Incorporating the indigenous evaluation framework for culturally responsive community engagement

Abstract

Native American families, schools, and communities foster resilience among their youth who experience significant mental health disparities. To increase equity in mental health services for Native American students, it is essential that researchers employ culturally responsive community engagement when developing programs in schools. Guided by the Indigenous Evaluation Framework and Tribal Critical Race Theory, the aim of the current study was to examine our process of community engagement in the development of a culturally responsive school-based mental health program for students attending public school on the land of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. University-affiliated members of the research team who were engaged in the community-based participatory action research analyzed the process through individual reflexivity and collaborative discussions. Findings include themes of Centrality of Context and Relationships, Immersion into Community, Authentic Partnership, Storytelling and Metaphors, Community Liaison as Teacher, Cultural Broker, and Confidant, and Honoring Tribal Sovereignty. Implications for researchers and practitioners emphasize the importance of using decolonizing practices and community engagement in developing and implementing culturally responsive school-based mental health programs to increase equity for Native American youth. Practitioner Points 1. School-based mental health practitioners and researchers should consider how current interventions and paradigms may perpetuate colonialism and seek to engage in decolonizing practices. 2. Engaging community members is one method for practitioners and researchers to ensure that the interventions they implement are responsive to the community's needs and values.3. Immersion in the community, including learning about the historical and cultural context, is another method for practitioners and researchers to ensure that they provide culturally responsive mental health services to children and families.

Exploring risk and protective factors for adolescent dating violence across the social-ecological model: A systematic scoping review of reviews

“…In addition, we found that papers in this review generally discussed the identified risk and protective factors as being universally applicable, with the exception of gender differences in a few articles. Yet, best practice in prevention and intervention design suggests that culturally and contextually appropriate programming is required to meet youths’ needs and to advance equity-centered and socially just prevention ( 2 , 67 , 68 ). Despite this, there was little noted in the included articles about particular risk and protective factors specific to any racial or cultural groups.…”

Surviving and thriving in school psychology through community building and storytelling: A collaborative autoethnography

“…Thus, CAE is a relational process and perspective that aims to inform ourselves, as researchers, of the social phenomenon we study (Hernandez et al, 2017). To our knowledge, there is only one study in school psychology that has been conducted using CAE (See Goforth et al, 2022).…”

Collaborative Evaluation Frameworks for Indigenous-Led Community Health Interventions: A Narrative Review

“…Evaluations can also engage communities without using formal participatory methods such as CBPR. Similarly, Goforth et al (2021 ) undertook a process evaluation of a public-school community engagement initiative with Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in the United States to increase mental health program service access. Context, relationships, equity of partnership, culturally relevant methodologies (e.g., storytelling), tribal and community empowerment and leadership, and meaningful "immersion in the community, including learning about the historical and cultural context" (p. 2) were key features in their approach.…”