A Community-University Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention Lola Baydala University of Alberta
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Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship Volume 9 | Issue 1 Article 9 May 2016 A Community-University Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention Lola Baydala University of Alberta Fay Fletcher University of Alberta Melissa Tremblay University of Alberta Natasha Rabbit Nehiyaw Kakeskewina Learning Society Jennilee Louis Nehiyaw Kakeskewina Learning Society See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/jces Recommended Citation Baydala, Lola; Fletcher, Fay; Tremblay, Melissa; Rabbit, Natasha; Louis, Jennilee; Ksay-yin, Kisikaw; and Sinclair, Caitlin (2016) "A Community-University Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention," Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship: Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/jces/vol9/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship by an authorized editor of Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. A Community-University Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention Authors Lola Baydala, Fay Fletcher, Melissa Tremblay, Natasha Rabbit, Jennilee Louis, Kisikaw Ksay-yin, and Caitlin Sinclair This article is available in Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/jces/vol9/ iss1/9 Baydala et al.: A Community-University Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention A Community-University Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention Lola Baydala, Fay Fletcher, Melissa Tremblay, Natasha Rabbit, Jennilee Louis, Kisikaw Ksay-yin, and Caitlin Sinclair Abstract In response to high rates of substance abuse in their communities, members of the Maskwacis four Nations invited university researchers to partner in culturally adapting, implementing, and evaluating an evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program, the Life Skills Training program (Botvin & Griffin, 2014). This project used a community-based participatory research (Israel, Schulz, Parker, & Becker, 1998; Minkler & Wallerstein, 2003) approach, and was carried out by university and First Nation community partners. To evaluate the impact of the adapted program, students completed pre and post questionnaires, and community members participated in focus groups. The adapted Maskwacis Life Skills Training program was delivered in schools for three years. Students’ knowledge increased significantly during program delivery, and strong support was documented from community members. This project demonstrates the impact that can be facilitated by culturally adapting and delivering a prevention program, and by forming a community-university partnership. Introduction Project Initiation The Maskwacis First Nations, located in central The current project stemmed from a previ- Alberta, Canada, include four communities: ous pilot project led by a partnership between LouisBull, Montana, Samson, and Ermineskin. university researchers and Alexis Nakota Sioux These neighboring Plains Cree Nations have a Nation members (Baydala, Fletcher, Worrell, combined population of approximately 15,000 Kajner, Letendre, & Rasmussen, 2014). Alexis with roughly 53% of the population aged 17 or community members sought to address the root under (Grekul & Sanderson, 2011). The causes of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and Nations are governed by independent chief and invited university researchers to partner with them councils, and have separate education directors in working toward substance abuse prevention. and schools. This pilot project involved the cultural adaptation, National media attention has focused on high delivery, and evaluation of a substance abuse and rates of crime and gang violence in Maskwacis, violence prevention program in the Alexis com- largely ignoring the rich and vibrant Cree culture munity. The Botvin Life Skills Training (LST) pro- that threads the four Nations together. In Maskwa- gram (Botvin, Baker, Renick, Filazzola, & Botvin, cis, Cree history, culture, and language are featured 1984; Botvin & Griffin, 2014) was chosen for the prominently in traditional community ceremonies project, based on the results of a literature review and cultural events that regularly take place. Com- that identified the program as having extensive, munity Elders view their culture and language as high-quality evidence to support its effective- a means to combat the social and public health ness, including multiple randomized control trials problems that face Maskwacis community (National Registry of Evidence-based Programs members as a result of the destructive impact of and Practices, 2008). The three-year LST program colonization, residential schools, and forced has three levels, each including between 8 and 14 assimilation. Research evidence supports this one-hour modules, and begins in either elementary perspective, demonstrating that a positive cultural or junior high school (see Table 1). identity can be a protective factor against In 2010, a Maskwacis community member substance abuse and violence for Indigenous attended a presentation delivered by university children and youth (French, Kim, & Pillado, researchers and Alexis community members. Fol- 2006; Gazis, Connor, & Ho, 2009; Kulis, Napoli, lowing this presentation, Maskwacis community & Marsiglia, 2002). members invited university researchers to partner in introducing and adapting the LST program in their own community. Published by NighthawksVol. 9, No. Open 1 —JOURNALInstitutional Repository, OF COMMUNITY 2016 ENGAGEMENT AND SCHOLARSHIP—Page 68 1 Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, Vol. 9, Iss. 1 [2016], Art. 9 Table 1. Life Skills Training Levels Life Skills Training (MLST) program, began in the Level Grade Modules first year of the project. Elementary School Program During the first year, a six-member adaptation I 3 8 committee was formed consisting of Elders from II 4 boosters III 5 boosters each of the Maskwacis four Nations. This commit- Junior High School Program tee met weekly to complete adaptations to the first I 6 8 level of manuals. Adaptations to the second and II 7 boosters III 8 boosters third levels were completed by a rotating group of Elders. During adaptation meetings, over 30 dif- ferent Elders from all four communities reviewed Project Objectives the original LST curriculum and provided recom- The partners identified three broad objectives mendations for adaptations, consisting of Cree lan- for the current project: (1) culturally adapt the LST guage and syllabics, Elders’ teachings, and personal program to reflect the language, culture, and visual life stories. Following committee meetings, com- images of the Maskwacis community; (2) deliver munity and university partners worked together the adapted program in Maskwacis schools; and to adapt the manuals. Additionally, a community (3) evaluate the impact of the adapted program. member created visual images for the manuals that Given the established effectiveness of the LST pro- reflected the Maskwacis culture and community. gram in reducing substance abuse and violence After adaptations were completed, Elders reviewed and increasing skills related to prevention, the aim and provided approval for the adapted manuals. of the current project was to deliver the culturally Throughout the adaptation process, Elders adapted program with fidelity to the original were instrumental in ensuring that the adapted curriculum, and to document the impact of the program accurately reflected the Cree culture. adapted program. For example, one of the modules in the original LST curriculum focused on the harmful effects of Program Adaptations tobacco use. However, Elders shared the impor- Research has demonstrated the importance tance of distinguishing between “poison tobacco” of programming for Indigenous children to reflect and “sacred tobacco” (i.e., kistemaw). In Mask- Indigenous worldviews and culture (Hare, 2011). wacis, kistemaw has important spiritual, cultural, Further, the cultural content of programming has and ceremonial purposes, such as being offered to been correlated with enhanced learning for Indige- communicate gratitude in advance of a request. nous children (Tsethlikai & Rogoff, 2013). A recent Accordingly, the original LST module on smoking policy report also declared that the representation was adapted to focus on both the detrimental of Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions effects of poison tobacco as well as the healthy in school classrooms is essential for promoting the traditional use of kistemaw. Additionally, in or- academic success of Canadian Indigenous children der to reinforce program adaptations, MLST staff and youth (Toulouse, 2008). For minority popula- created digital stories to accompany each program tions in general, culturally adapted evidence-based module; these were guided and narrated by programs have been shown to be more effective community Elders. than standard programs (Kumpfer, Magalhaes, & As Figure 1 shows, the adaptation process Xie, 2012). resulted in a program that incorporated both The LST program is a generic program prov- Western and Indigenous foundations of substance en highly effective with students from different abuse and violence prevention. Rather than infus- geographic regions, socioeconomic circum- ing Indigenous pillars of effective substance abuse stances, and racial-ethnic backgrounds (Botvin, prevention into an existing Western framework, Griffin, Diaz, & Ifill-Williams,