Case Description: Samson Reserve

1. Case Description: Samson Reserve “In a town of 12,000, a dozen firearm-related reports over the span of three weeks make Hobbema sound like a war zone. But on the Alberta reserve…., the number of reports actually marks an improvement. “ (Offman, 2008)

2. Hobbema • Hobbema, Alberta, is a town comprised of four Aboriginal reserves: Samson, Louis Bull, Montana and Ermineskin (Grekull & Sanderson, 2010) • Hobbema has a population of 12 000, with the 2005 median income being $8 500 (Leung, 2007) • Hobbema has a reputation as an extremely violent and poverty stricken area, with numerous social problems stemming from a long history of abuses implemented by the Canadian government • Samson is the largest reserve of the four bands that comprise Hobbema (CBC, 2011) • One quarter of Aboriginal children living in Hobbema live under the poverty line (Grekull & Sanderson, 2010) • Almost 70% of individuals are unemployed (Grekull & Sanderson, 2010)

3. Samson Reserve Population: • Samson’s has a population of approximately 3 680 (AANDC, 2012) • Of that population, 1 810 are males and females who are 19 years of age or younger (AANDC, 2012) Community Concerns: • Samson has a reputation as one of the most violent reserves in Canada, with 2/3 of calls to the Muskwachees RCMP coming from Samson alone (Offman, 2008) • Samson suffers from a chronic mismanagement of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada funding, as well as a long history of royalty money from the oil and gas industry that is quickly running out (Leung, 2007) • Samson is a community faced with structurally based disadvantages which continue to create challenges to the pro social development of the reserve (Grekull & Sanderson, 2010)

4. Gang Prevalence in Samson • With an increasingly young population, high rates of socio-economic disadvantage, violence, family dysfunction and substance abuse, crime rates are disproportionately high in this community (Grekull & Sanderson, 2010) • Hobbema is believed to be a business hub for approximately 13 major gangs, with the number continually rising (Offman, 2008). • The gangs most prevalent in Samson rely on recruiting young members, mostly targeting children in their early to mid teens (Offman, 2008) • This is largely due to significant trust funds that youth in Samson come into on their 18th birthday, the money for which is derived from the oil and gas revenues allotted to the Band (Leung, 2007) • Gang members will often recruit youth at an early age in an effort to build a strong relationship with the youth before their 18th birthday, to ensure the trust money will be used to fund gang activity (Leung, 2007)

5. Central Alberta Child and Family Services Authority • Approximately 75% of caseloads come from Samson reserve • Many children enter the system, then turn to gang involvement as a way to attach themselves to a “family” • CFSA will partner with the Samson Cree Nation Band Office to run a needs assessment of the youth in the Samson community to determine if there can be a way to implement effect preventative programming that would deter youth from entering a gang

6. Samson Cree Nation Band Office • Samson Cree Nation Band Office runs numerous different public services, including departments of economic development, education and training, community and family support services, public works, health, housing, employment, membership, finance and management • Community and family support services provides community members with pre-natal and parenting classes, organizes community cultural events, creates and implements child and youth programming, and provides referrals to further resources within the community • Community and family support services has on staff numerous counselors, social workers, nurses and youth workers that have a close connection with the Samson community, and a great understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within Samson

7. Needs Assessment • The Band Office and the CFSA are proposing to run a needs assessment with the youth of the Samson Cree Nation, with input from involved adults, including parents and guardians and service providers, to gain a greater understanding of the perceived need for gang prevention programming within the community • The Samson Cree Nation will use the findings from the assessment to determine if preventative gang programming needs to be implemented in the community, and how this could be done effectively • A needs assessment is chosen due its ability to determine what services exist in the community and who is using them, determine what barriers prevent services from being utilized, and to document the existence of an ongoing social problem (van de Sande & Schwartz, 2011)

8. Why a Needs Assessment? • Needsassessments fall under a strength’s-based approach to research (van de Sande & Schwartz, 2011), which is imperative when working with Aboriginal communities • Many Aboriginal communities believe that they have been “researched to death” (van de Sande & Schwartz, 2011); a needs assessment takes a qualitative approach to data collection, leaving it up to the community to determine what the need is, and how it should be addressed • A needs assessment allows for greater community input and collaboration, falling in line with the collective culture found on the Samson reserve • The CFSA feels that a needs assessment will help to determine new paths to approach the growing concern of gang violence within the community, and will help adults and Elders in the community gain an understanding of the youth’s perception of the issue • A needs assessment will give valuable information to the CFSA regarding youth gang involvement, which impacts their casework on a daily basis

9. Why a Needs Assessment? Whose need is being addressed? • The needs of the youth: gain an understanding of why youth are joining gangs, if the youth view this as a problem, and if so, what type of programming do the youth feel would be effective in preventing gang violence • The needs of the community: Samson has been plagued by gang violence, and many in the community would like to see it put to an end (CBC, 2012) • The needs of parents/guardians: There is a strong sentiment within the community that parents would like a greater understanding of how to prevent their child from entering a gang, and what services are available to assist their children if they do become gang affiliated

10. Why a Needs Assessment? When will the needs assessment be carried out? • The needs assessment will follow a Longitudinal Design Study, meaning research will be carried out on multiple occasions over an extended period of time (van de Sande & Schwartz, 2011) • The specific needs assessment will take place in two parts; the first half will take place from September, 2013 to December, 2013, and the second half will take place from January, 2014 to April, 2014 • This needs assessment will be a “trend study” (van de Sande & Schwartz, 2011), and will look at different groups of people from the same population at different times

11. Why a Needs Assessment? Who will have input to the design of the needs assessment? • A participatory approach will be used to design the needs assessment, involving feedback and recommendations from those who currently work with community youth, specifically teachers and school staff from Nipisihkopahk Secondary School, and counselors from Muskwachees Health Services • Community Elders will be an integral part in the design, as well as the implementation of the needs assessment – the Samson Cree Nation Band Office has designated Elders that have volunteered their time for the needs assessment – one male Elder and one female Elder • Social Workers and Caseworkers from Kasohkowew Child Services will also contribute to the design of the needs assessment to provide the insight they have to the needs of children that are already involved in the justice system

12. Why a Needs Assessment? What type of understanding of the need is required? • As the CFSA is a provincial governmental organization that services an Aboriginal community, and Indigenous understanding of the need is required • This will be honoured through the use of Elders in the needs assessment, the Gatekeepers to the history and traditions of the Samson community • The Elders will provide facilitators and research designers with traditional methods used to solve problems and disputes within the community • The Elders will also ensure that the research is carried out appropriately within the community, and keep researchers mindful or cultural considerations and taboos • This is also reflected in the data collection methods, which will be based on interaction, relationship and conversation (Hewson, Class 5, October 2012)

13. Why a Needs Assessment? What type of understanding of the need is required? • A qualitative understanding of the need is required, as it is more culturally appropriate to Aboriginal communities, where knowledge and information is shared through engagement and relationship, as opposed to statistics • A qualitative understanding is also needed to provide a more in-depth understanding of youth gang involvement, including why a youth may feel the desire to join a gang, what is being done in Samson currently to prevent youth gang affiliation, what type of programming the youth would benefit from if trying to prevent gang affiliation, and what type of programming the youth would be interested in participating in • A qualitative approach will help the researchers gain an understanding of the strengths of the Samson reserve, so those can be used and expanded on if it is determined that a program will be formed out of the research

14. Proposed Needs Assessment • The needs assessment will feature the use of focus groups, as well as individual, semi-structured interviews • All participants will be voluntary, and, if under eighteen, will be required to produce parental or guardian consent for participation in the program – the research facilitators will provide youth with a consent form to be signed • The needs assessment will be used, in accordance with previously collected data, to determine if the youth in the Samson community see a need for preventative based programming to help keep youth free from gang affiliation and involvement • The needs assessment will be created in collaboration with the community, and will adhere to the cultural traditions and norms of the community

15. Needs Assessment Design • The needs assessment will be completed in two parts, with two separate groups • The initial group will take place between September, 2013 and December, 2013 • The second group will take place between January, 2014 and April, 2014 • Both groups will consist of two sections: youth and service providers/parents and/or guardians • Both groups will follow the same format: for the youth, an initial focus group followed by individual interviews; for the adults, one focus group

16. Sampling and Recruitment • This needs assessment will ensure the use of “purposeful sampling” (Hewson, Class 11, November 2012), by sampling from those who are directly impacted by youth gang involvement, who are: youth, parents/guardians, school faculty, counselors, and Caseworkers • Qualitative sampling will be used for this needs assessment as the main purpose of the assessment is to speak to those in the community who hold the highest level of knowledge regarding youth gang involvement • A qualitative sampling method will encourage the youth’s voice in the research, and allow input from those who would be the potential beneficiaries of any projects implemented out of the research • The needs assessment will sample from the youth population in Samson, as well as parents or guardians of the youth involved, and other service providers who are impacted by youth gang violence within the community

17. Sampling and Recruitment Who are we trying to recruit? • Youth between the ages of 12 and 15 from the Samson reserve. Youth can be male and female, and the participants can be anywhere on the spectrum of gang involvement, from no involvement to gang member • The parents or guardians of the youth involved • Faculty members of Nipisihkopahk Secondary School • Caseworkers from Kasohkowew Child Wellness Society • Counselors from Muskwachees Health Centre • Community Elders • Any other youth service providers from the Samson community

18. Sampling and Recruitment What strategy will you use to recruit youth? • This needs assessment will use convenience and snowball strategies to recruit participants Convenience: • The convenience strategy will be used to recruit the first group (Sept. through Dec.) of youth for the initial focus group, as well as to recruit youth for the second round of the assessment (Jan. through Apr.) • This will be done through advertisement at the school, Muskwachees Health Services, the Howard Buffalo Memorial Centre, and in the community hall Snowball: • Youth involved in the first half of the assessment will be encouraged to recruit and invite friends and family members that may be interested in participating in the second round of the assessment

19. Sampling and Recruitment What strategy will you use to recruit adults? • Convenience and snowball strategies will be used to recruit parents/guardians, and service providers for the adult component of the needs assessment Convenience: • Signs regarding the needs assessment will be placed throughout the community Snowball: • Parents and guardians will be invited to participate their focus group through the youth’s consent forms • Service providers and Elders within the community will be contacted using the connections provided by the Samson Cree Nation Band Office

20. Sampling and Recruitment How many people will you recruit? • The researchers will look to recruit approximately 10 youth participants, and approximately 10 to 15 adult participants What is your eligibility criteria? • Youth participants must be between the ages of 12 and 15, and must be residents of the Samson reserve • Youth do not have to have Band Status, but they must live on reserve • Parents/guardians must have youth participating in the Assessment • Both gang members and non gang members are allowed to join the youth portion of the assessment, but if this causes contentious relations within the group, participants will be asked to leave the assessment process How do you gain access to the community? • The Band Office is an integral part of the community, and thus has full access to the community • The Band Office will present appropriate protocol to community Elders to access their participation in the assessment

21. Honorariums Youth: • Youth will be provided with pizza at the initial focus group, and then will be provided $10 for every interview they participate in, regardless of the length of the interview • Youth will be provided with taxi vouchers to and from assessment activities Parents/Guardians: • Parents and/or guardians will be provided with $10 per person for their participation in the adult focus group Service Providers: • Service providers will receive informational brochures and leaflets on the services provided by the Samson Cree Nation Band Office for their participation in the adult focus group Elders: • Elders will be provided with tobacco and cloth for their valuable contribution to the focus group, as well as taxi vouchers for transportation to and from the focus group, if needed, and $15 for their participation

22. Data Collection Method: Considerations • All data collection methods will use a strong engagement with local knowledge to ensure cultural appropriateness (Desai & Potter, 2010) – local knowledge will be passed down from community Elders involved in the assessment • The Elders will be available to participants of the assessment, both youth and adult, during any of the assessment activities, including youth interviews, at the youths request • The data collection will be framed by a post-positivist worldview, with the strong understanding that all people define reality in different ways, and it is of the utmost importance to allow the youth and community members to define their own needs in their community • Focus groups will take place at the Howard Buffalo Memorial Centre • Individual Interviews will take place at Muskwachees Health Services

23. Data Collection Method: Considerations • The research facilitators will be contracted from Akamkisipatinaw Ohpikihawasowin Child and Family Services (AKO), which is based in Louis Bull – this is done to ensure that all participants feel comfortable disclosing information to the facilitators, and feel comfortable that information disclosed will not be passed around the Samson community • Individual interviews are available to the youth for those who may have more to share with facilitators, or for those who do not feel comfortable in a group setting • Due to the size of the Samson community, certain youth may not feel comfortable speaking in a group as they may feel that it would jeopardize their safety, or the safety of family members or friends • Youth do not need to place themselves in compromising situations by joining conversations that they do not feel comfortable with – youth will never be pressured to answers questions that make them uncomfortable

24. Data Collection Method: Focus Group Youth: • The youth will be asked to participate in a focus group after one month of advertising and raising awareness of the assessment – to take place in October • A focus group is chosen for this assessment as it may provide a sense of comfort and security for certain youth who would be uncomfortable meeting with facilitators in a one on one setting • The focus group also allows for discussion amongst the youth, which may bring out different perspectives on gang life that facilitators were not aware of • The youth will be separated by gender, as gang involvement often has different implications for males and females • Elders will smudge before the focus group begins, as well as offer a prayer to the Creator, as is culturally significant and spiritually significant to the Plains Cree community

25. Data Collection Method: Focus Group Parents/Guardians and Service Providers: • Parents/guardians and service providers will be asked to participate in a focus group in November, approximately one month after the youth • A focus group has been chosen so the adults who are specifically involved with youth in the community can represent their view of what the need is around gang violence in the community, if they perceive there to be a need at all • The adult focus group will also help facilitators gain a deeper knowledge of what services are present in the community, and what knowledge community Elders and parents have to share regarding gang involvement • Elders will smudge before the focus group begins, as well as offer a prayer to the Creator, as is culturally significant and spiritually significant to the Plains Cree community

26. Data Collection Method: Semi-Structured Interviews Youth: • After the initial focus group, the youth will be asked to participate in semi-structured interviews with the facilitators – male facilitator with male participant and Elder (if requested), and female facilitator with female participant and Elder (if requested) • Participation in the interviews is completely voluntary • This assessment will use interviews as they are culturally appropriate, and fall in line with the oral storytelling traditions of the Samson Cree Nation • A semi-structured interview is chosen as it allows for comparisons between interviews due to the guiding questions posed by the facilitator, as well as also providing a more natural flow to the interview • Youth and facilitators can meet as many times as the youth determine within the time frame (4 months), after the initial focus group

27. Data Collection Method: Risks Youth will risk their safety if they disclose gang involvement or family/friend gang involvement • Youth will be reminded at the beginning of the focus group and at the beginning of interview sessions the limits of confidentiality • Confidentiality will be discussed in the focus group, but youth will be reminded that no one can guarantee absolute confidentiality out of a focus group • Muskwachees RCMP will be available for any youth who feel they have endangered themselves or the lives of someone they know Youth will be triggered by the topic of discussion • Counselors from Muskwachees Health Services have made themselves available the day after the focus group if the need arises • Counselors are also available to take on youth throughout the assessment period • Elders will be with the focus group, and available for interviews

28. Data Collection Method: Risks Facilitators may be involved in a dangerous or life threatening situation • Due to the potential involvement of gang members, Muskwachees RCMP will be made aware the times and locations of all focus groups and individual interviews • Both the focus groups and the individual interviews take place in public facilities, where the likelihood of violence is decreased • Facilitators will never be alone in the building with the youth – focus groups and interviews will be held while there are other activities running in the facilities Facilitators will take on the role of counselor, rather than interviewer • Facilitators can refer youth or adults to Muskwachees Health Services to acquire counseling services, so the participant does not rely on the facilitator for emotional support • Elders will be available for participants as well

29. Data Analysis • The data collected from the youth focus group, as well as personal interviews with the youth will be analysed from an emic perspective during the first level of coding, and will also be analysed at second level coding, allowing the researchers to find relationships and contradictions from the research, and identify major themes • The data from the adult focus groups will also be analysed with second level coding from an emic perspective • The emic perspective is integral to the analysis, as it allows the research participants to dictate the language and terms used in the analysis, categorizing our findings in accordance with the participants perspectives

30. Funders/Partners List of Funders and Partners • Samson Cree Nation Band Office: primary funder and will implement the assessment • Central Alberta Child and Family Services: primary funder, will support the Band Office to implement the assessment • Muskwachees Health Services: will provide guidance to focus group and interview questions, as well as provide counseling services as requested by youth participants • Nipisihkopahk Secondary School: will allow advertisement for the assessment as well as presentations to the school. Faculty will be involved in the creation of the research design, as well as the adult focus group • Kasohkowew Child Wellness Society: will provide funding and staff will attend adult focus group • Samson Cree Nation Chief and Council: will provide funding and will grant permission for the implementation of the needs assessment

31. Research Considerations • Culturally competent research is research that is “sensitive and responsive to the ways in which cultural factors and cultural differences influence what we investigate, how we investigate, and how we interpret our findings” (van de Sande & Schwartz, 2011) • For this research to be culturally competent and responsible, every step of the needs assessment, from the formation, to the implementation, to the assessment and dissemination must represent the “various and distinct worldviews” (TCPS, 2010) of the Samson Cree Nation Culturally Specific Recommendations for Research: • The needs assessment is to be designed, analysed and disseminated within the Samson community – The assessment is a program run by the Band Office, meaning all researchers and data analysts are to be staff of the Band Office, and therefore, members of the Samson community • The role of the CFSA will be support and ally • The proposed assessment is to be approved by Chief and Council before implementation

32. Research Considerations Respect for Human Dignity: • In the context of research with the Samson community, respect for human dignity means not only ensuring that the individual participants are respected, but also that they are able to maintain their cultural dignity (van de Sande & Schwartz, 2011) • The participants involved in the needs assessment should feel that this research will be able to enhance their capacity to maintain their culture, as well as contribute new knowledge to pass on to future generations (TCPS, 2010)

33. Research Considerations Free and Informed Consent: • Youth participants will be asked to have a waiver signed by their parents/guardians before participation in the focus group or individual interviews • Consent will also be requested from the Samson Cree Nation Chief and Council before the needs assessment begins • Youth will be provided by facilitators a clear understanding of what the focus of the research is, and what it is being used for – specifically to determine if the youth and those involved in the youth community feel Samson would benefit from a program focused on preventing gang involvement amongst youth

34. Research Considerations Vulnerable Persons: • Due to the potentially harmful consequences of this research, all considerations will be made for the safety and security of participating youth • Youth will be able to discontinue their participation in the assessment at any time, however, due to the nature of focus groups, if they leave halfway through the group, information they have given may still be used in the final analysis • Youth will be provided with an Elder at all times, as well as access to counselors from Muskwachees Health Services • Due to the small size of the Samson community, if youth do not feel comfortable speaking about their own experiences or the experiences of their family, but would still like to participate in the assessment, they can choose to only participate in the interview portion

35. Research Considerations Privacy and Confidentiality: • Youth and adult participants will be made aware of the limitations regarding confidentiality in a focus group setting • All steps will be taken to maintain anonymity amongst participants in the dissemination of the research, including not using any names of participants, and including real-life scenarios to the research in ways that would not identify participants or their family and friends • Names of participants are never to be disclosed outside of the focus group • Facilitators will be provided from a neighboring community to ensure that community connections are not compromised by the assessment process

36. Research Considerations Data Storage and Access: • All raw data will be stored at the Samson Cree Nation Band Office in locked file cabinets • All electronic data will be password protected • Only those involved in the research process will have access to the raw data • Once the needs assessment is complete, and information has been disseminated, the raw data will be shred or deleted

37. Research Considerations Justice and Inclusiveness: • In the context of Aboriginal communities, justice includes engaging and establishing a relationship with the community to be researched (TCPS, 2010) • As the CFSA is so closely connected to the community, there is already a strong rapport built. However, the assessment will be officially run out of the Samson Band Office, which allows for greater trust from the Samson community, knowing that their community members are in control of the data obtained from the assessment • Elders will be used throughout the whole process of the needs assessment to ensure it is completed with cultural competence and sensitivity – the Elders are acknowledged as the cultural Gatekeepers of the community

38. OCAP Principles Ownership: The community owns the data collected • All data collected will be owned by the Samson Cree Nation Band Office Control: The community controls all aspects of the research • The Samson Cree Nation Band Office and the CFSA will create the research design with the help of Elders and other service providers in the Samson community, including teachers, counselors, Children’s Services workers and parents • Elders and Chief and Council must give approval to the assessment before it is implemented.

39. OCAP Principles Access: The community decides who has access to the data • Chief and Council will determine if the information gathered is to be shared outside of the Samson community • CFSA has gives all rights of the raw data to the Samson Chief and Council/community Possession: Physical control of the data • The community will have physical control of the data, as all data is to be stored at the Samson Cree Nation Band Office

40. Dissemination • The needs assessment will be compiled into two reports, one to be presented to Chief and Council, and one to be presented to funders, contributors and participants • The reports will be written in an interpretivist format, as the process of analysis will involve consultation with partners • The interpretivist format also allows for the research to be presented in the first person, acknowledging the researchers participation in the process • This is chosen as traditionally in Aboriginal communities, information is communal and to be shared amongst all

41. Dissemination • One report will be presented to Chief and Council, who will determine, in collaboration with partners, if the research is to be published and used by populations outside of the Samson community. As the Samson community has ownership over the information, Chief and Council will examine the risks and benefits of sharing the information • The partners will also decide if the needs assessment determines that the youth have identified a need for a preventative program focusing on youth gang involvement • If this is determined a need, the Samson Cree Nation Band Office will begin research on program formulation

42. References Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. (2012). First Nation detail: Samson (data file). Retrieved from http://pse5-esd5.ainc-inac.gc.ca/FNP/Main/ Search/FNMain.aspx?BAND_NUMBER=444&lang=eng. Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. (2010). Tri-Council policy statement: Ethical conduct for research involving humans. Retrieved from http://www.pre.ethics .gc.ca/pdf/eng/tcps2/TCPS_2_FINAL_Web.pdf Canadian Press. (2012, November 11). Hobbema residents still fear gang violence. CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ story/2012/11/edmonton-hobbema-gang-violence.html Canadian Press. (2011, December 13). Hobbema reserve: Gang members face eviction from Samson Cree Nation. CBC News. Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost.ca/2011/12/13/hobbema-reserve-gangs-eviction_n_ 1147166.html. Desai, V. & Potter, R. (2010). Doing development research. London: Sage. Grekull, J. & Sanderson, K. (2010). “I thought people would be mean and shout”: Introducing the Hobbema community cadet corps: A response to youth gang involvement. Journal of Youth Studies, 41-57. doi: 10.1080/13676261 .2010.489602.

43. References Hewson, J. (October 2012). SOWK 677 Class 3: Research Designs and Approaches. Hewson, J. (October 2012). SOWK 677 Class 4: Indigenous and Action Research. Hewson, J. (October 2012). SOWK 677 Class 7: Evaluation Part 1. Hewson, J. (November 2012). SOWK 677 Class 8: Evaluation Part 2. Hewson, J. (November 2012). SOWK 677 Class 9: Qualitative Data Collection. Hewson, J. (November 2012). SOWK 677 Class 11: Surveys and Natural Environment. Hewson, J. (November 2012). SOWK 677 Class 11: Some Information About Sampling. Hewson, J. (December 2012). SOWK 677 Class 12: Research Considerations. Leung, C. (2007). A broken place. Canadian Business, 80, 52-57. Offman, C. (2008, April 15). Hobbema, Alberta: A town in a state of crisis. National Post. Retrieved from http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=447 948 van de Sande, A. & Schwartz, K. (2011). Research for social justice. Canada: Fernwood Publishing.