The Role of Families in Youth Sport Programming in a Canadian Aboriginal Reserve

Abstract

Background: There has been a recent push in the sport psychology literature for sport participants to be approached based on their cultural backgrounds. However, there are few examples where a cultural approach is considered, such as a culturally reflexive version of participatory action research (PAR). In the current study, the role of family is considered in relation to the sport engagement of Canadian Aboriginal youth. Methods: Mainstream researchers teamed with coresearchers from the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve for 5 years. Community meetings and talking circles were employed as culturally sensitive data collection techniques to uncover how to encourage youth participation in Wikwemikong's sport programs. The overarching methodology for the project is PAR. Results: Themes and subthemes were determined by community consensus with terms indigenous (ie, culturally relevant) among the local Aboriginal culture. Family was considered important for youth involvement in Aboriginal community sport programs. Parents were expected to support their children by managing schedules and priorities, providing transportation, financial support, encouragement, and being committed to the child's activity. Aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, grandparents, and the family as a whole were seen as sharing the responsibility to retain youth in sport through collateral support (ie, when gaps in parental support arose). Conclusions: Suggestions are proposed regarding how families in Aboriginal communities can collaborate to facilitate sport and physical activity among their youth. Further suggestions are proposed for researchers engaging in culturally reflexive research with participants and coresearchers from oppressed cultures.

A research review: exploring the health of Canada's Aboriginal youth

“…The findings presented here are similar to those of other reviews (7,23), and they show that the existing body of research is not representative of the demographic and geographic composition of Aboriginal youth. At first glance, Inuit youth appear to be slightly over-represented, but when considering the articles (6%) that focus only on Inuit, the numbers are low (7,25).…”

“…5). Personal health practices and coping skills was the most studied determinant, representing 71% of all Aboriginal studies, followed by social environment, and biology and genetic endowment (24%) and, lastly, culture [14%] (23). Gender, healthy child development, and social support networks were studied in 10% of the article, and health services were focused in 5% of the articles.…”

A qualitative study of the impact of the London 2012 Olympics on families in the East Midlands of England: lessons for sports development policy and practice

“…It builds upon the perspective of Shinke et al (2010;164) who argue that "through an appreciation of family resources, and how these might work collaboratively, sport and physical activity staff can appreciate the potential challenges encountered". As a result of exploring family relationships and dynamics several rich observations have been gained into local considerations for sports development practice and programme design.…”

Considering culturally relevant practices and knowledge-sharing when creating an activity-promoting community research agenda

“…This may include participation in accessing and applying for funding (Ball & Janyst, 2008) to dissemination, KT, or future project planning (Browne, Varcoe, Smye, Reimer-Kirkham, Lynam, & Wong, 2009). Despite the evidence that researchers are working with community members throughout all phases of research (e.g., Schinke et al, 2010), the literature documenting and reflecting upon the process of working with a community group is relatively new and emerging. Upon reflection of our process of bringing together a community group, we identified the important role of connecting multiple agencies and community members as well as navigating funding successes and challenges.…”

“…Community members may play a role in developing and participating in activity-promoting programming for Indigenous youth , and researchers have engaged with Indigenous Peoples in sport research to inform Indigenous youth activitypromoting programming (McHugh, Coppola, & Sinclair, 2013;McHugh, Kingsley, & Coppola, 2013;Schinke et al, 2010). In terms of program development, Aboriginal youth, family members, and school staff have reported the need to better understand how communities can support sport opportunities for Aboriginal youth (McHugh, Kingsley, & Coppola, 2013).…”