La Trobe University, Australia.
La Trobe University, Australia.
Child Abuse Negl. 2024 Feb;148:106206. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106206. Epub 2023 May 12.
Cultural connection for Aboriginal young people promotes wellbeing, resilience and healing. There is little research on the social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) impacts of cultural strengthening programs for Aboriginal young people, especially research that includes the perspectives of young people. There is even less research that includes the experiences of Aboriginal young people who have been in out-of-home care.
The current study sought to address these research gaps by exploring the SEWB impacts of cultural strengthening programs by amplifying the voice of Aboriginal young people, including those who have been in out-of-home care.
Aboriginal young people involved in an innovative cultural strengthening program, the Narrun Yana art collective, established by the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA). Also participating was VACCA's Team Leader of Children and Youth Programs, thus providing both experiences of participating in and of organising cultural programs.
A qualitative phenomenological approach was taken. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews with the team leader and two young people and written responses to the interview questions from one young person.
Lived experience provided evidence that cultural strengthening programs; help strengthen SEWB, including connection to self, relationships, community and culture; contribute to building resilience in the context of intergenerational trauma, cultural loss and racism; and encourage help-seeking, both informal support and accessing mental health services. Young people also viewed participating in the research as worthwhile.
Findings highlighted the importance of Aboriginal young people having opportunities to; connect to culture through participation in cultural strengthening programs, and engage in the design of these programs.
原住民年轻人的文化联系促进了他们的幸福感、适应力和疗愈能力。虽然有一些关于原住民年轻人文化强化项目对其社会和情感健康影响的研究，但很少有研究关注包括年轻人观点的项目，甚至更少研究包括那些曾经离开家庭照顾的原住民年轻人的经历。
本研究旨在通过放大原住民年轻人的声音来解决这些研究空白，包括那些曾经离开家庭照顾的年轻人，探讨原住民年轻人文化强化项目对社会和情感健康的影响。
参与到一个创新的文化强化项目，即由维多利亚原住民儿童护理机构（VACCA）设立的 Narrun Yana 艺术集体的原住民年轻人。同时，VACCA 的儿童和青年项目团队负责人也参与其中，因此他们提供了参与和组织文化项目的经验。
采用定性现象学方法。数据包括对团队负责人和两名年轻人的半结构化访谈，以及一名年轻人对访谈问题的书面回答。
生活经验提供了证据，表明文化强化项目有助于增强社会和情感健康，包括与自我、人际关系、社区和文化的联系；有助于在代际创伤、文化丧失和种族主义的背景下建立适应力；鼓励寻求帮助，包括非正式支持和获取心理健康服务。年轻人也认为参与研究是有价值的。
研究结果强调了原住民年轻人有机会通过参与文化强化项目与文化联系，并参与这些项目的设计的重要性。
