Audrey R Giles
University of Ottawa | Université d'Ottawa, Human Kinetics, Faculty Member
For over 60 years, the Northwest Territories Aquatics Program (NWTAP) has employed university students from southern Canada with little to no exposure to northern Canada to run seasonal swimming pools and waterfronts in isolated northern... more
For over 60 years, the Northwest Territories Aquatics Program (NWTAP) has employed university students from southern Canada with little to no exposure to northern Canada to run seasonal swimming pools and waterfronts in isolated northern communities. In this article, we examine the impact that working for this program had on nine former employees’ lives and whether or not working for the NWTAP could be categorized as a significant life experience. We used thematic analysis of the data from retrospective semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires and identified four themes: (1) employment by the NWTAP enhanced the employees’ self-confidence, independence, and self-efficacy; (2) employees gained knowledge about Indigenous cultures in the Northwest Territories; (3) employees developed enhanced sensitivity to social issues in northern communities; and (4) the experience of working for the NWTAP strongly influenced participants’ career paths. Our analysis indicated that wor...
The restrictions on children’s outdoor risky play is emerging as a pressing public health concern. To the best of our knowledge, no research has examined military mothers’ perspectives on outdoor r...
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Current approaches for non-Aboriginal family medicine practitioners encountering Aboriginal patients are based in cultural sensitivity, which is an inadequate model to satisfy the obligation of family medicine residents and physicians to... more
Current approaches for non-Aboriginal family medicine practitioners encountering Aboriginal patients are based in cultural sensitivity, which is an inadequate model to satisfy the obligation of family medicine residents and physicians to Aboriginal health in Canada. In this paper, we advocate for the adoption of a cultural safety approach as a superior method for training family medicine residents in interactions with Aboriginal patients. Family medicine programs can integrate cultural safety into their curriculum by teaching residents about the colonial history of Aboriginal people to foster understanding of power imbalances. This knowledge can then be used to help family medicine residents learn to identify their own biases that may affect the care of Aboriginal patients. By advocating for family medicine practitioners to use cultural safety to challenge their own concepts of culture and to address their own worldviews, patient encounters between non-Aboriginal family physicians a...
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Journal of Rural and Community Development Journal of Rural and Community Development Natural Resource Exploration and Extraction in Northern Canada: Intersections with Community Cohesion and Social Welfare Natural Resource Exploration and Extraction in Northern Canada: Intersections with Communi...more
This paper examines the role that the search for and removal of non-renewable fossil fuels plays in northern, often Aboriginal, communities in Canada. Such settlements at the social, political, and geographic "periphery" or... more
This paper examines the role that the search for and removal of non-renewable fossil fuels plays in northern, often Aboriginal, communities in Canada. Such settlements at the social, political, and geographic "periphery" or "frontier" of Canada are often characterized by transient populations and social welfare challenges. While the economic boom brought about by oil and gas development is undeniable, it is unevenly spread. Further, communities that would otherwise be facing sizable challenges now must address even greater and more urgent struggles. These rural and remote settlements have drawn strength from their social cohesion, but presently, the strain is heightened. Insiders may be at odds with outsiders; one generation may be divided against the generation before and after it. Environmental concerns and traditional culture may be displaced by competing interests. In this paper we provide an overview of the existing and proposed extraction of non-renewable n...
The lack of research to effectively address inequity within Canadian society is an indicator of the failure of mainstream research approaches and practices to engage with all populations. The purpose of this paper is to describe the... more
The lack of research to effectively address inequity within Canadian society is an indicator of the failure of mainstream research approaches and practices to engage with all populations. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a collaborative framework defined by community members and their research partners as ethical, useful and relevant. Two essential phases in negotiating a collaborative framework for a community-research partnership, and the steps in a community based participatory approach are described: 1) establish guiding features of a collaborative framework: i) form an advisory group, ii) develop ethical guidance, iii) agree upon underlying theoretical concepts for the research study, and; 2) engage in research actions that support co-creation of knowledge throughout study processes. The case study example used to illustrate the collaborative framework was conducted by and with a First Nations, Inuit and Metis women’s community and research partners t...
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In many settings, people with disabilities are marginalised from the socio-economic activities of their communities and are often excluded from development activities, including sport for development programmes. Sport is recognised as... more
In many settings, people with disabilities are marginalised from the socio-economic activities of their communities and are often excluded from development activities, including sport for development programmes. Sport is recognised as having unique attributes, which can contribute to the development process and play a role in promoting the health of individuals and populations. Yet there is little evidence, which demonstrates whether and how sport for development can be disability-inclusive. The aim of this qualitative research was to address this knowledge gap by documenting the enablers and barriers to disability inclusion within sport for development programmes in the Pacific, and to determine the perceived impact of these programmes on the lives of people with disability. Qualitative interviews and one FGD were conducted with implementers, participants with and without disability, and families that have a child with disability participating in sport. Participation in sport was r...
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Abstract In this paper, we explore the sponsorship of sport for development (SFD) programs in Indigenous communities in Canada by oil, gas, and mining companies (the ‘extractives industry’). While SFD programming has recently... more
Abstract In this paper, we explore the sponsorship of sport for development (SFD) programs in Indigenous communities in Canada by oil, gas, and mining companies (the ‘extractives industry’). While SFD programming has recently proliferated, the majority of these initiatives have been located in ‘developing’ countries of the global South. It is only more recently that SFD programs have gained traction in Canada, particularly in Indigenous communities. In undertaking an analysis of corporate social responsibility reports, we explore the tensions in having private companies — particularly those with poor environmental and social records — fund SFD programs in Indigenous communities. In the vein of ‘green-washing’, we argue that extractives companies are funding SFD programs in Indigenous communities as a form of ‘redwashing’ to portray themselves as good corporate citizens and as members of the communities in which they operate, while obfuscating the harmful impacts of extractive practices and histories of colonialism.
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Abstract This feminist qualitative research draws on data from 14 semi-structured interviews with pregnant or parenting elite female distance runners. Using three theoretical approaches (liberal feminism, radical feminist thought, and... more
Abstract This feminist qualitative research draws on data from 14 semi-structured interviews with pregnant or parenting elite female distance runners. Using three theoretical approaches (liberal feminism, radical feminist thought, and strategic essentialism) alongside of thematic analysis, we identified the following themes about elite female distance runners: women do not feel supported by corporate sponsors or athletic governing bodies during pregnancy or postpartum; due to the lack of support, the women plan/strategize pregnancies around competitions, contracts, and spousal support; due to all of the above, the women face stress and uncertainty in their careers that their male counterparts do not. The participants argue that athletic governing bodies and corporate sponsors must be more transparent in their practices and improve policies to create more equitable sporting environments.
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Abstract Aboriginal perspectives on experiences in sport in Canada are largely missing from the existing body of literature on sociocultural aspects of sport, but this is especially the case in terms of Aboriginal people from the... more
Abstract Aboriginal perspectives on experiences in sport in Canada are largely missing from the existing body of literature on sociocultural aspects of sport, but this is especially the case in terms of Aboriginal people from the Maritimes region of Canada. Such an absence impedes our understanding of sport as an important cultural institution that can be used to normalize certain social practices, as well as challenge them. In this paper, we aim to contribute to the body of knowledge on Aboriginal sport by examining the lived experiences of nine elite Aboriginal athletes from the Maritimes, specifically those who won a Tom Longboat Award, through a postcolonial lens. In doing so, we reveal some of the nuanced power relationships that shaped their involvement in organized, competitive sport – distinctions that are not often addressed in the scholarly literature and thus limit our understanding of the complex and sometimes difficult realities of Aboriginal sport development in Canada. The participants’ stories tell us a great deal about the recipients as individuals, about Aboriginal peoples’ involvement in contemporary sport, and how the ways in which they negotiated difference within sport marked their lives.
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Research Interests: Community Development, Settlement Patterns, Rural Development, Regional development, First Nations of Canada, and 10 moreSocial Welfare, International political economy of oil and gas, Social cohesion, Fossil Fuels, Centre-Periphery Relations, Northern Canada, Aboriginal Economic Development, Economic and Social Development of Rural People, Indigenous Development, and Rural Community Development
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The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) released new PA guidelines for Canadians in 2011, including those for older adults, which communicate the ways in which good health can best be achieved. In this paper, we argue that if... more
The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) released new PA guidelines for Canadians in 2011, including those for older adults, which communicate the ways in which good health can best be achieved. In this paper, we argue that if we are to have PA guidelines for older adults in Canada, they need to be culturally safe for those who experience disproportionate levels of poor health: Aboriginal older adults. Within this paper, we examine the existing guidelines to determine if they are culturally safe. We show that despite qualitative evidence of the need for culturally safe PA opportunities for Aboriginal peoples, the Canadian PA Guidelines for Older Adults (CSEP, 2012) are not culturally safe for Aboriginal peoples. To address this shortcoming, we use health communication strategies to suggest ways in which the Guide, and in turn other PA resources, could be developed to be culturally safe.
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Comprehensive School Health, an emerging trend in school health promotion, is being implemented in countries all around the globe. In the province of New Brunswick, in Canada, another approach, the Community School, has been introduced to... more
Comprehensive School Health, an emerging trend in school health promotion, is being implemented in countries all around the globe. In the province of New Brunswick, in Canada, another approach, the Community School, has been introduced to over 50 schools across the province. This paper uses results from semi-structured interviews to describe how the Community School can be used as an approach to the implementation of Comprehensive School Health. By implementing the Community School in such a way that fills all the required components of CSH (Teaching and Learning of Health, Supportive Social Environment, Health Services, and Healthy Physical Environment), this paper argues that the Community School can be a viable approach to implementing Comprehensive School Health in one elementary school in New Brunswick.
The limitations of a textual analysis approach are discussed and the need for future research in this area is outlined with specific reference to how SDP programs might promote environmental sustainability.
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Fathers’ perspectives on masculinity can influence their perspectives on their children’s outdoor risky play. This study makes a novel contribution to bridging a gap in knowledge that exists between the fields of sexuality, family... more
Fathers’ perspectives on masculinity can influence their perspectives on their children’s outdoor risky play. This study makes a novel contribution to bridging a gap in knowledge that exists between the fields of sexuality, family dynamics, and child injury prevention by exploring single, stay-at-home, and gay fathers’ perspectives on masculinity and the influence that these have on their perspectives of their 4- to 12-year-old children’s outdoor risky play practices. Through the use of semistructured interviews and critical discourse analysis, three discourses were identified: Masculinity and fatherhood are being redefined, fathers play an important role in their children’s experiences of outdoor risky play, and fathers should enforce limits during their children’s outdoor risky play.
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Parents’ perspectives on their children’s outdoor risky play behaviours influence their children’s adoption of safety strategies and their children’s approach to risky and dangerous situations (Brussoni & Olsen, 2011). Over the past... more
Parents’ perspectives on their children’s outdoor risky play behaviours influence their children’s adoption of safety strategies and their children’s approach to risky and dangerous situations (Brussoni & Olsen, 2011). Over the past decade, researchers have explored many Canadian mothers’ and fathers’ perspectives on this topic; however, to date, there has been a lack of research on Indigenous parents’ perspectives, particularly those of Inuit parents. This lack of research means that Inuit families are unaccounted for in research used to create and promote safety policies and practices in Canada. The present research commentary is the first to address the urgent need for research on northern Canadian Inuit parents’ perspectives on outdoor risky play. Specifically, outdoor risky play is defined, and Inuit children’s outdoor play experiences are compared to non-Inuit children’s experiences. Further, Inuit children’s experiences of injury are discussed to further situate the dire need...
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Shared decision making (SDM) may narrow health equity gaps by engaging clients with their health care providers in decision making; little is known about SDM interventions with Aboriginal people. This study describes the health... more
Shared decision making (SDM) may narrow health equity gaps by engaging clients with their health care providers in decision making; little is known about SDM interventions with Aboriginal people. This study describes the health decision-making experiences of Aboriginal women by identifying decision needs, supports, and barriers. An interpretive descriptive qualitative study was conducted from January to June 2013 with an advisory group using a mutually developed ethical framework, participatory research principles, and postcolonial theory. Aboriginal women at Minwaashin Lodge were interviewed in semi-structured interviews and transcripts were coded using thematic analysis. Participants were 13 women between 20 and 70 years of age, and of Inuit, Métis, or First Nations descent. SDM needs and supports are represented by themes focused on relational features of SDM, and presented in a Medicine Wheel framework. Findings indicate that to be relevant for Aboriginal women, SDM tools and ap...
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Indigenous women’s perspectives on physical activity and the ways in which it fosters decolonization have yet to be considered from an Indigenous feminist perspective. Therefore, in this paper, we present four Anishinaabekweg (that is,... more
Indigenous women’s perspectives on physical activity and the ways in which it fosters decolonization have yet to be considered from an Indigenous feminist perspective. Therefore, in this paper, we present four Anishinaabekweg (that is, Anishinaabeg women’s) dibaajimowinan (personal stories) of physical activity, specifically running, and their views on its contribution to decolonization. This study used an Anishinaabeg research paradigm, storytelling, and Anishinaabeg informed thematic analysis. Findings from the dibaajimowinan revealed three themes: running as ceremony and healing; the significance of running as a group; and running for health and personal goals. The dibaajimowinan from the Anishinaabekweg runners show how decolonization through physical activity can occur, which is an important addition to the field of sociology of sport.
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ABSTRACT. We examine the first author’s experiences with aquatics programming in Nunavut through a Freirian lens, arguing that one can use Paulo Freire’s ideals of dialogue and collaboration to recognize recreation as a mode of social... more
ABSTRACT. We examine the first author’s experiences with aquatics programming in Nunavut through a Freirian lens, arguing that one can use Paulo Freire’s ideals of dialogue and collaboration to recognize recreation as a mode of social oppression and to offer ways to disrupt this oppression. Though Freire’s work is almost 40 years old, his theoretical contributions have not yet been fully realized within the recent post-colonial context surrounding physical activity, and particularly aquatics programming, in Canada’s North. Using this critical inquiry approach, we suggest that programmers can make aquatics offerings more collaborative and culturally relevant by recognizing the cultural and geographical context of northern communities, dialoguing with community members about aquatics programs, and adapting southern-based programs to the northern context. Key words: Nunavut, Northwest Territories aquatics program, drowning, Inuit, health, physical activity RÉSUMÉ. Nous nous penchons su...
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ABSTRACT Boating-related fatalities in the Northwest Territories (NWT) are well above the national average. These fatalities are exacerbated by very cold water, and water and boating safety resources that lack relevance to residents of... more
ABSTRACT Boating-related fatalities in the Northwest Territories (NWT) are well above the national average. These fatalities are exacerbated by very cold water, and water and boating safety resources that lack relevance to residents of northern communities. We utilised an iterative, participatory approach to create a plain language, culturally and geographically adapted version of a cold water survival course, “Beyond Cold Water Bootcamp”. The purpose of this research was to determine what adaptations are necessary to create appealing and pertinent boating safety interventions for Inuvialuit communities in the NWT and to demonstrate the value of generating such interventions. First, we conducted a focus group with boating safety experts to gain feedback on the first draft of the adapted course. We then subsequently completed a pilot of the course with community members in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, and we obtained their feedback and suggestions. We then trained a local community member to deliver the course and conducted another focus group with residents. Using reflexive thematic analysis, our results demonstrated the value of culturally and geographically adapted boating safety interventions for Inuvialuit communities and the importance of relinquishing colonial power structures and enabling community members to independently adapt and disseminate knowledge.
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ABSTRACT In this paper, we use a postcolonial lens to analyze the impacts of Aboriginal youth’s participation in Alberta’s Future Leaders Program’s youth leadership retreat. While the retreat appeared to have positive lasting impacts on... more
ABSTRACT In this paper, we use a postcolonial lens to analyze the impacts of Aboriginal youth’s participation in Alberta’s Future Leaders Program’s youth leadership retreat. While the retreat appeared to have positive lasting impacts on many of the participants, it seemed to have the greatest impact on those who already displayed Eurocentric leadership skills; it had little effect on those who did not display these skills prior to retreat participation and it focused on North American, Eurocentric approaches to leadership. By becoming more culturally relevant, we argue that the retreat could have broader impacts on a greater number of Aboriginal youth.
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In 2017, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation partnered with a diverse research advisory team to understand how Project Jewel, a land-based program in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, could be evaluated in a way that promotes cultural... more
In 2017, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation partnered with a diverse research advisory team to understand how Project Jewel, a land-based program in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, could be evaluated in a way that promotes cultural safety (i.e., in a way that addresses the social, historical, and economic contexts that shape participants’ experiences). We used community-based research methodology to approach the study, through which semi-structured interviews, sharing circles, and photovoice were identified by the community advisory board and research advisory team as appropriate research methods for this project. After piloting and evaluating these methods, we then used thematic analysis to analyze the data, which included images and transcripts, to identify the components of a culturally safe evaluation: centring the land, building relationships, working with words and pictures, and promoting benefit over harms through program aftercare. Our community-based research and finding...
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Rural mothers play important roles in shaping their children’s play-related injury experiences. It is thus problematic that their perspectives on their outdoor play-related safety strategies are of...
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The Promoting Life-Skills in Aboriginal Youth (PLAY) program, developed by Right To Play, in partnership with First Nations communities and with the support of the Government of Ontario, has been used as an attempt to foster life-skills... more
The Promoting Life-Skills in Aboriginal Youth (PLAY) program, developed by Right To Play, in partnership with First Nations communities and with the support of the Government of Ontario, has been used as an attempt to foster life-skills development in First Nations youth. In this study, we employ critical discourse analysis to investigate the way that both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal media sources produce understandings of PLAY. Our results indicate that there is a sharp divide between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal sources. Non-Aboriginal sources reinforced two deficit-based discourses about First Nations involved in the program: i) there is no hope for First Nations youth and they are thus prone to suicide and poor health, ii) and the Government of Ontario and Right To Play are responsible for the development of and financial contributions to PLAY. Conversely, Aboriginal media sources promoted two strength-based discourses concerning First Nations people: i) First Nations youth h...
This article investigates the intersection of three interrelated trends: first, the positioning of sport as a contributor to sustainable development, particularly in regard to the increasing corpor...
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This paper examines the most popular and longest running physical activity and safety program in Canada’s North: the NWT Aquatics Program. In particular, we focus on three ways in which the Program touches Aboriginal health: physical... more
This paper examines the most popular and longest running physical activity and safety program in Canada’s North: the NWT Aquatics Program. In particular, we focus on three ways in which the Program touches Aboriginal health: physical activity and health promotion; drowning and individual and community health; and community health-related outcomes derived from leadership development. While these three areas are undoubtedly important to the facilitation of health in Northern communities, the Program’s approach is tied tightly to Euro-Canadian, Southern-based understandings of water safety knowledge, health promotion, and leadership. As such, it is necessary to build understanding about the ways in which the Program can better reflect Northern Aboriginal peoples’ lived experiences and ways of knowing and thus address their health needs.
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Sport for development (SFD) programmes for Aboriginal youth in communities across Canada are increasingly gaining support from both the private sector and the public sector. Despite the recent proliferation of these programmes, there has... more
Sport for development (SFD) programmes for Aboriginal youth in communities across Canada are increasingly gaining support from both the private sector and the public sector. Despite the recent proliferation of these programmes, there has not yet been an examination of the overall body of literature that focuses on SFD programmes in Aboriginal communities within Canada. The purpose of this scoping review is thus to identify themes within the available body of literature on SFD in Aboriginal communities. We used the six-stage Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework to guide our research and identified three themes through the literature review: (1) there is value in cross-cultural mentorship between SFD mentors/staff and programme participants, but having Aboriginal staff/mentors is advantageous; (2) community engagement is essential to the success of an SFD programme in Aboriginal communities; and (3) SFD plays only a subsidiary role in contributing to Aboriginal communities’ br...
In this paper we use postcolonial feminist theory to examine current physical activity guidelines for pregnant women in Canada. We argue that these guidelines marginalize pregnant First Nations women in a number of ways: a lack of... more
In this paper we use postcolonial feminist theory to examine current physical activity guidelines for pregnant women in Canada. We argue that these guidelines marginalize pregnant First Nations women in a number of ways: a lack of cultural consideration or representation of First Nations women; recommendations and interven tions that rely on Eurocentric epistemologies and biomed ical discourses; the use of dominant neoliberal notions of personal responsibility for health; and physical and financial barriers to the guidelines. As physical activity is an important contributor to positive maternal health outcomes, and as First Nations women are at particular risk of excess weight gain during pregnancy, we argue that existing guidelines need to be reflective of First Nations women's needs. Further, the creation of culturally safe physical activity resources for pregnant First Nations women may enable them to avoid excess weight gain during pregnancy and thus improve maternal healt...
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In this chapter, we examine barriers to providing sustainable health promotion and injury prevention programs in Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. In the context of increasing healthcare costs in Canada, developing sustainable... more
In this chapter, we examine barriers to providing sustainable health promotion and injury prevention programs in Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. In the context of increasing healthcare costs in Canada, developing sustainable healthcare programs is especially relevant. Using a multiple case study methodology and a framework developed by Schell et al. (Implement Sci 8(15): 1–9, 2013), we evaluate the sustainability of two health promotion and injury prevention programs: Elders in Motion (EIM) and the NWT Aquatics Program. We apply Schell et al.’s (Implement Sci 8(15): 1–9, 2013) nine domains of capacity for sustainability to each program to illustrate the challenges of developing health programs in northern Canada. Our results suggest that largest barriers to sustainable health promotion and injury prevention programs in the NWT relate to program content and delivery, financial issues, and staffing. These findings can inform future health promotion and injury prevention strategie...
INTRODUCTION Physician recruitment to rural and remote communities poses a major challenge to health care delivery in Canada. Rather than focusing solely on the politics and policies that contribute to the shortage of family physicians in... more
INTRODUCTION Physician recruitment to rural and remote communities poses a major challenge to health care delivery in Canada. Rather than focusing solely on the politics and policies that contribute to the shortage of family physicians in Canada's North, we argue that more attention should be paid to the reasons that lead, and have led, family physicians to the North, and also to the factors that contribute to physician retention. METHODS We used archival research and semi- and unstructured interviews to provide a history of medicine in Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson, NWT, and to describe the features of physicians who have served and continue to serve this Northern community. RESULTS Results show that medicine in Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson can be divided into 4 distinct eras: the prehospital era (1848-1916), the early hospital era (1917-1925), the middle era (1926-1972) and the government era (1973-present). Thirty-eight physicians were identified as having worked in Liidlii Kue/Fort S...
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Through the use of semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 22 residents of Limerick, Saskatchewan, in this paper I examine the impact of a rural school's closure on the lives of residents without school-aged children. The... more
Through the use of semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 22 residents of Limerick, Saskatchewan, in this paper I examine the impact of a rural school's closure on the lives of residents without school-aged children. The findings show that the school's closure decreased participants' sense of community and instilled a sense of fear for the community's future. These feelings resulted in residents without school-aged children utilizing existing and new community institutions and organizations to re-connect residents and to motivate them to work towards their community's future. This paper makes a novel contribution to the literature by demonstrating the profound effects a rural school's closure had on a segment of the population that is often marginalized in research pertaining to school closures: residents without school-aged children. Keywords: school closure, rural, sense of community, community organizations, older adults
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In this study, we employ Bacchi’s (2012) “What’s the Problem Represented to be” approach to guide our discourse analysis of federal Indigenous sport for development (SFD) policies in Canada and Australia. Through a review of government... more
In this study, we employ Bacchi’s (2012) “What’s the Problem Represented to be” approach to guide our discourse analysis of federal Indigenous sport for development (SFD) policies in Canada and Australia. Through a review of government policies and reports, we highlight the often-divergent policy directives set out by federal departments in these two countries. Namely, inter-departmental partnerships in areas such as health, education, and justice fail to be adequately facilitated through SFD policies in Canada, while, conversely, Australia has strived towards greater federal partnership building. Within the identified Canadian and Australian policies, both countries consistently produced sport as having the potential to contribute to Indigenous peoples’ social and economic development, thus highlighting the growing institutional support behind Indigenous SFD. This policy analysis research provides a novel contribution to the overall growing body of literature investigating the ...
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In this chapter, we examine barriers to providing sustainable health promotion and injury prevention programs in Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. In the context of increasing healthcare costs in Canada, developing sustainable... more
In this chapter, we examine barriers to providing sustainable health promotion and injury prevention programs in Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. In the context of increasing healthcare costs in Canada, developing sustainable healthcare programs is especially relevant. Using a multiple case study methodology and a framework developed by Schell et al. (Implement Sci 8(15): 1–9, 2013), we evaluate the sustainability of two health promotion and injury prevention programs: Elders in Motion (EIM) and the NWT Aquatics Program. We apply Schell et al.’s (Implement Sci 8(15): 1–9, 2013) nine domains of capacity for sustainability to each program to illustrate the challenges of developing health programs in northern Canada. Our results suggest that largest barriers to sustainable health promotion and injury prevention programs in the NWT relate to program content and delivery, financial issues, and staffing. These findings can inform future health promotion and injury prevention strategies that are intended to improve health outcomes in northern Canada.
ABSTRACT In this paper, we use a postcolonial lens to analyze the impacts of Aboriginal youth’s participation in Alberta’s Future Leaders Program’s youth leadership retreat. While the retreat appeared to have positive lasting impacts on... more
ABSTRACT In this paper, we use a postcolonial lens to analyze the impacts of Aboriginal youth’s participation in Alberta’s Future Leaders Program’s youth leadership retreat. While the retreat appeared to have positive lasting impacts on many of the participants, it seemed to have the greatest impact on those who already displayed Eurocentric leadership skills; it had little effect on those who did not display these skills prior to retreat participation and it focused on North American, Eurocentric approaches to leadership. By becoming more culturally relevant, we argue that the retreat could have broader impacts on a greater number of Aboriginal youth.
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In this chapter we employ a postcolonial feminist perspective informed by girlhood studies to investigate two SDP programs, one in Canada and one in Australia, that focus on urban Indigenous girls. Interviews with program leaders allowed... more
In this chapter we employ a postcolonial feminist perspective informed by girlhood studies to investigate two SDP programs, one in Canada and one in Australia, that focus on urban Indigenous girls. Interviews with program leaders allowed us to identify the benefits and challenges of the programs. The challenges related to intersecting gender inequalities, (neo-)colonialism, and Aboriginal culture. To address these challenges, we argue that SDP programs that target urban Indigenous girls and women need to connect to broader activist agendas to address the structural issues that continue to result in Indigenous girls and young women being deemed as in need of development initiatives.
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The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 Calls to Action identified societal measures necessary for a successful reconciliation process between Indigenous peoples and settlers in Canada, five of which were specific to sport. Half a... more
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 Calls to Action identified societal measures necessary for a successful reconciliation process between Indigenous peoples and settlers in Canada, five of which were specific to sport. Half a decade after the Calls to Action were published, the response by national sport organizations in Canada has escaped scholarly attention. Through a lens informed by settler colonial studies, the authors employed summative content analysis to examine the ways, if any, in which national sport organizations in Canada have implemented relevant Calls to Action. The results indicate a lack of response by most national sport organizations which, we argue, represents settler silence.
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Over the past two decades, significant policy shifts within Canada have urged corporations from all sectors, including the extractives industry, to fund and support sport for development (SFD) programming in Indigenous communities, often... more
Over the past two decades, significant policy shifts within Canada have urged corporations from all sectors, including the extractives industry, to fund and support sport for development (SFD) programming in Indigenous communities, often through corporate social responsibility strategies. The idea that sport is an appropriate tool of development for Indigenous communities in Canada and that the extractives industry is a suitable partner to implement development programs highlight profound tensions regarding ongoing histories of resource extraction and settler colonialism. To explore these tensions, in this paper, the authors drew on interviews conducted with extractives industry representatives of four companies that fund and implement such SFD programs. From these interviews, three overarching discourses emerged in relation to the extractives industry’s role in promoting development through sport: SFD is a catalyst to positive relationships between industry and community, SFD is a ...
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The urban Indigenous older adult population in Canada continues to grow; however, there is a lack of understanding of how non-Indigenous health and social services and Indigenous-specific organizations are responding to and addressing the... more
The urban Indigenous older adult population in Canada continues to grow; however, there is a lack of understanding of how non-Indigenous health and social services and Indigenous-specific organizations are responding to and addressing the growth of this population. Therefore, in this research, we conducted a postcolonial discourse analysis of semi-structured interviews with six decision-makers (e.g., managers and directors of health and social services organizations) and seven service providers (e.g., program coordinators and social workers) from Indigenous and non-Indigenous health and social service organizations in Ottawa, Canada, to examine how they produce understandings of supporting urban Indigenous older adults to age well. The participants produced three main discourses: (a) non-Indigenous organizations have a responsibility to support Indigenous older adults, (b) culturally specific programs and services are important for supporting Indigenous older adults to age well, and...