Aboriginal Youth and Their Experiences in Physical Education: “This is What You’ve Taught Me”

In this paper, I incorporate Shawn Wilson’s (2008) understanding of relationality and relational accountability as I tell the story of my own involvement with Aboriginal youth and the lessons they have taught me about their experiences in physical education. For years, I have been challenged to find ethical ways to share the perspectives of the young people who have chosen to take time to work with me in my research program. Shawn Wilson’s book, Research as Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods provides the direction I was seeking as I use his integrated approach of blending the personal with the professional, science with art, to communicate my research findings. By writing an open letter to the Aboriginal youth who I’ve worked with over the course of my career, I hope to respectfully convey their thoughts and ideas about physical education. In an initial qualitative research study involving Aboriginal youth, the youth told me how they want to be involved in their school gyms and sports teams, and how they have many role models encouraging them to be active. They also told me about not being active; how the change room, difficulty fitting in, and racism keeps them from fully participating. In this paper, I share what they’ve told me in a personal narrative that also includes autoethnographic reflections (Carrington, 2008; Richardson, 2000) designed to show how my thinking on race, whiteness and equity has been influenced by my relationships with Aboriginal youth. By sharing what I have been taught, I hope physical educators will be inspired to create more inclusive and culturally affirming physical education climates for all youth, and in particular, for Aboriginal youth in Canada. Dans cet article, j’integre les notions de lien relationnel et d’imputabilite rationnelle de Shawn Wilson (2008) dans le recit de mon implication aupres de jeunes autochtones et des connaissances acquises sur leurs experiences en education physique. J’essaie depuis longtemps de trouver des facons ethiques de partager les points de vue des jeunes qui ont choisi de donner de leur temps pour appuyer mon programme de recherche. Le livre de Shawn Wilson, qui s’intitule Research as Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods, propose les orientations que je cherchais puisque j’utilise son approche integree qui consiste a amalgamer le personnel et le professionnel, la science et l’art, pour communiquer les resultats de mes recherches. En ecrivant une lettre ouverte aux jeunes autochtones avec qui j’ai travaille au fil de ma carriere, j’espere presenter respectueusement leurs idees et opinions au sujet de l’education physique. Dans le cadre d’une premiere recherche qualitative engageant des jeunes autochtones, ces derniers m’ont dit combien ils desirent faire partie des equipes athletiques et sportives de leur ecole et combien ils ont de modeles les encourageant a etre actifs. Ils m’ont aussi parle de leur inactivite, expliquant que des facteurs comme le vestiaire, les problemes d’integration et le racisme les empechent de participer pleinement. Dans cet article, je partage ce qu’ils m’ont confie dans un recit personnel qui comprend des reflexions auto-ethnographiques (Carrington, 2008; Richardson, 2000) ou j’explique en quoi mes reflexions au sujet de la race, de la blancheur et de l’equite ont ete influencees par mes rapports avec ces jeunes autochtones. En partageant ce qu’ils m’ont enseigne, j’espere que les enseignants d’education physique seront inspires a creer des contextes d’education physique plus inclusifs et plus culturellement ouverts qui profiteront a tous les jeunes, et particulierement aux jeunes autochtones du Canada.

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