NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area, North Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, wellness, indigenous youth, indigenous communities

Objective(s): To examine the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual (i.e., holistic) benefits of participating in traditional games for Indigenous youth.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5505. The objective is to examine the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual (i.e., holistic) benefits of participating in traditional games for Indigenous youth. To address two exploratory research questions: 1) How does participation in traditional games contribute to emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual benefits for Indigenous youth?, 2) What factors specific to traditional games can be modified to maximize emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual benefits for Indigenous youth Participants will be recruited to result in a purposeful and convenient sample of 50 participants: 30 Indigenous youth between the ages of 15 and 24 years (consistent with Statistics Canada’s definition of youth), 5 parents/guardians, 10 coaches/officials, and 5 Elders/Knowledge Holders living within the Northwest Territories, but inclusive to other Indigenous participants whose regions also participate in traditional games (for example, the Yukon Aboriginal Sport Circle and Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta both send athletes, coaches, and officials to participate in Arctic Sports and Dene Games, both of which are traditional games, at the Arctic Winter Games). Effort will be made to recruit equal numbers of women and men. While the focus will be on the experiences of Indigenous youth, the research is guided by the assumption that parents/guardians, as well as coaches, officials, Knowledge Holders and Elders will provide valuable insights about the holistic benefits of participating in traditional games for Indigenous youth. To derive optimal learning from participants’ in-depth and experiential knowledge, data will be generated via sharing circles. As well, participants will be engaged in a photovoice approach and use photographs and personal narratives to share their knowledge. Data also will be generated via follow-up interviews. The opportunity to participate in the sharing circles will still be offered to those who choose not to do the photovoice portion of the research. Some participants may choose to participate in the sharing circles to share their valuable insights and experiences but may not feel comfortable taking or sharing photos. Specifically, data will be generated from 10 sharing circles with 5 participants each: 6 sharing circles with youth (total of 30 youth), 1 sharing circle with parents/guardians (total of 5 parents/guardians), 2 sharing circles with coaches/officials (total of 10 coaches/officials), and 1 sharing circle with Elders/Knowledge Holders (total of 5 Elders/Knowledge Holders). Those who are invited to participate in sharing circles will be provided with photovoice instructions: Given ethical considerations regarding anonymity, participants will be asked to avoid taking photographs of people. Participants will have the opportunity to take photographs using their own personal devices (e.g., cell phones) or they will be provided with digital cameras. Participants will bring digital or hard copies of two photographs that best represent their experiences to the sharing circles. Each sharing circle will begin with an opportunity for participants to describe their photographs and present narratives about what each photograph represents. Following the photovoice component, participants will be provided with additional opportunities to share their traditional games experiences. Using a semi-structured format, participants in the sharing circles will be asked questions based on an interview guide and informed by the integrated Indigenous-ecological model. With the consent of participants, sharing circles will be audio-recorded and will last approximately 1.5-2 hours. To honor local traditions, a cultural feast will be held after each sharing circle. All sharing circles will be professionally transcribed and checked against original recordings. Photographs also will be retained and included in reported findings. Content analysis will be used as the primary method of data analysis with text (e.g., transcripts) constituting the primary form of data. Although no systematic rules for analysis exist, a feature common in content analysis is that many words of text are grouped/classified into smaller content categories. To develop content categories, the RAB will engage in three processes: preparation, organization, and reporting. During preparation, we will select the unit of analysis (likely, groups of words). Organization will involve open coding to develop a codebook and identifying possible categories, patterns, and themes. All participants will have the opportunity to take part in follow-up interviews to share their insights on proposed themes. Feedback will be incorporated into the development of final themes that will be used to represent findings. Finally, when reporting themes, direct quotations and photographs from participants will be included. A research Advisory Board (RAB) consisting of community partners and key members from the provincial/Territorial Aboriginal Sport Bodies (PTASB) will guide all aspects of this research, including knowledge translation. The RAB, which is comprised of NWT stakeholders and community organizations, will decide on the best process for communicating processes of data generation, analysis, and research findings to communities. Based on the previous experience in working with these community partners, it is anticipated that brief summary reports and community presentations will be the best process of communication. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from June 23, 2023 to December 31, 2023.