Planting the seeds of change : evaluation of the impacts of community gardens on well-being and connections to community and nature in First Nations' youth / by Graham Trull.

Abstract

Aboriginal populations in Canada currently struggle with a variety of social, economic, and health issues. Many of these problems have been shown to relate to levels of connectedness to community and to nature, as well as involvement in cultural traditions. The current research measures these factors among youth both before and after the implementation of a community gardening project in an Aboriginal community in Northwestern Ontario. Paper and pencil questionnaires were used to measure wellbeing, sense of community, connectedness to nature, and cultural identification among youth in both the participating community and control communities. Significant relationships were found between well-being and Aboriginal identity, traditional food consumption and physical exercise. Aboriginal identity also had significant relationships to sense of community and connectedness to nature. Significant improvements in these measures were not observed over the course of the project. First Nations (Native, Aboriginal peoples) participants from : Ginoogaming First Nation (near Longlac, Northwestern Ontario) ; Long Lake #58 First Nation ; Aroland First Nation (near Nakina) ; Lake Helen First Nation (near Nipigon).