Canadian university student experiences participating in a health promotion without borders : excursion to Mongolia

Health Promotion Without Borders (HPWB) has facilitated International Service Learning (ISL) excursions for Canadian students at Laurentian University (LU) since 2001. During this time, over 80 students have received academic credit for their immersive work promoting health in developing countries. Despite the number of students that participated in the HPWB Program over the years, no research has explored the experiences of these students during their ISL excursions. Furthermore, there was a gap in the ISL literature related to the experiences of participants during their immersive international excursions. Therefore, I participated in a HPWB excursion to Mongolia and analyzed my own experience using an autoethnographic method, and I then thematically analyzed the journals of three of my fellow HPWB group members using a case study method. Overall, although both my group members and I found the excursion to be positive, we experienced a process of navigating different instances of cultural dissonance that emerged during our immersive excursion. I wrote six narratives that explored some of the cultural dissonances that I experienced while in Mongolia. Four themes were also identified within the participants’ journals related to their experiences of cultural dissonance. The results of this research may benefit the HPWB Program Coordinator, other similar ISL programs, and future students, as they plan their excursions through enhanced training, preparation, and field techniques related to cultural dissonance.Master of Human Kinetics (MHK

Reflexivity Through a Yoga Class Experience: Preparing for My Health Promotion Without Borders Excursion to Mongolia

In this paper, I (S. L. Deibert) share my story of discovering the relationship between reflexivity, autoethnography, and yoga through a meaningful experience. Yoga has been an important influence on my physical and mental well-being for over a decade, but I did not consider its implications in my academic life until I was asked to write a reflexive assignment for a course. The task was exploring who I am in connection to my master’s thesis project; the challenge was finding a starting point for my reflexive journey of self-discovery. Frustrated by the latter, I turned to yoga for refuge; instead of escaping the assignment, I found that my quest for self-exploration was intertwined with my yoga practice. The purpose of this paper is to delve further into my experience with yoga as a medium for developing reflexivity. Using autoethnography, I share my journey of developing critical thinking through a narrative related to my yoga class experience. Linking my research to my yoga practice allowed me to better understand myself as a person and researcher, become mindful of how my own views shape my experiences, and develop a deeper level of critical reflection. Overall, this work demonstrates the experience of a connection between yoga, reflexivity, and autoethnography, and adds to the sparse literature exploring the intersection of these three

From Sudbury to Sogog: Stories from a Canadian Student's Health Promotion Without Borders Excursion to Mongolia

As the popularity of International Service-Learning (ISL) excursions continues to grow, there is an increasing need for research that explores these types of experiences. This manuscript focuses on the experiences of the lead author (S.L.D.) while participating in an ISL excursion offered by the Health Promotion Without Borders (HPWB) Program as part of their graduate research. The HPWB Program has facilitated ISL excursions for students in the School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences (SKHS) at Laurentian University (LU) in Canada for over two decades. However, there is limited formal research about the experiences of HPWB participants while completing their ISL excursions. This research addresses this need by using an autoethnographic approach to explore the lead author's HPWB experience. During the lead author's excursion, they confronted many moments of cultural dissonance, which challenged their usual way of thinking. Through critical reflection after their excursion, the lead author realized the defining role those moments of cultural dissonance had on the nature of their ISL experience. The lead author wrote six stories to share their understanding of those cultural dissonance encounters and provide a snapshot of their excursion for the reader to make sense of in their own way. Overall, this research may benefit future ISL participants and coordinators and adds to the sparse literature available on the nature of ISL experiences from the participant perspective using an autoethnographic method

A Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study of Integrated Pediatric Complex Care: Experiences of Parents With Care and the Value of Parent Engagement in Research

Introduction: Children with medical complexity (CMC) are among the most vulnerable children in society. These children and their families face challenges of fragmented care and are at risk for poorer health outcomes. Families with CMC play a vital role in providing care and navigating the complexities of healthcare systems. It is essential to understand the best ways to engage these families in research to improve the care and optimize the health of CMC.Objectives: This study explored parent engagement within the context of a feasibility study evaluating an Integrated Tertiary Complex Care (ITCC) clinic created to support CMC closer to home. This paper aimed: (1) to understand the family experiences of care and (2) to explore parent engagement in the study.Method: This mixed-methods feasibility study included three components. First, feedback from focus groups was used to identify the common themes that informed interviews with parents. Second, one-on-one interviews were conducted with parents to explore their experience with care, such as the ITCC clinic, using an interpretative description approach. Third, the questionnaires were completed by parents at baseline and 6-months post-baseline. These questionnaires included demographic and cost information and three validated scales designed to measure the caregiver strain, family-centered care, and parental health. The recruitment rate, percentage completion of the questionnaires, and open-ended comments were used to assess parent engagement in the study.Results: The focus groups involved 24 parents, of which 19 (14 women, five men) provided comments. The findings identified the importance of Complex Care Team (CC Team) accessibility, local access, and family-centered approach to care. The challenges noted were access to homecare nursing, fatigue, and lack of respite affecting caregiver well-being. In this study, 17 parents participated in one-on-one interviews. The identified themes relevant to care experience were proximity, continuity, and coordination of care. The parents who received care through the ITCC clinic appreciated receiving care closer to home. The baseline questionnaires were completed by 44 of 77 (57%) eligible parents. Only 24 (31%) completed the 6-month questionnaire. The challenges with study recruitment and follow-up were identified.Conclusion: Family engagement was a challenging yet necessary endeavor to understand how to tailor the healthcare to meet the complex needs of families caring for CMC