The Power of Connections: How a Novel Canadian Men’s Wellness Program is Improving the Health and Well-Being of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Men

Authors

  • Iloradanon Efimoff Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Canada
  • Lyana Patrick Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Canada
  • Viviane Josewski Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Canada
  • Paul Gross Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Canada
  • Sandy Lambert DUDES Club Elder and External Liaison, Canada
  • Victoria Smye Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2021.12.2.10896

Keywords:

Indigenous men, community-based health promotion programming, men's health, qualitative program evaluation, social support

Abstract

The DUDES Club is a novel men’s health and wellness organization founded in 2010 in Vancouver, BC. Since 2017, the DUDES Club has rapidly expanded in Northern BC and, with the help of a partnership with the First Nations Health Authority, has grown to include 40 sites in British Columbia and 2 sites nationally. In this study, we analyze interviews (n = 5) and 15 focus groups (n = 101) conducted as part of a program evaluation with DUDES Club members, Elders, providers, and health care professionals. We focus on men’s experiences with the DUDES Club to identify four main themes in the data: brotherhood and community, accessible health care information, disrupting colonial constructions of masculinity, and systemic and structural challenges. We conclude with policy recommendations.

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International Indigenous Policy Journal April 2021 Volume 12 Issue 2; Nicholas Spence, Editor-in-Chief; Susan Wingert, Managing Editor

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Published

2021-06-10

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Vol. 12 No. 2 (2021)

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Copyright (c) 2021 Iloradanon Efimoff, Lyana Patrick, Viviane Josewski, Paul Gross, Sandy Lambert, Victoria Smye

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