Description text goes hereLife promotion is a strength-based effort aimed at reducing mental health stigma and suicide ideation. Among Indigenous population health studies, there is an over-representation of deficit-based research, highlighting the disparities of health outcomes such as suicide rates and measuring mental health comorbidities relative to the non-Indigenous population. In Canada, Indigenous research is strategically shifting to promote self-determination and build upon cultural strengths such as connection to land, community, and language.

DescripOur study aimed to gather Alberta Indigenous community members to discuss Life Promotion as it applies to Indigenous communities. Guided by PaCER methodology, the focus groups were adapted to fit a circle protocol as described below. Our methodology was grounded in relationship to ensure safety throughout the research process.tion text goes here

Recruitment was conducted differently for each connection circle, due to administrative constraints described in the discussion and limitations section. However, both circles utilized a recruitment poster outlining team objectives and research associations.

SET connection circle recruitment:
Snowball sampling was the main recruitment method used in the initial, SET, sharing circle. Each participant that was contacted had either a personal or professional relationship to at least one of the researchers. In the recruitment process, each potential participant was sent a templated email, detailing the scope in which the sharing circle would be centered, as well as additional information on each researcher.

COLLECT connection circle recruitment:
The main method of recruitment for the COLLECT sharing circle was through our mentor’s connection to the Indigenous Wellness Core (IWC) found within the Alberta Health Services (AHS) infrastructure. Within the group of participants recruited for the COLLECT sharing circle, each individual was associated with the IWC, but not every participant self-identified as being Indigenous.

SET Connection Circle
Indigenous Life Promotion is multi-faceted, requiring differing needs for each unique Indigenous community. Within our strength-based research approach, participants delineated their experiences of what life promotion means to them, personally. The following three themes were identified in the SET sharing circle:

Disconnect due to colonial systems, community, and need for intergenerational connection

During the sharing circle, participants shared stories of the times where they could not connect to their Indigenous culture (i.e., ceremonies, practices) due to disadvantages they were subject to, which we correlated as the theme Disconnect due to colonial systems. Additionally, the theme Need for intergenerational connection came from participants’ insights on why the connection of Indigenous Elders and Indigenous Youth is fundamental to the well-being of Indigenous individuals and the livelihood of their communities.

Although three themes were found in the SET sharing circle data analysis, we decided to focus on theme 2. Community, as it is strength-based and enclosed multidisciplinary perspectives on life promotion, which we found as a recurring theme in the COLLECT sharing circle.

COLLECT Connection Circle
From our SET connection circle data, we initially focused on the theme of Intergenerational connection but redirected plans due to Research Ethics Board (REB) delay times (see limitations). However, upon presenting our initial themes to our COLLECT participants – their experiences shared, seemed to align more with the varied definitions of community in an evolving Indigenous community that changes with each generation.

As a result, our findings expanded upon the idea of community and how its definition goes beyond geographical location and familial ties. Participants disclosed similar experiences of their Indigenous cultural identity changing with each generation, such as a shift of building community through online platforms (due to COVID-19) for both the young and older generations.

How these findings can be interpreted
The findings from the SET and COLLECT sharing circles can be interpreted through a strengths-based lens that emphasizes the importance of community kinship for Indigenous Peoples, across different ages and genders. Community for Indigenous Peoples adapts and shifts with time. While the concept of community remains connected to First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities, in terms of geography, it is also a concept that is developed without the limitations of these geographical locations. For instance, many of our participants expressed the notion that community, for them, can be found anywhere.