This brief provides an overview of the Taku Eyachantognaka Owihankeya Wanica project, which identified topics related to youth violence and resiliency that Native communities would like to see researched.
The purpose of this project, conducted with Native Women’s Society of the Great Plains and researchers at the University of South Dakota and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, was for Native American community members to work with researchers to determine what type of research they would like to see happen in Native communities on issues related to Native youth violence and resiliency. Three workshops were held between October 2022-April 2023. There were two in-person workshops. The first was in Rapid City, South Dakota and the second workshop was held in Bismarck, North Dakota. A third workshop was held online. All participants needed to identify as Native American, be at least 18 years old, speak English, and be concerned about Native youth violence and resiliency. Across the workshops, a total of 55 Native people participated in these discussions. Researchers asked the participants who volunteered to participate in the workshops a series of questions on violence and resiliency among Native youth. Participants discussed with each other a variety of topics pertaining to violence and resiliency. The research team is working to identify another research project based on the input from community members that participated in the workshops and is developing a more extensive report for Native Women’s Society of the Great Plains (NWS). The researchers are also currently talking with potential Native partners and looking to identify a way to address Native youth violence and promote resiliency in a culturally informed and responsive way based on the information shared from this research.