Wisdom and Well-Being Post-Disaster: Stories Told by Youth

Date
2020-09-25
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Abstract
In this dissertation, I embraced bricolage (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, 2018; Kincheloe, 2001, 2005b; Kincheloe, McLaren, & Steinberg, 2011; Rogers, 2012; Steinberg, 2006; Steinberg, Berry, & Kincheloe, 2020) as a responsive, dynamic, and reflexive research orientation. Guided by Jo-ann Archibald’s (2008a, 2008b) storywork principles, I conducted ethnographic interviews and gathered the stories of youth who graduated the year of the 2013 High River flood. I wondered how they experienced the flood and post-disaster recovery, as they transitioned from life-in-schools to life-out-of-schools. Conducting research with a vulnerable population required an ethic of care (Gilligan, 1982; Noddings, 1984, 2012). Through storywork, I was conscious of my responsibilities to the participants and their stories. I engaged in deep listening and critical reflection to learn from the youths’ experiences. Following the four directions teachings of Elder Bob Cardinal of the Maskekosihk Enoch Cree Nation, I considered the emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of the youth, as evidenced in their stories. Using Elder Cardinal’s holistic framework as a guide (Elder Bob Cardinal, personal communication, September, 2016 to July, 2017; Latremouille, 2016; University of Alberta, 2016), I created and re-created a holistic conceptual framework in response to the emergent needs and ideas shared by the youth. I re-presented their narratives in storied métissage, entered into generative dialogues with the holistic teachers, and engaged in meaning-making processes. Moving from listener/researcher to storyteller, I am responsible for carrying the stories of the youth forward to new audiences towards transformational learning and holistic well-being.
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Keywords
youth, storywork, well-being, bricolage, disaster, holistic framework
Citation
Markides, J. M. (2020). Wisdom and Well-Being Post-Disaster: Stories Told by Youth (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.