About the Promoting Life Together Collaborative鈥�鈥�听
The Promoting Life Together Collaborative modelled a co-designed learning program, bringing together multi-disciplinary teams from across northern, rural and remote parts of Canada using a shared learning approach.鈥齌he name of the collaborative was re-framed to focus on 鈥榣ife promotion鈥�, recognizing the need to take a broader and more encompassing approach to the issue of suicide, to consider all aspects of one鈥檚 life and community wellness.鈥�听
Life promotion is an Indigenous paradigm shift that encompasses both suicide prevention and life promotion to reduce premature unnatural death, which also represents an opportunity to educate the non-Indigenous world about how to promote wellness.鈥疶his work embraced the holistic approach to mental wellness articulated in the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework,听a framework听that addresses mental wellness among First Nations in Canada. It identifies ways to enhance service coordination among various systems and support culturally safe delivery of services.鈥�听
The overall goals of the collaborative were to:鈥�听
- Support the development of meaningful partnerships with teams to work alongside community members (First Nations and/or M茅tis), health authorities, persons with lived experience and other community partners鈥�听
- Provide learning opportunities for understanding and applying wise practices for life promotion and First Nations mental wellness frameworks鈥�听
- Support teams to enhance their capacity towards culturally safe environments to promote health transformation鈥�听
- Enhance the capacity of teams to design, implement and evaluate improvement initiatives together and alongside communities鈥�听
- Strengthen the capacity of鈥毡疚蘼脞�痶o collaborate with, and learn from First Nation and M茅tis partners and communities on health improvement initiatives鈥�听
The Promoting Life Together Collaborative formally ended in December 2019. The Guidance Group鈥�renewed its partnership to focus on knowledge sharing and sustainability, beginning with the development of a knowledge sharing鈥痯rotocol听and knowledge sharing products.鈥�
Guiding Principles鈥�鈥�听
The Promoting Life Together Collaborative was guided by seven principles, developed together, and in partnership with the Guidance Group. These principles include:鈥�听听
- Cultural humility/safety and reconciliation is an ongoing journey, and opportunities to further knowledge and capacity will be emphasized throughout the Collaborative.鈥�听
- The voice of Indigenous peoples, families, communities, patients, youth, caregivers, and individuals with lived experience will guide the Collaborative, and teams will be expected to model this approach.鈥�听
- Indigenous knowledge is recognized as evidence and will guide all stages of the collaborative (development, implementation and evaluation).鈥�听
- An Indigenous social determinants of health lens has been, and will continue to be, applied to the work of the Collaborative. Mental health is influenced by many factors including culture, life experiences, colonization workplace or other environments, and the social and economic conditions that shape our lives.鈥�听
- Respect, listening to and valuing other perspectives and other ways of knowing, learning together and collaboration will be modelled and championed.鈥�听
- A strength-based approach that fosters hope to address suicide prevention/life promotion will be applied.鈥�听
- Collaborative action in health transformation promotes equity through mutual recognition, respect, sharing and responsibility.鈥�
These principles recognize the unique context of this work and the capacity required to make meaningful systemic change in the way that mental health services are delivered, while acknowledging that teams within the collaborative work with First Nations and M茅tis, communities and organizations.鈥�听
The Teams鈥�听
The Promoting Life Together Collaborative brought together six multidisciplinary teams from across northern, rural and remote parts of Canada.鈥�听
The Guidance Group鈥�听
An external Guidance Group听was established听to provide guidance for the ongoing design, delivery and evaluation of the collaborative. This group of leaders in Indigenous health and wellness, community engagement, suicide prevention and life promotion,听guide鈥毡疚蘼脞�痵taff听(the Northern and Indigenous Health team), in identifying and responding to the common needs of the teams, including curriculum development, content, tools, resources and timelines. The Guidance Group provides input into evaluation approaches for the collaborative.鈥�听
Co-Chairs of the Guidance Group听
Carol听Fancott, Director, Patient Engagement and Partnerships, 日本无码 (previously CFHI)听
William (Bill) Mussell, Adult Educator, Coast Salish/St贸:l艒听鈥淧eople of the River鈥� Board Member,听First Peoples Wellness Circle, PLT Coach/Mentor听
Members of the PLT Guidance Group听
Kelly听Brownbill, Indigenous Educator/Consultant, PLT Coach/Mentor听
Ed Connors, Psychologist, Member of the Mohawks of听Kahnaw谩:ke, Board member,听First Peoples Wellness Circle, PLT Coach/Mentor听
Albert Dumont, Spiritual Advisor for the PLT Collaborative听
Carol Hopkins, Executive Director,听Thunderbird Partnership Foundation听
Marion Maar, Associate Professor, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, External Evaluation Lead听
Denise McCuaig, M茅tis, PLT Coach/Mentor听
Despina Papadopoulos,听Senior Program Lead,听Northern and Indigenous Health Team,听日本无码 (previously CFHI)听
Nancy Parker, Executive Director,听Marymound, Board Chair,听Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention,听PLT Coach/Mentor听
Brenda Restoule, Psychologist, Anishinabek from听Dokis听First Nation, CEO,听First Peoples Wellness Circle, PLT Coach/Mentor听
Mariette Sutherland, External Knowledge Translation Lead听
Will Landon,听Youth Representative听
Mara Grunau,听Executive Director, Centre for Suicide Prevention听
Karla Thorpe,听Interim Vice President, Organizational Performance and Public Affairs, Mental Health Commission of Canada听
