Globally, Indigenous communities, leaders, mental health providers, and scholars have called for strengths-based approaches to mental health that align with Indigenous and holistic concepts of health and wellness. We applied the Indigenist Ecological Systems Model to strengths-based case examples of Indigenous youth mental health and wellness work occurring in CANZUS (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and United States). The case examples include research, community-led programs, and national advocacy. Indigenous youth development and well-being occur through strengths-based relationships across interconnected environmental levels. This approach promotes Indigenous youth and communities considering complete ecologies of Indigenous youth to foster their whole health, including mental health. Future research and programming will benefit from understanding and identifying common, strengths-based solutions beyond narrow intervention targets. This approach not only promotes Indigenous youth health and mental health, but ripples out across the entire ecosystem to promote community well-being.
Results:
The application of the Indigenist model revealed several notable findings. An essential theme that cuts across all case examples is: Indigenous peoples are taking into consideration the complete ecologies of Indigenous youth to foster their holistic health. Rather than simply considering the health of the individual, we see Indigenous peoples creating innovative approaches to gifting Indigenous youth with the intergenerational and cultural foundation that is necessary for living full and meaningful lives. These approaches harness Indigenous histories and cultures across places and spaces that are crucial to Indigenous youth development—immediate environments, such as family, school, Elders, and community; surrounding environments, such as school-Elder partnerships; and distant environments, such as tribal self-governance and policy. Taken together, Indigenous approaches to whole health weave together the various environments in the Indigenist model, creating a generative network of health that encompasses Indigenous families and communities across past, present, and future generations.
Conclusions:
Using this model centers Indigenous knowledges and worldviews, and will help to ensure that these perspectives guide the future research and program development aimed at youth mental health and well-being, with attention to each social-ecological level and the interconnections between them. Although we highlighted projects from across global Indigenous contexts, it remains critical for such research to be Indigenous-led and grounded in the specificity of local place and culture. By focusing on complete ecologies and domains of strength, Indigenous-led research and action is leading the way in advancing Indigenous youth well-being and promoting flourishing within and by communities.
Population of Focus: Native American and Indigenous Youth
Links to Resources:
- Read the full article
- Explore the framework, First Nations Health Authority: Traditional Wellness Strategic Framework
- Learn about Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory
- Read about Indigenous mental health
- Read the document, Strengthening Resilience: Promoting Positive School Mental Health Among Indigenous Youth
Date: 2022