Grant: Catalyst Grant: Indigenous Approaches to Wellness Research

In the mainly Inuit territory of Nunavut, helping with people affected by mental illness and addiction typically relies on non-Inuit conceptions of mental health and rehabilitation. In this community-based research project, a collaborative Inuit-and-non-Inuit research team asks how an Inuit community can use Inuit ideas to independently gauge its ability to help people achieve wellness in culturally appropriate ways. Understanding this ability is important to understanding the likelihood of success for a Government of Nunavut proposed "Wellness Court" intended as a rehabilitation intervention for people with mental health and addiction issues. The study, involving focus groups and interviews, will use a research method that builds consensus among Inuit Elders, healthcare workers, hamlet health committee members and community members. This research is designed to maximize opportunities for building Inuit wellness research leadership capacity in Arctic communities, reclaiming cultural systems for addressing health issues important to Inuit, empowering Inuit to shape policy and change practices that improve wellness, mental health and addiction issues in their communities.