O-34 Relational, cultural and collective pathways to indigenous adolescent well-being: process evaluation of the IMPACT (IMPlementation of a Multisectoral Programme To Improve Indigenous AdolesCent Me
Author(s):
IAV Dias, MGC Godoy, PTC Jardim , AJ Grande, X Zourntos, R Emmanuel, D Parmar, J Murdoch, R Gibson, A Abdulkadri, P Dazzan, S Anderson, S Harding
Year of Presentation:
2026
Objective: Indigenous adolescents face disproportionate
mental health inequities, yet evidence on culturally grounded programmes remains limited. IMPACT addresses this gap through a culturally adapted, multi-sectoral approach centred on Indigenous worldviews, relational systems, and cocreation of knowledge. We present process evaluation of the mental health promotion component of IMPACT in Brazil.
Methods: A qualitative study in which 600 Indigenous adolescents from Aldeia Guarita participated in sessions guided by vignettes, using interactive and culturally grounded methods. The sessions addressed mental health, violence prevention, nutrition, and intergenerational relationships. The adolescents, supported by teachers, elders, Indigenous leaders, and health professionals, were the protagonists of the initiative. Data were collected through ethnographic observation, video documentation, talking circles, photovoice, in situ interviews, and reflective journals. The analysis examined how the program activities were implemented and adapted to the Indigenous worldview, which is based on harmony among human beings, nature, spirituality, and ancestry.
Results: Findings demonstrate a high degree of cultural responsiveness, with mental health promotion enacted as a collective, relational, and culturally embedded process. Kaingang worldviews shaped content and delivery, positioning well-being as inseparable from culture, territory, ancestry, and everyday practices. Co-created vignettes functioned as central mechanisms of change, enabling culturally safe dialogue and supporting youth protagonism and intergenerational exchange. Storytelling, rituals, crafts, and shared meals created embodied spaces for reflection, where silence, humour, resistance, and emotion were recognised as meaningful participation. These practices strengthened cultural identity and reframed mental health as collective care connecting adolescents, elders, families, schools, and health services, promoting trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility. Knowledge was co-created through doing, being, and reflexivity, highlighting limitations of conventional evaluation models.
Conclusion: Culturally grounded, relational approaches can meaningfully support Indigenous adolescent well-being and mental health. The study highlights the need to rethink evaluation frameworks to better reflect Indigenous reflexivity, leadership, and collective ways of knowing