Supporting Indigenous youth activity programmes: A community-based participatory research approach

Abstract

The purpose of this three-year, multi-phase community-based participatory research (CBPR) programme was to explore how to support Indigenous youth activity programmes and programme planners in Alberta, Canada. This CBPR programme was comprised of five phases: (1) Identifying mutual interests and learning how to partner, (2) Building culturally-relevant activity programmes with and for youth, (3) Defining CBPR programme goals and understanding our roles, (4) Exploring how to support Indigenous youth activity programmes, and (5) Applying and informing practices for supporting Indigenous youth activity programmes. Phases Four and Five of this CBPR are the focus of this paper. Phase Four was an exploration of programme planners’ experiences of, and recommendations for, building partnerships and programmes to identify how to support Indigenous youth activity programmes and programme planners. Fifteen programme planners from four urban areas in Alberta participated in one-on-one interviews. Findings are represented by three themes: (1) Building capacity for collaboration and programme planning, (2) Connecting partners and existing programmes, and (3) Aligning and integrating goals and resources with existing programmes. Phase Five, the application phase of this CBPR, involved the co-development of a gathering event to apply areas of support (i.e. themes) from Phase Four of this CBPR, as well as to reflect on the strengths and challenges of applying such supports. Partners can use implications from the research programme processes and outcomes to explore their role in and practices for supporting these programmes.