Abstract
This paper describes the development of a Yup’ik Alaska Native approach to suicide and alcohol abuse prevention that resulted in the creation of the Qungasvik, a toolbox promoting reasons for life and sobriety among youth. The Qungasvik is made up of thirty-six modules that function as cultural scripts for creating experiences in Yup’ik communities that build strengths and protection against suicide and alcohol abuse. The Qungasvik manual represents the results of a community based participatory research intervention development process grounded in culture and local process, and nurtured through a syncretic blending of Indigenous and Western theories and practices. This paper will provide a description of the collaborative steps taken at the community-level to develop the intervention modules. This process involved university researchers and community members coming together and drawing from multiple sources of data and knowledge to inform the development of prevention activities addressing youth suicide and alcohol abuse. We will present case examples describing the development of three keystone modules; Qasgiq (The Men’s House), Yup’ik Kinship Terms, and Surviving Your Feelings. These modules each are representative of the process that the community co-researcher team took to develop and implement protective experiences that: (1) create supportive community, (2) strengthen families, and (3) give individuals tools to be healthy and strong.
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Notes
We will use upper case Indigenous to refer to the peoples aboriginal to Alaska, North America, and globally, and to their local theory, practices, and understandings. Lower case indigenous will be used in more general universal references to local theory, practices, and understandings of cultures.
We acknowledge that community psychology as a discipline was predicated on a critique of intervention and theory that ignores social factors, and emphasizes the limitations of a psychology of the individual; however, an individual orientation continues to dominate much of mainstream intervention science (Schensul and Trickett 2009).
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the National Center for Research Resources [R21AA016098-01, RO1AA11446; R21AA016098; R24MD001626; P20RR061430]. We also want to thank all of the People Awakening Team including participants, community co-researchers, community planning groups, our Coordinating Councils and our project staff for their assistance in completing this research.
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Please refer the Appendix section for Elluam Tungiinun Community Planning Group, Yupiucimta Asvairtuumallerkaa Community Planning Group and People Awakening Team details.
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Appendix
The Yupiucimta Asvairtuumallerkaa Council included Sophie Agimuk, Harry Asuluk, Thomas Asuluk, T.J. Bentley, John Carl, Mary Carl, Emily Chagluk, James Charlie, Sr., Lizzie Chimiugak, Ruth Jimmie, Jolene John, Paul John, Simeon John, Aaron Moses, Phillip Moses, Harry Tulik, and Cecelia White.
The Elluam Tungiinun Council includes Catherine Agayar, Fred Augustine, Mary Augustine, Paula Ayunerak, Theresa Damian, Lawrence Edmund, Sr., Barbara Joe, Lucy Joseph, Joe Joseph, Placide Joseph, Zacheus Paul, Charlotte Phillp, Henry Phillip, Joe Phillip, Penny Alstrom, Fred Augustine, Mary Augustine, Paula Ayunerak, Theresa Damian, Shelby Edmund, Flora Patrick, Dennis Sheldon, Isidore Shelton, Catherine Agayar, Theresa Damian, Freddie Edmund, Shelby Edmund, Josie Edmund, and Flora Patrick.
The People Awakening Team includes the Yup’ik Regional Coordinating Council, the External Advisory Group, and the Elluam Tungiinun and Yupiucimta Asvairtuumallerkaa project staff. The Yup’ik Regional Coordinating Council includes Martha Simon, Moses Tulim, Ed Adams, Tammy Aguchak, Paula Ayunerak, Sebastian Cowboy, Lawrence Edmunds, Margaret Harpak, Charles Moses, Raymond Oney. The External Advisory Group includes Walkie Charles, Richard Katz, Mary Sexton, Lisa Rey Thomas, Beti Thompson, and Edison Trickett. The Elluam Tungiinun and Yupiucimta Asvairtuumallerkaa project staff includes Debbie Alstrom, Rebekah Burkett, Diana Campbell, Arthur Chikigak, Michelle Dondanville, Gunnar Ebbesson, John Gonzalez, Johanna Herron, Scarlett Hopkins, Nick Hubalik, Joseph Klejka, Jonghan Kim, Rebecca Koskela, Charles Moses, Dora Nicholai, Eliza Orr, Marvin Paul, and Stacy Rasmus.
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Rasmus, S.M., Charles, B. & Mohatt, G.V. Creating Qungasvik (A Yup’ik Intervention “Toolbox”): Case Examples from a Community-Developed and Culturally-Driven Intervention. Am J Community Psychol 54, 140–152 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9651-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9651-5