Grant: Project Grant

Indigenous youth are facing major mental health predicaments. Inuit youth are particularly at risk and show a high prevalence of suicide. The system struggles to offer proper services for these youth, not only because of insufficient resources but also because of major communication, collaboration, training and structural issues. Communities of Practice (CoP) have shown to have positive impacts on professional development, peer support, collaboration, effectiveness and innovation. Recent research concluded on the importance of implementing a CoP in Inuit contexts to improve quality of care in youth mental health (YMH). A CoP brings together people sharing a common professional practice, to exchange and learn from one another, to support and inspire one another. This project aims at evaluating the implementation of a CoP in YMH/wellness in Nunavik (land of Inuit communities of Quebec). This CoP will provide face-to-face and online activities to YMH/wellness first line workers (community workers, social workers, educators, health workers). The project aims at providing an innovative contribution to the health system aligned with CIHR priorities of Indigenous Peoples' Health and of Mental Health and respecting Inuit knowledge/values/culture. This will be a participatory research project using qualitative and quantitative methods and will involve key stakeholders in the identification, design and conducting phases of the project. Participants are YMH/wellness workers members of the CoP. Data will be collected at the start of the CoP, and at 8, 16 and 24 months later. The research team includes researchers and knowledge-users (Inuit and non-Inuit) with extensive expertise in CoPs, collaborative YMH care, mixed-method research, participatory research, and Inuit knowledge, values, and culture. Apart from contributing to the implementation of a YMH CoP in Nunavik, project results are likely to inform similar initiatives in Indigenous contexts in Canada and internationally.