Abstract
There is a large body of sport literature that highlights the many psychosocial, emotional, and development benefits of sport participation for youth. However, relatively little literature has focused on the specific benefits for Aboriginal youth. Westernized attitudes regarding the meaning of "sport" may limit research with Aboriginal children and youth (Smith et al., 2010), as such meanings may not be consistent with their perspectives. Thus, the purpose of this research was to explore Aboriginal youth's meaning of sport using a photovoice approach. Photovoice is recognized as a decolonizing approach and employed to build trust and balance power between researchers and communities (Castleden, Gavin, & Huu-ay-aht First Nation, 2008). The participants were 14 Aboriginal youth in grades seven and eight (ages 12-15). Each participant was given one disposable camera at a sport sampler event and encouraged to photograph objects, events, places, or people that represent their meaning of "sport." The students chose two or three photographs to discuss and a school Elder led two talking circle discussions. A qualitative content analysis revealed that "sport" is conceptualized by youth as contemporary sports (e.g., volleyball, basketball), and such sports are equated with having fun and getting fit. The youth also described how sport is envisioned as an opportunity to engage in activities with nature and others. This research is a practical example of how Aboriginal youth can and should be actively involved in sport research, and findings contribute to our program of research that seeks to enhance sport opportunities for Aboriginal youth.Acknowledgments: We would like to thank the participants for sharing their knowledge.This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.