DVD: Multicultural Health Storytelling Project

Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support

Background

The mission of the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support (MDHFS) is to provide leadership in meeting the unique needs of our urban population and eliminating disparities by engaging partners in promoting individual and community health. In Summer 2006, the Department developed a gender-balanced community advisory committeereflective of some of the major racial/ethnic groups residing within the City. The Committee was charged with designing a community engagement process for the well-being of City residents. With the goal of informing the policy and programmatic work of the Department, the community advisors and the Department embarked upon an equal partnership to pilot a multicultural health storytelling project in December 2006.

Tenintergenerational health storytelling events were held and videotaped with members of the:African American, American Indian, Caucasian, Hmong, Latino, Somali, and Vietnamese communities. Gender-specific events were held in the African American and Somali communities. The focus of the events was to “Tell us about a time when your family/community was healthy.” In Summer 2008, a short DVD of these events which highlights six of the dominant health themes was completed.

Extended kinship networks and social interaction promotes health.
People can be extremely resilient despite great hardships.
Health is viewed holistically, with physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects.
Access to and engagement in physical activities is important to health.
Racial/cultural pride and maintaining cultural traditions and ties to a cultural community are important to health.

Culturally-competent and language-specific services are essential.

The results of this pilot project support the overarching need to shift traditional health paradigms focused on individuals and needs towards families and cultural assets in order to eliminate health disparities. MDHFS is committed to taking new policy and programmatic actions with this information and sharing findings with: community members, policy makers, health decision makers and funders.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to the following community partners whose involvement and support was key to the success of this pilot project and DVD:

Victoria AmarisGreater Twin Cities United Way

Farhiya Farah Parents in Community Action Head Start

Rev. Alika Galloway KwaanzaCommunityChurch

Susan Gust Minneapolis Public Health Advisory Committee

Clarence Jones Q Health Services/Southside Community Health Services

Doua LeeSoutheast Asian Community Council

Tony LookingElkOtto Bremer Foundation

Vee Phan Nelson Center for Asian and Pacific Islanders

Mitchell Roldan Centro

Elaine SalinasMigizi Communications

Art SerotoffSabathaniCommunity Center

Abdullahi Sheikh Somali Community Facilitator

Paul Zerby Minneapolis Public Health Advisory Committee

We would also like to express our appreciation to video producerDawn Mikkelson of Emergence Pictures, Inc., Alpha Video and Audio Inc., and City of Minneapolis-Multicultural Services, Video Production, & Community Planning and Economic Development staff.

For further information, contact: Emily Wang at: (612) 673-2144 or