The Power of Connections: How a Novel Canadian Men’s Wellness Program is Improving the Health and Well-Being of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Men

The DUDES Club is a novel men’s health and wellness organization founded in 2010 in Vancouver, BC. Since 2017, the DUDES Club has rapidly expanded in Northern BC and, with the help of a partnership with the First Nations Health Authority, has grown to include 40 sites in British Columbia and 2 sites...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Indigenous Policy Journal
Main Authors: Efimoff, Iloradanon, Patrick, Lyana, Josewski, Viviane, Gross, Paul, Lambert, Sandy, Smye, Victoria
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Scholarship@Western (Western University) 2021
Subjects:
Indigenous men
community-based health promotion programming
men's health
qualitative program evaluation
social support
First Nations
Online Access:http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1078812ar
https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2021.12.2.10896
Description
Summary:The DUDES Club is a novel men’s health and wellness organization founded in 2010 in Vancouver, BC. Since 2017, the DUDES Club has rapidly expanded in Northern BC and, with the help of a partnership with the First Nations Health Authority, has grown to include 40 sites in British Columbia and 2 sites nationally. In this study, we analyze interviews (n = 5) and 15 focus groups (n = 101) conducted as part of a program evaluation with DUDES Club members, Elders, providers, and health care professionals. We focus on men’s experiences with the DUDES Club to identify four main themes in the data: brotherhood and community, accessible health care information, disrupting colonial constructions of masculinity, and systemic and structural challenges. We conclude with policy recommendations.

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