, feel welcome, and have opportunities to construct meaning and enact resilience during positive interactions with nature and the "land" [31-33, 39, 61, 71, 72].…”

“…Reflecting back to the "nature or metaphoric mind" that Cajete outlines, photovoice as an artsbased methodology can also become a special "skill" or activity that invites the creative play or imaginative reverie and allows the metaphoric mind to flourish [25]. By uncovering and amplifying Indigenous youth perspectives about connections to nature and its contribution to their general well-being and resilience through photography, this method not only served as an empowering approach for youth, but also worked as a powerful tool to visualize Indigenous concerns and facilitate discussions on needs assessments of Indigenous youth in urban settings [64,71]. This research and a "two-eyed seeing" methodological approach can inform appropriate population health interventions or action to improve the resilience, health and well-being of urban Indigenous youth in the years ahead.…”

“The work of a leader is to carry the bones of the people”: exploring female-led articulation of Indigenous knowledge in an urban setting

“…Sylvia’s experiences echo the challenges still faced by many Indigenous youth who transition into urban life in search of better opportunities and education while struggling with a disrupted sense of belonging (Young et al, 2012). Culturally appropriate social supports and safe spaces are considered critical factors in the health of Indigenous youth (Big-Canoe & Richmond, 2014; Goodman et al, 2019; Richmond & Smith, 2012) and Indigenous communities have been relentlessly focusing their healing efforts on prevention and reestablishing the circle of care around children and young people (Ansloos, 2017; Pitts, 2018; Ritchie et al, 2015; Wood et al, 2018). Although immediate family plays crucial role in the wellbeing of the youth, their support can be replicated and strengthened by the extended family and non-kin mentors (Klinck et al, 2005; Muir & Bohr, 2014).…”

Meeting Indigenous youth where they are at: knowing and doing with 2SLGBTTQQIA and gender non-conforming Indigenous youth: a qualitative case study

“…Despite this evidence, the voices, contexts and expertise of Indigenous youth continue to be underrepresented in public health research, programs and services. The result of which is research harms [4] and suboptimal public health programming and services for Indigenous youth [5]. Against this background, one might argue that the persistent health inequities experienced by Indigenous youth, (e.g.…”