Indigenous communities often experience disproportionate access to clean, safe drinking water. For youth water insecurity may lead to adverse mental health effects, referred to as 'water anxiety'. However, water resilience actions such as advocacy and youths' responsibilities to water, may have the potential to mitigate potential mental health effects associated with 'water anxiety'.

1. INDIGENOUS YOUTHS’ RELATIONSHIPS WITH
WATER:
TRAUMA, ADVOCACY & RESILIENCE
CHRISTINE WEKERLE, PH.D.
(CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY)
SAVANAH SMITH, B.A. (PSYCHOLOGY)
EMAIL: WEKERC@MCMASTER.CA
John Otilano, P.T.S.D. Series #16
Frieda Kahlo, 1946, The
Wounded Deer

2. DEVELOPMENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY:
MULTIPLE INFLUENCES ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT
HEALTH
Trauma symptoms key
mediator
Water security refers to
having sufficient access to
safe water
Availability refers to how
much water is physically
available in the
environment and how it is
distributed to people
Access refers to the
control of water as a
resource

3. TRAUMA, EMPOWERMENT AND RESILIENCE IN
YOUTH
MENTAL HEALTH
•Uncontrollability,
unpredictability increases
the level of stress
• High levels of stress =
trauma
• “Toxic stress” – Toxic
environments
• Water anxiety
• Environmental protection
actions a part of positive
mental health is resource
for living and learning
• Mental health together
with physical health, and
spiritual wellbeing

4. WATER & MENTAL HEALTH AMONG ADULTS
• ANXIETY IS A NORMAL RESPONSE TO THREAT, HELPS TO ANTICIPATE
DANGER AND FOSTERS PREPARATION
• WATER INSECURITY PREDICTS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS (FEMALES AT
HIGHER RISK; STEVENSON ET AL., 2012; STEVENSON, AMBELU, CARUSO,
TESFAYE, & FREEMAN, 2016)
• WATER-RELATED EMOTIONAL DISTRESS (FEAR, ANGER) DEVELOPS DUE
TO BURDEN TO GAIN ACCESS TO WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
(FEMALES AT HIGHER RISK; WUTICH & RAGSDALE, 2008; WUTICH,
2009)
• DECREASED WATER ACCESS AMOUNT AND DECREASED PERCEPTION OF CLEANLINESS
SIGNIFICANTLY PREDICTED INCREASED OVERALL LEVELS OF STRESS (WORKMAN &
UREKSOY, 2017)
• THREAT THAT IS EXPERIENCED AS A CHALLENGE TO IDENTITY,
INTEGRITY, AND LIFE IS A POTENTIAL TRAUMATIC EVENT  TRAUMA
SYMPTOMS
• PERCEIVED TAP WATER QUALITY PREDICTED POSTTRAUMATIC DISORDER

5. INDIGENOUS YOUTHS’ RELATIONSHIPS TO WATER:
RESEARCH DEMAND AREA
• NO STUDIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED WITH YOUTH
• NO (PUBLISHED) STUDIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES—
COMMUNITIES MAY HAVE GREY LITERATURE REPORTS
• MIXED FINDINGS: IS WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTED BY WATER INSECURITY MORE
THAN MEN’S?
• IT COULD BE THAT WOMEN’S WATER RESPONSIBILITIES PLAY A ROLE IN THE MENTAL HEALTH
EFFECTS.
• SYSTEMIC PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE: NOT BEING ABLE TO WASH, DIRTY CLOTHING, INABILITY
TO FULFILL SOCIAL HOSTING EXPECTATIONS; WORRY OVER INFANT CARE AND MATERNAL
CARE; CONCERNS FOR PUBERTAL FEMALES; AWARENESS OF INEQUITY IN RUNNING WATER;
VALUE CLASH IN PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE OR COMMERCIAL WATER SOURCE USAGE
• CONSTRUCT OF RELATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY: DISAGREEMENT OVER WATER
ALLOCATION AND ACCESS TO WATER, BECOMING DISCONNECTED (AVOIDANCE OF THE
ISSUE)

6. GWF RESEARCH DIRECTIONS
• THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT CAN BE A “TRAUMA” FOR YOUTH
• MEASUREMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RELATED WATER ANXIETY, WORRIES
• MEASUREMENT OF PERCEPTIONS OF EFFICACY AND ADVOCACY ACTIONS
• TECHNOLOGY TO FACILITATE RESILIENCE IN DAILY LIVING THAT IS TRAUMA-INFORMED
• NO STUDIES HAVE LOOKED AT RESILIENCE—HOW CAN WATER HELP YOUTH TO BUILD
RESILIENCE (I.E., WATER MAPPING, TWO-ROW PADDLE, PUBLIC ADVOCACY WORK
(NESTLE), YOUTH-DRIVEN RESEARCH PROJECTS)
• CLEAN, HEALTHY SPACES AND ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT PROMOTE HEALTHY COPING,
RESPONSIBILITIES (WOMEN, WATER) AND RESILIENCE
• CAN AN APP THAT EMPHASIZES RELATIONSHIPS BE MODIFIED TO INCLUDE WATER-
RELATED WELLNESS?

7. THE JOYPOP APP
• HTTPS://FUTURUMCAREERS.COM/DR-CHRISTINE-WEKERLE-FINDING-
JOY-IN-AN-APP
• (1) ENHANCE POSITIVE EMOTIONALITY AND ACTIVITY;
• (2) PROMOTE SAFE SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
• (3) DAILY TOOL TO COPE IN STRESS PERIODS (TRANSITIONS)
• RECOMMENDED USAGE: BOOKEND THE DAY MINIMALLY
• SAFETY A PRIORITY: CALL BUTTON TO HELPLINES
• GIVES YOUTH OPTIONS:
• PERSON-TO-PERSON CONNECTING (SOCIAL SAFETY NET)
• RELAXATION AND BALANCED BREATHING; ART, STRATEGY GAMING
• RESILIENCE JOURNALING (PROMPTS); POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

8. THE JOYPOP APP
• CREATED FROM RESEARCH AND YOUTH FEEDBACK TO
FOSTER RESILIENCE THROUGH:
(1)IMPROVING EMOTION STRATEGIES
(2)ENHANCING FOCUSED THINKING
MOOD RATINGS
JOURNALING
BREATHING EXERCISES
DRAWING
SHAPESHIFTER GAME
CIRCLE OF TRUST

9. CIRCLE OF TRUST
• ALLOWS USER TO INPUT UP TO SIX
CONTACTS TO CALL WHEN THEY ARE IN
NEED OF SUPPORT
• ESTABLISHING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS HAS
BEEN SHOWN TO DECREASE STRESS
SYMPTOMS AND INCREASE RELATIONAL
LEARNING (WEKERLE, WAECHTER, & CHUNG,
2012)
• ADULT MENTORS HELP TO SHAPE “RESILIENT
IDENTITY” OF AT-RISK YOUTH (UNGAR,
2004)
YOUTH NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE

10. PARTNERSHIP & CO-CREATION

11. CREATING A WATER WELLNESS TOOL TO
FOSTER YOUTH RESILIENCE
INCORPORATING YOUTH DIGITAL STORIES ON WATER
 WATER KNOWLEDGE, LANGUAGE, AND WATER CARE MAPPING – GAMING
APPROACH?
A KNOWLEDGE CENTRE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT CEREMONY
(LONGHOUSE), LOSS AND GRIEVING TOOLS (WAMPUMS) AND TRADITIONAL
TEACHINGS (INCLUDING THOSE ON TWO-SPIRIT AND WATER)
CULTURALLY RELEVANT EMOJIS (E.G., LACROSSE STICK, LONGHOUSE, TURTLE
RATTLE)
DAY PLANNING SUGGESTIONS (E.G., LAND-BASED ACTIVITIES, BEADING)
ARTS (POETRY, SONG, DANCE, AND ARTWORK) & LINKS TO VIRTUAL EXHIBITS
INPUTTING SAFE, SOCIAL SUPPORTS FOR THESE YOUTH INTO THE CIRCLE OF

12. THANK YOU !
• TWITTER: @DRWEKERLE; @RESILIENCEINYOU
HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/DRWEKERLE
HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/RESILIENCEINYOU
• INSTAGRAM: @RESILIENCEINYOUTH
HTTPS://WWW.INTSTAGRAM.COM/RESILIENCEINYOUTH
• YOUTUBE: RESILIENCEINYOUTH
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/CHANNEL/UCWB2FU5KNOMAZMX175ALK
FQ/FEATURED
• SLIDESHARE: CHRISTINE WEKERLE
HTTPS://WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET/CHRISTINEWEKERLE
• LINKEDIN: CHRISTINE WEKERLE
HTTPS://WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/CHRISTINE-WEKERLE-27603013/