Caught Between Two Worlds

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Children's Rights / Revue canadienne des droits des enfants
• Main Author: Finlay & Lauren Akbar, Judy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Landon Pearson Centre for the Study of Childhood and Children's Rights 2016
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: https://ojs.library.carleton.ca/index.php/cjcr/article/view/82; https://doi.org/10.22215/cjcr.v3i1.82

Mamow Ki-ken-da-ma-win: Everyone Searching for Answers Together (Searching Together) is a partnership-based approach to identifying priorities and issues of importance in remote First Nations in Ontario. The collective goal of this partnership is to learn from one another in the context of northern First Nations lived realities. This community assessment and mobilization process serves as a vehicle for understanding and taking steps to address community wellness. The Searching Together’s southern team is affiliated with faculty, staff and students at Ryerson University. The voices of youth captured herein are from four fly-in communities in northern Ontario and were gathered between 2011 and 2015. Children and youth played a powerful role in shaping the Mamow Ki-ken-da-ma-win process. The conversations with youth were arranged to accommodate their space and time and were built on established, trusting relationships with the youth facilitators on the team. The youth spoke with candour and had valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities they faced while living in their communities. They were thoughtful about how to overcome obstacles that interfered with their wellbeing and they clearly expressed their wishes, hopes and dreams for the future.