VOICES: Identifying safe and unsafe spaces in Indigenous communities
Thanks to the First Nations Health Authority and the Indigenous communities of British Columbia, we are pleased to announce that we will be expanding the VOICES of Children and Youth project to BC.
The Hupačasath First Nations community will be engaging approximately 10 of their youth members to engage in the project. The youth will be asked to take photographs and provide narrative of places in their community that they believe are ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’, from an injury perspective. Ms. Carolina Tatoosh will serve as the community lead, working with Drs. Emilie Beaulieu, Ian Pike (UBC/BCIRPU) and Alison Macpherson (York). The project is scheduled to run for six months until June 2019, and will culminate in a presentation by the youth to Hupačasath community leadership.
VOICES is a research initiative currently taking place in the Mohawk community of Akwesasne, located in an area that straddles Ontario, Quebec, and New York along the St. Lawrence River. Drs. Ian Pike and Emilie Beaulieu of the BCIRPU and Alison Macpherson from York University are project leads, and Dr. Rose Alma-McDonald is the community lead. These researchers are collaborating with the community of Akwesasne to help to identify safe and unsafe spaces.
In November 2018, a reporter from the Ottawa Citizen spent the afternoon with the children and youth of Akwesasne as they participated in a photo-mapping project of their community. Students took photos of safe and unsafe spaces to learn about safety, storytelling, and their community. The children will present these photos to the Akwesasne Mohawk Council as a way of asking them to make their community a safer place to live and play.
“We really believe in the voice of the child here,” Dr. Pike told the Ottawa Citizen. “We believe that kids have a unique perspective. They travel in that space and they understand it better or in a different way than adults do. And if we are making decisions about that environment, I believe children should have a voice in it and we should listen to that voice.”
VOICES is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health and Research (CIHR) in partnership with the Akwesasne Mohawk Board of Education, Hupačasath First Nation, University of British Columbia, York University, and Katenies Research and Management Services.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Ottawa Citizen – December 18, 2018
Indian Time – December 6, 2018
- distress when a child was in pain and when a family was grieving; and
- sadness in the event they were not able to save a child in their care.
- concern for the injured child and the child’s family;
Particularly traumatic events, such as those involving vivid sights and sounds (e.g., families holding each other and having extreme reactions), stuck with the practitioners, having long-lasting impressions on them and causing them to re-live these events in the years following their exposure.
Even after their shift was over, practitioners said that they changed how they approached parenting and how they perceived safety during play as a result of witnessing these traumatic events. They reported having more knowledge of the causes and consequences of severe injuries, such as those that require hospitalization or emergency care. For example, practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, such as by forbidding their child to play near busy streets. They also were more likely to tell their child about safe play environments and equipment, and put this equipment on their child before play, such as explaining the benefits of using helmets while riding bikes.
Practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, and use safety equipment, such as bike helmets.
Practitioners also described being concerned about their children’s play near open windows, around large bodies of water unsupervised, and in environments where firearms were present. They also expressed worry about their children’s play on trampolines and on motorized vehicles, such as ATVs. Findings related to trampoline play safety concerns were published in the journal Injury Prevention.
Observing family grief due to child injury or death affected the mental well-being of health care practitioners, drawing attention to the need for mental health supports for those involved in caring for severely injured and dying patients.
"Raise more resilient children through play...watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away." —Dr. Michelle Bauer
Building resilience through play
How can parents help their children build resilience? By letting them play!
The experiences that practitioners witnessed encouraged them to support their children in building resilience through play; specifically, by supporting children in learning to cope with failure, overcome fear, build self-confidence, develop distress tolerance, and regulate negative emotions. Findings related to building resilience through play were published in the journal Child: Care, Health, and Development.
Parents fostered resilience in their kids by:
- helping their kids get back on bikes after they fell off and wanted to try again;
- sitting on their hands so they did not instinctively reach for their children when their children fell down; and
- encouraging participation in challenging and thrilling activities in forests and water while safety equipment was used.
"There are a few ways that parents can raise more resilient children through play that are supported by literature and our study findings," said Dr. Bauer. "One: watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away."
"Two: Ask your child how they want you to help—let them tell you what makes them feel safe and happy during play. Let them lead. And three: make play both safe and exciting by encouraging risk-taking, teaching them how to avoid hazards, and using safety equipment.”
This research was supported through Drs. Bauer’s and Gilley’s receipt of a clinical and translational research seed grant from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), Dr. Bauer’s BCCHR postdoctoral fellowship award, and additional training provided to Dr. Bauer through her participation in the Programs and Institutions Looking to Launch Academic Researchers (PILLAR) program through ENRICH, a national organization training perinatal and child health researchers.
Learn more about the study through two infographic posters:
Graphics and posters by Milica Radosavljevic
