Pathways to Resilience and Health Equity: participatory action research with Indigenous youth in four urban Canadian contexts

Canadian youth 16-25 are the vital future of society and their health and wellness are the concern of all Canadians. Deserving serious attention, however, is the evidence that the health of Indigenous youth living in Canada is disproportionately worse than the general Canadian population. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action outlined the historical processes of colonization as the most critical social determinant of Indigenous youth health, which perpetuates realities of poverty, racism, and discrimination that hinder their healthy development, particularly within urban contexts where Indigenous youth are on the 'front-lines' of experiencing the stereotypes and prejudices of non-Indigenous Canadians. The goal of our research is to move beyond descriptions of Indigenous health inequities towards participatory action interventions designed to improve health outcomes of youth in Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, and Halifax. Through strong collaborations with youth and community partner organizations serving their needs, this 5-year project will: a) develop a needs, strengths, and health assessment map with and for Indigenous youth; b) design and implement culturally informed participatory action research projects that will address key social determinants of health that emerge from the needs assessment maps; and c) identify and evaluate the health and resilience outcomes for participating youth by examining changes over time. While observing variations across sties, it is anticipated that Indigenous youth who participate in action research of this kind will show significant increases on various health and resilience measures. The health related knowledge from this project will also: 1) inform effective Indigenous youth engagement strategies; 2) improve social determinants of health impacting Indigenous youth in urban contexts; and 3) guide effective program and policy interventions promoting greater health equity for Indigenous youth across Canada.