Stories of Resilience Project: Ways of

Revealing Métis Resilience

NAMHR

Our People, Our Health

NAHO National Conference

November 24- 26, 2009

Stéphane Dandeneau, PhD

McGill University and Culture and

Mental Health Research Unit, Jewish General Hospital

Stories of Resilience: Goals

• The aim of the Stories of Resilience project is to collect stories to

help define resilience from Aboriginal perspectives and to identify

factors that promote resilience among individuals and communities.

• Give a voice to local and traditional knowledge.

• Redefine “resilience” from multiple Aboriginal perspectives

• First Nations, Inuit, and Métis

• Urban and Rural communities

• Investigate the shared and distinct aspects of resilience across

communities and Nations.

Participating Communities

Eskasoni

Kahnawake

Six Nations

Wemindji

Métis

IqaluitKinngait

Stories of Resilience Process

• Develop Collaboration: • Establish community partnership and Community Advisory

Group

• Local ethics process

• Hire community researcher/s

• Gathering Stories• Key Informants

• Focus group/Talking Circles with:

• Elders

• Adults

• Young adults

• Youth

• Individual interviews

Stories of Resilience Interviews

• Interviews address:

a) Community and personal challenges and how people

get through challenges

b) Signs of wellness

c) Words and expressions for “resilience”

d) Examples of resilience – e.g. people, families,

communities

e) Traditional stories or Songs related to resilience

f) Sharing knowledge and Future outlooks

Knowledge Exchange and Outcomes

• With each the Community Advisory Group, we will

discuss the appropriate and beneficial ways of sharing

the knowledge

• Community Forums to present and celebrate the

results

Kahnawake, Qc

Preliminary Métis Resilience Themes

• Independence – Self-sufficiency

• Social protective factors

• Hiding one’s identity and blending in

• Language assimilation

• Self-discovery/Re-discovering Métis roots

• Débrouillardise/ être un “capable”

• Education

Project Website

www.mcgill.ca/resilience

The TeamLaurence Kirmayer

Morgan Kahentonni Phillips

Katya Petrov

Karla Jessen Williamson

Lori Idlout

Annie Pitseolak

Mialy Buscemi

Shannon Dow

Maudie Ratt

Annie Saganash

Jonelle Donnelly

Elizabeth Marshall

Aggie Marzzuco

Trisha MacDonald

Nel Wieman

Community Advisory Groups:

Kahnawake

Wemindji

Conseil Elzéar-Goulet and Union nationale métisse

Iqualuit

Kinngait

Eskasoni

Thank you! Merci!

Meeqwetch! Marsi!