Aubrey Yanger Mariano

Aubrey Yanger Mariano speaks on the Panel on Childhood at the Public Health Resonance Culturally & Regionally Relevant Physical Activity Across the Globe Webinar program.

Resources

• Hawaii’s Caring Systems Initiative for Youth Suicide Prevention
• Sources of Strength Youth Resiliency-Building Program
• Publications on Sources of Strength and Suicide Prevention in HI

Hawai‘i’s Sources of Strength Wheel

The global work shared by this panel in culturally and regionally relevant physical activity resonated deeply with my work in Indigenous health and youth suicide prevention. During my Graduate Research Assistantship with Hawaii’s Caring Systems Initiative for Youth Suicide Prevention (HCSI), we culturally tailored the Sources of Strength (SOS) youth resiliency-building program for rural and underserved communities across the pae ‘āina. Ultimately, local communities identified their own unique sources of strength including Culture, Community, and connection to Place. In my opinion, culturally and regionally relevant physical activities like hoe wa‘a and spearfishing provide powerful opportunities for ‘ōpio to connect to these strengths, ultimately supporting their mental wellness and therefore preventing suicide amongst Hawai‘i’s youth. The resources I have shared allow you to learn more about HCSI, SOS, and general suicide prevention efforts in Hawai‘i. Mahalo nui to the panelists for their incredible work!

Bio

Aubrey Yanger Mariano (Familian Decha’ yan Liberato) is a mixed-race CHamoru woman born and raised on the island of Guåhan. Since 2017, she has been nourished by the kuaiwi of Oʻahu Hawaiʻi, most recently the ʻāina of Makiki. Aubrey received her BA in Psycholgy and American (Empire) Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and will soon be graduating with her Master of Public Health specializing in Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health.

Her research interests have included Indigenous and Pacific psychology, alternative justice processes, and CHamoru conceptions of health and wellbeing from a cultural lens. Aubrey served her MPH Practicum under the Pilina Center for Wellbeing, where she contributed to a scoping review of Indigenous wellbeing models, frameworks, and theories from across Turtle Island and Oceania.

Alongside her studies, Aubrey Yanger Mariano provides Administrative support to Mauli Ola Malamalama, the Workforce Development hale at Papa Ola Lōkahi. She has also served as a Graduate Research Assistant in the areas of Wāhine and Historical Trauma and youth suicide prevention. Aubreyʻs long-term goal is to serve her CHamoru community by developing culturally grounded community health interventions, centering (re)connection with land, water, and CHamoru identity. Her favorite forms of physical activity include gardening and tåno’/ʻāina workdays.