Part 2: Critical Issues and Paths Forward Canada’s colonial past has formed the critical issues of the colonial present that face Indigenous young men and boys. While there is much diversity among this group, there are also many recurring patterns in the challenges that they face. Indigenous boys and young men are unquestionably over-represented when it comes to a myriad of physical, emotional, and social issues (Biderman et al, 2021; Hacket et al, 2021). Despite how these trends would appear to demand urgent and immediate action, there are not a corresponding number of programs and initiatives aimed at preventing these issues. This is starkly apparent in both the gray and academic literature pertaining to prevention of issues among Indigenous boys and young men. The lack of literature on this subject also speaks to this blind spot. While few of the sources reviewed in the following section pertain specifically to boys and young men (due to the limited availability of such sources), we consider that literature on Indigenous men generally is also very pertinent to the lives of young men. Below, some of the critical issues that this group faces are explored, and then some promising paths in research and interventions are considered.
Boys and Young Men The quantity of research on young men Indigenous men specifically is considerably smaller than that on Indigenous men more generally. However, what does exist shows that Indigenous male youth face enormous obstacles to good health and wellbeing. Colonialism and racism have led to such critical mental health issues that suicide has become an epidemic among Indigenous youth across the country (Kumar & Tjepkema, 2019; Kral, 2013). In Nunavut, the suicide rate is one of the highest in the world. Rates of suicide among male youth in that province are up to ten times higher than the national Canadian average (Kral, 2013). Among First Nations male youth, it is four times higher than the national average, although ten times higher for those male youth who reside on reserves (Kumar & Tjepkema, 2019). Another area where Indigenous youth are over-represented is homelessness. In particular, LGBTQ2I youth are most at risk for experiencing homelessness (Kidd et al, 2018).
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