We are adopting a holistic approach to community health and youth well-being. Together, we offer considerable experience working together with communities in the Nishnaabe Aski Nation (NAN), along with a broad range of research tools that have been applied to
(1) encourage youth empowerment and well-being,
(2) build resilience and supportive relationships within communities,
(3) facilitate economic development and good governance, and
(4) ensure that the voices of communities are at the forefront of such initiatives, and researchers understand how to respect and privilege each community’s ways of knowing and being throughout the process.
This range of experience, practices, and expertise mean that in working together, communities have a rich base to draw from in order to define their own pathways to foster youth resilience and youth’s ability to ‘live a good life’. We will work together to identify their assets, strengths, and priorities, co-develop programs and strategies for change, and to implement and evaluate these efforts.
Attributions
Ariel Root: tug-of-war photo