Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide: Planning for Adapting, Evaluating and Disseminating for Indigenous Youth

In Canada, there is a lack of systematic and coordinated approaches to addressing mental health literacy for indigenous youth in the secondary school setting. We (researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders from Dalhousie University, Alberta Health Services, University of Alberta University of British Columbia; the indigenous community in Nova Scotia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories) aim to bridge this gap through the planning for the adaptation, dissemination and evaluation of an evidence based mental health literacy intervention, the Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide among indigenous secondary school students in Nova Scotia, Alberta and Northwest Territories. We will: •Establish a multi-stakeholder working group of end users, elder advisors, youth, mental health experts, educators and other key stakeholders to address youth school based mental health literacy needs •Conduct a literature review and environmental scan to determine what school based mental health literacy interventions and mental health educational resources are available for and being used in indigenous schools. •Disseminate the results of the literature review and environmental scan. •Determine how an existing evidence-based mental health literacy intervention (the Guide) can be adapted for indigenous secondary school students •Identify key Provincial, Territorial and Federal stakeholders and create a Participant Observer Group interested in the health and education of indigenous youth. They will become a key Knowledge Mobilization vehicle for the work that this proposal is beginning •Create an oversight framework for the adaptation and evaluation of the Guide for the use of indigenous secondary school students •Obtain already identified funding to support the proposed project and the adaptation and initial field test of the Guide •Identify potential funding opportunities and apply for funding to conduct full research on the application of the Guide in NS, AB and