NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area, Qikiqtaaluk Region

Tags: climate change, environmental health, self-determination, youth perspective

Objective(s): To strengthen action capacity, leadership and skills through creation of a Sahtu Youth Network for research and action planning on climate change and health.

Project Description: The short-term objectives for the project are to: 1. Review and build on learnings from previous climate change and health adaptation projects in Tulít’a, Fort Good Hope and Déline, both in terms of the content and the methods used. 2. Strengthen action capacity, leadership and skills through creation of a Sahtu Youth Network for research and action planning on climate change and health. 3. Complete a vulnerability assessment for the Sahtú Region based on 5 to 10 key “environmental determinants of health” as they relate to climate change. 4. Test “environmental determinants of health” identified through the vulnerability assessment through on-the-land exercises involving cross-generational knowledge exchanges. 5. Complete a regional climate adaptation and health action and communications plan for the Sahtú. 6. Communicate the vulnerability assessment and action plan to regional leadership organizations and schools, and to the broader public. The long-term objectives of this project are to: 1. Create the basis for a self-sustaining Sahtú Youth Network that will continue to be active on health and climate change issues once the project is over. 2. Establish the foundation for more comprehensive climate change and health adaptation planning throughout the Sahtú Region that will be incorporated into local policy and decision-making. 3. Build relationships of mutual support between elders and youth, and amongst Sahtú youth, that are rooted in strong relationships with the land. 4. Give youth the tools to make healthy choices in their lives, to develop a healthy relationship with their land and culture, and to develop the knowledge and confidence needed to face a future of unprecedented climate change. 5. Increase youth understanding of the roles and responsibilities of governance and co-management organizations in the Sahtú Region and beyond, toward greater youth participation in decision-making processes that affect their land, culture, and health. 6. Further the efforts of Sahtú communities to be self-determining and resilient – both in environmental / resource management and in creating policies and strategies to promote health in the community. The overall approach will be participatory. It will include the key considerations on appropriate collaboration with communities on climate change research, particularly: involving communities in research design and development; facilitating opportunities for local employment; and disseminating research findings. It is clear that the response to climate change has to be designed by the community. Adaptation is a social process and it can only occur if the community is fully engaged in the process. The following research activities are proposed: 1. Form the project team – A Community Coordinator (Intern) will assist from one of the Sahtú communities. 2. Form Sahtú Youth Network – Two youth leaders will be recruited from each of the five Sahtú communities. Youth will be invited to participate in the project through advertisements at the local school, newspaper and radio outlets, and community notice boards. Youth will be selected for participation through consultation between the Principal Investigator, Co-Investigators, Community Coordinator/Intern, and staff at the local school. Criteria for selection include: youth interest and motivation, gender balance, academic excellence, extra-curricular involvement in community activities, and balance of involvement from different families. 3. Hold cross-community meeting to kick off the Sahtú Youth Network and draft a Vulnerability Assessment draft compiled by project team and Sahtú Youth Network members (via conference call and electronic communication). Facilitated discussions at the cross-community meeting during the drafting of an initial vulnerability assessment will create an opportunity for respectful cross-cultural dialogue between western scientists/practitioners and traditional knowledge experts, so that the youth leading the project can integrate both kinds of perspectives as they compile previous research and begin the vulnerability assessment. First, there will be a compilation and review of climate science, health science, and traditional knowledge gathered so far through previous Climate Change and Health Adaptation projects (eg. key guiding stories/narratives, perspectives about changing climate / weather patterns, health and cultural implications, etc.). The vulnerability assessment will follow a modified version of the vulnerability assessment approaches outlined by Health Canada and the World Health Organization. It will identify key environmental determinants of health related to climate change; related health impacts and health-related values at risk; existing adaptive capacity; and severity and likelihood/frequency of health impacts associated with the environmental determinants of health. 4. Plan and carry out on-the-land learning trips – to be conducted on the land, in areas of cultural significance near each of the five Sahtú communities. A traditional knowledge-based methodology will be used to verify or investigate connections between climate change impacts and health effects as identified in the vulnerability assessment. 5. Communication and mutual support within Network – Facilitated conference calls, skype calls, and facebook chats will be organized on a regular basis so the youth can learn from one another and keep in touch as they plan their on-the-land trips. 6. Debrief and revise vulnerability assessment based on findings. 7. Cross-community meeting of the Sahtú Youth Network; development of Regional Action and Communications Plan. Sahtú communities will benefit from this project since it would further their efforts to be self-determining – both in environmental / resource management and in creating policies and strategies to promote health in the community. Elders will have opportunities to guide and teach young people, and by having their traditional knowledge recognized and integrated into community planning for the benefit of all. The project will especially enable youth by making them feel more connected to their land, culture, community, region, and peers, and by giving them a sense of confidence and control over their situation and their future (mental/social/cultural health). We consider it essential that learnings from both the process and the outcomes of this project are clearly communicated and widely available within each of the Sahtú communities, because this will increase the likelihood that the Sahtú Youth Network will be able to successfully advocate for the adoption of its adaptation action items. For this reason, development of a communications plan is a core objective of this project. The following list of communication will be adapted once the communications plan is drafted. Within the community, the following communication / dissemination methods will be used: • The draft vulnerability assessment will be distributed to the Renewable Resource Center (RRC) in each community, the Dene and Métis governance bodies in each community, Sahtu Renewable Resource Board members, and, upon request, other community members/organizations. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from March 6, 2015 to December 31, 2015.