Mobilities of Aboriginal Youth: Exploring the Impact on Health and Social Support through Photovoice

• Main Author: Ning, Ashley
• Other Authors: Wilson, Kathi
• Language: en_ca
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Aboriginal health; 0534
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/35131

Dramatic growth in Canada’s urban Aboriginal population has led to high rates of Aboriginal mobility. Despite much quantitative data, very little is known about the mobility experiences of Aboriginal peoples or its impacts. Furthermore, while mobility may present barriers for shaping social connections important to individual health, research in this area is minimal, especially among Aboriginal youth. Using community-­‐based participatory research (CBPR) the purpose of this thesis is to examine how mobility shapes the social networks and health of Aboriginal youth in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. While highlighting the use and valuableness of CBPR methods, the research demonstrates that mobility impacts both the development and maintenance of social relationships among Aboriginal youth as well as influences the types and qualities of these relationships. Additionally, mobility indirectly shapes health through its effect on social support, which was shown to impact health positively and negatively through direct and indirect pathways.