HEALTHY NATIVE COMMUNITIES FELLOWSHIP

(HNCF) PILOT CASE STUDY:

PARTICIPATORY EVALUATION OF CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY

CAPACITIES

Marita Jones MPH; Becca Rae MCRP, MWR; Nina Wallerstein, Dr.PH, PI

Healthy Native Communities FellowshipVision: Native Communities Realize Their Own

Vision of Wellness

Mission: Building Leadership and Sharing Resources to Promote Native Community Wellness

HNCF develops and supports teams of change agents to lead creative wellness strategies in Native communities.  Native Teams from across the country gather three times a year for intensive learning that is hands-on, collaborative and grounded in Native cultural and spiritual teachings.

www.hncpartners.org

HNCF Fellows

2005 – 2011

Number of Teams – 102

Number of Fellows – 255

Navajo Teams – 12

States Represented: - 19

HNCF Curriculum Framework

HNCF Theory of Change Logic Model

Leadership & Transformation of Individuals

Increased Ability of Teams to Work Together and in Their Communities

Increased Capacity of Community Wellness Groups to Make Change

-Healthy Policies and Practices -Effective Interventions -Increased Resources -Increased Partnerships -New & Improved Programs -Community Participation -Language & Cultural Capacities -Wellness & Community Capacities -Communication & Dialogue

•Health Status Changes•Socio-Economic Changes

Individual Changes

Team Changes Community Changes

Strengthened Community

Capacity Change

“I feel more confident about my ability to share what I have learned with my peers, supervisors and community. I know that I am an integral part of my community and that I can make a ripple in my community.”

“The fellowship experience was wonderful. It came at a time in my life that I really needed it. It made me a better person and gave me tools to make my world a better place. Thank you so much to everyone that had a part in making this happen for me.”

Hypothesis of Pilot Case Study

1. The activities resulting from the HNCF will increase social cohesion and social capital of the community leading to better health and well-being of the community

2. The activities resulting from the HNCF will increase cultural connectedness leading to better health and well-being of the community

3. The activities resulting from the HNCF will increase the presence of positive healthy policies/practices/programs leading to better health and well-being of the community

Research Questions

1. What evaluation design and methods (quantitative and qualitative) will be feasible to implement within a small tribal community that will be based on Fellows and alumni tracking the data in each community?

2. What measures will be acceptable and appropriate to assess the impact of the Fellowship on social cohesion, cultural connectedness, other community and cultural capacities, programs, policies, and health impacts?

3. Who should be the sample from each community, ie., the Fellows, their teams, other participants within healthy community activities, tribal program managers, tribal leaders?

4. How should data be tracked and maintained at both a local level to enable tribal and intertribal agency decision-making to improve their health, and on a national level to aggregate data to assess outcomes of HNCF Program nationwide?

Case Study Design and Methods

NOVEMBER (10’) - JANUARY FEBRUARY – JULY SEPTEMBER

Literature Review & Instrument Development National Committee Local Committee Instruments & Recruitment

How does the HNCF contribute to community health/wellness?

Literature Review *Social Cohesion *Cultural Connectedness *Policy/Program Changes

Draft Instruments * Focus Group guide * Interview guide * Questionnaire

National Alumni Advisory Committee

Provided oversight on instruments and process

Naatani Nez

Local Community Advisory Team (LCAT)

1. Focus Groupsa)Local Coalitionb)Community members c)Youth Group

2. Interviewsa)Tribal Leadersb)Program providersc)Community members3. Questionnairea)Community membersb)Program providers

Review and revise instrumentsMonthly conference calls/webinar

Navajo Nation IRBUniversity of New Mexico IRB

Community Site visit to Shiprock

HNCF Community ChangeConceptual Model

Themes ParticipationSense of Community/Social CapitalCommunicationCritical Reflection/Social ActionsLeadershipYouthEldersCultural Core Values and ConnectednessSkills and Knowledge/ResourcesCommunity and Outside Links (Networks)

Data Analysis: Qualitative

Transcribing Focus Group and Interviews Code qualitative data into themes Examples of questions we asked in Focus Group: Can you describe how you think collaboration with

the HNC Fellowship and other community groups may have changed the types of actions people or programs have taken: to increase community participation; and to engage in your Indigenous cultural practices and

beliefs?

Data Analysis: Qualitative

Examples of questions we asked in Interview: Now we would like to ask about tribal leadership in

the community. How well does the tribal leadership support

community wellness programs and activities? Can you provide examples of where this is working well and where this is not working well?

Do tribal leaders nurture involvement of informal leaders in your community wellness activities (youth/elders/others?)

Data Analysis: Quantitative

Next Steps and Expectations 1. Share learnings and outcomes with Case Study

communities2. Share learnings and outcomes with the broader Native

community3. To be able to share instruments with HNCF Fellows and

Native communities4. Help establish baseline data for community health initiative5. Incorporating the instruments in the Year One and Year

Two of the Fellowship

Questions?