Volume 21 Number 1 January 6, 2020

“Widening the Angle: Film as Alternative Pedagogy For Wellness In Indigenous Youth

Warren Linds
Concordia University, Canada

Sandra Sjollema
Concordia University, Canada

Janice Victor
University of Lethbridge, Canada

Lacey Eninew
Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Canada

Linda Goulet
First Nations University of Canada, Canada

Citation: Linds, W., Sjollema, S., Victor, J., Eninew, L., & Goulet, L. (2020). Widening the angle: Film as alternative pedagogy for wellness in Indigenous youth. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 21(1). Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea21n1.

Abstract

Indigenous youth face numerous challenges in terms of their well-being. Colonization enforced land and cultural loss, fractured relationships, and restricted the use of the imagination and agentic capacity (Colonial policies, structures, and approaches in education have been detrimental to Indigenous youth (Nardozi, 2013). Many First Nations leaders, community members, and youth have expressed a need for a wider range of activities that move beyond Western models of knowledge and learning (Goulet & Goulet, 2015). School curricula in Indigenous communities are incorporating alternative pedagogical tools, such as the arts, that not only allow youth to explore and express their realities and interests but that also offer them holistic ways of learning and knowing (Yuen et al., 2013). This article describes a participatory arts research project which featured film production and was delivered in the context of a grade 10 Communications Media course. The research took place at a First Nations high school in a Neehithuw (Woodland Cree) community in northern Saskatchewan. This article highlights the content of the films produced, the benefits of the filmmaking experience, and the challenges faced by the teacher and students during the process.

Visual Abstract

This article is available in PDF format.


Mission

The International Journal of Education & the Arts currently serves as an open access platform for scholarly dialogue. Our commitment is to the highest forms of scholarship invested in the significances of the arts in education and the education within the arts. Read more about our mission…

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IJEA holds strong commitment to research in interdisciplinary arts education. Our editors are respected scholars from different arts fields working together to achieve our high standard. Read more about editors…