Resilience Forest

STRONG AND SUPPORTIVE GROWTH

Mlgignewinu'g - Strong People

By using a tree as an inspiration to explore the various issues within our research, we can better visualize what aspects contribute to healthy people and communities.

When researching large and complex topics, it is easiest to break it up into smaller, more digestible parts. Using a data-gathering method of identifying an issue as a tree, we can break apart a topic into contributing factors and future consequences. This nicely translates into each part of a tree:

Roots

Trunk

Leaves + Fruit

Much like a real tree, the roots are what contributes to or supports the issue

The trunk is the issue or topics being looked at and identified

Rising from the trunk is the consequences or products of the issue

To further show how this method works with different topics, here’s some trees our youth researchers have created!

This is an example of our research method in action!

TREE OF RESILIENCE
SEVEN SACRED TEACHINGS TREE
NO SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN ESKASONI
PROBLEM TREE: SEXUAL VIOLENCE
PROBLEM TREE: SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN ESKASONI

TREE OF RESILIENCE

This tree looks at the topics of resilience, advocacy, and agency. What creates an environment and community filled with these qualities, and what are the benefits that can be seen from that?

The root system, or aspects that contribute to these themes encompasses many different areas. Engaging in culture, having a positive mindset and self-care routine, having accessible resources, strong leadership and social interactions, and loving and supportive relationships all contribute to a space with a strong sense of agency, resilience, and advocacy. This system of support is what allows our “tree” to grow healthy and bear leaves and fruit.

These leaves and fruit (or what our trunk theme continues to achieve) in this case are reduced crime and stigma within the community, a reconnection to culture and healing, and a feeling of safety. Within those ideas come feelings of positivity, better role models for future youths, inspiring confidence in others, acting with kindness, and having a healthy family and lifestyle.

As we can see, this method of research helps contextualize an issue within a space. With these “healthy” trees, the roots can be used as inspiration for programs and policies, which will start to create this outcome of resilience that we are hoping for. Much like a real forest, when trees are healthy, they create a productive cycle that is self-sustaining for the whole group.

7 SACRED TEACHINGS TREE

Within this tree, we see what is needed to live with the 7 Sacred Teachings in mind.

School, family, elders, leading by example, kindness, and opportunities (among others) make up the roots of the tree. Having these supports in place within the community facilitates making choices in accordance with the teachings.

When we live with the Seven Sacred Teachings fuelling our actions, there is a reconnection to culture which aids in the healing process. We become strong role models for younger community members, reduce bullying incidents, give support, love, and respect to others, and have healthy families that will continue to help the community.

NO SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN ESKASONI TREE

This tree helps explore what is needed to achieve an Eskasoni that is free of sexual violence!

Support, culture, belonging, education, and fair consequences for incidents are what is needed to support a community without sexual violence. The benefits of this are numerous, including the empowerment and pride of individuals, a wider feeling of safety, equality, and increased self-esteem.

These benefits are something that will continue to enrich the community through future generations, as long as they are continually supported by roots that were explored.

PROBLEM TREE: SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Just like we can explore positive themes, we can also explore negative themes. These unhealthy “problem trees” are the opposite of our lush, blooming, supportive forest. They grow to perpetuate unhealthy communities, and prevent anything from flourishing. This tree in particular looks at sexual violence as a whole, and what surrounds these actions.

Feeding into actions of sexual violence are many different factors, from the social constructs of women and the media that reinforces those thoughts, to colonialism, intergeneration tauma, and lack of confidence that brings. These many areas all contribute to sexual violence (which as researched, is far more than forced intercourse).

Resulting from sexual violence is a wide variety of effects. Continued silence and fear combine into a lack of trust and many mental health complications including depression, PTSD, suicide, and further unhealthy relationships.

You can see how this has the potential to become a never-ending cycle. But by identifying the many factors that contribute to such crimes, we can begin to work together to stop the problem at the root.

PROBLEM TREE: SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN ESKASONI

This tree continues to examine sexual violence, but looks specifically at the community of Eskasoni. Large factors that make up the roots are colonialism and racism, which works alongside lack of education, consequences and normalization of these acts. Feelings of domination and stigma also add to continued silence.

Consequences of this is much like our sexual violence tree, but also includes isolation, continued abuse, family breakdowns, and addictions (which contribute to mental health conditions, poor health, and a loss of hope).