Coming together as a whole: lessons from connecting across sectors, cultures, and contexts to elevate efforts for planetary health
Background: Addressing complex and interconnected ecological, social, and health issues necessitates upstream, solutions-oriented, and whole-systems thinking. Specifically, exploring what it means to live in reciprocity with the planet and all living systems, now and for generations to come, can hav...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | The Lancet Planetary Health |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519624000676 |
| _version_ | 1797203028517847040 |
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| author | Margot Parkes, PhD Angel Kennedy, MPH Tannis Reynolds, MA Jonathan Doyon, BSc Diana Kutzner, PhD |
| author_facet | Margot Parkes, PhD Angel Kennedy, MPH Tannis Reynolds, MA Jonathan Doyon, BSc Diana Kutzner, PhD |
| author_sort | Margot Parkes, PhD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Addressing complex and interconnected ecological, social, and health issues necessitates upstream, solutions-oriented, and whole-systems thinking. Specifically, exploring what it means to live in reciprocity with the planet and all living systems, now and for generations to come, can have a crucial role in advancing planetary health. Methods: In this presentation, we show findings from four gatherings that we co-designed and co-hosted to connect communities, lands, waters, climate, and health. We draw lessons from two events in the Cowichan watershed (co-hosted by Cowichan Tribes) and the Stellako and Nechako watersheds (co-hosted by Stellat'en First Nation) that were co-designed with the ECHO Network. These gatherings brought together youth, Indigenous leaders, researchers, and health, community, and environmental decision-makers across British Columbia to learn how to address connected health, environmental, and community concerns. We supplement these findings with insights from two co-hosted conversations, that connected five continents and more than 40 countries, each enabling 24 h of continuous dialogue on the theme of working together for a healthy, just, and sustainable planet. Findings: Gatherings took place between Oct 12, 2022, and Dec 1, 2023. These gatherings each provided lessons about how Indigenous-led, integrative approaches that connect the health of people to lands, waters, and ecosystems can elevate and enhance our work and scholarship to address ecological, social, and health issues. Specifically, initiatives co-designed in this way help overcome challenges that arise when addressing boundary-crossing, intersectional and intersectoral issues at the nexus of climate, public health, and planetary health. Our findings include insights into strengthening research and public health capacity for integrative approaches to complex issues that are relevant to place-based contexts and have implications and applications for planetary health. Interpretation: Our presentation summarises how these gatherings—each of which were fuelled by a sense of love for the planet, each other, and future generations—have progressed intersectoral, intergenerational, boundary-crossing, and transformative approaches to planetary health. These insights help guide future directions for planetary health research, practice, and policy. Funding: The Canadian Institute of Health Research Environment (IP4150712), Michael Smith Health Research BC (RA-2022-2872), and Vancouver Foundation (FOI19-1781). |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:12:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-66b4e4d4aa514670905da2bfde25ea18 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2542-5196 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:12:49Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Lancet Planetary Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-66b4e4d4aa514670905da2bfde25ea182024-04-17T04:49:41ZengElsevierThe Lancet Planetary Health2542-51962024-04-018S2Coming together as a whole: lessons from connecting across sectors, cultures, and contexts to elevate efforts for planetary healthMargot Parkes, PhD0Angel Kennedy, MPH1Tannis Reynolds, MA2Jonathan Doyon, BSc3Diana Kutzner, PhD4School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, CanadaFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada; Correspondence to: Angel Kennedy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, CanadaSchool of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, CanadaSchool of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, CanadaNorthern Health, Prince George, BC, CanadaBackground: Addressing complex and interconnected ecological, social, and health issues necessitates upstream, solutions-oriented, and whole-systems thinking. Specifically, exploring what it means to live in reciprocity with the planet and all living systems, now and for generations to come, can have a crucial role in advancing planetary health. Methods: In this presentation, we show findings from four gatherings that we co-designed and co-hosted to connect communities, lands, waters, climate, and health. We draw lessons from two events in the Cowichan watershed (co-hosted by Cowichan Tribes) and the Stellako and Nechako watersheds (co-hosted by Stellat'en First Nation) that were co-designed with the ECHO Network. These gatherings brought together youth, Indigenous leaders, researchers, and health, community, and environmental decision-makers across British Columbia to learn how to address connected health, environmental, and community concerns. We supplement these findings with insights from two co-hosted conversations, that connected five continents and more than 40 countries, each enabling 24 h of continuous dialogue on the theme of working together for a healthy, just, and sustainable planet. Findings: Gatherings took place between Oct 12, 2022, and Dec 1, 2023. These gatherings each provided lessons about how Indigenous-led, integrative approaches that connect the health of people to lands, waters, and ecosystems can elevate and enhance our work and scholarship to address ecological, social, and health issues. Specifically, initiatives co-designed in this way help overcome challenges that arise when addressing boundary-crossing, intersectional and intersectoral issues at the nexus of climate, public health, and planetary health. Our findings include insights into strengthening research and public health capacity for integrative approaches to complex issues that are relevant to place-based contexts and have implications and applications for planetary health. Interpretation: Our presentation summarises how these gatherings—each of which were fuelled by a sense of love for the planet, each other, and future generations—have progressed intersectoral, intergenerational, boundary-crossing, and transformative approaches to planetary health. These insights help guide future directions for planetary health research, practice, and policy. Funding: The Canadian Institute of Health Research Environment (IP4150712), Michael Smith Health Research BC (RA-2022-2872), and Vancouver Foundation (FOI19-1781).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519624000676 |
| spellingShingle | Margot Parkes, PhD Angel Kennedy, MPH Tannis Reynolds, MA Jonathan Doyon, BSc Diana Kutzner, PhD Coming together as a whole: lessons from connecting across sectors, cultures, and contexts to elevate efforts for planetary health The Lancet Planetary Health |
| title | Coming together as a whole: lessons from connecting across sectors, cultures, and contexts to elevate efforts for planetary health |
| title_full | Coming together as a whole: lessons from connecting across sectors, cultures, and contexts to elevate efforts for planetary health |
| title_fullStr | Coming together as a whole: lessons from connecting across sectors, cultures, and contexts to elevate efforts for planetary health |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coming together as a whole: lessons from connecting across sectors, cultures, and contexts to elevate efforts for planetary health |
| title_short | Coming together as a whole: lessons from connecting across sectors, cultures, and contexts to elevate efforts for planetary health |
| title_sort | coming together as a whole lessons from connecting across sectors cultures and contexts to elevate efforts for planetary health |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519624000676 |
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