Did you know that many Indigenous youth are the descendants of generations of people devastated by the unresolved trauma resulting from the residential school system in Canada?

Currently, school curricula and health resources are Western-focused and do not include Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. Colonization and Western understandings have skewed sexual health education, resulting in Indigenous youth being disproportionately represented in HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) diagnoses.

There is an urgent need for culturally rooted approaches to promote sexual health and overall wellness among Indigenous youth.

That’s where we come in…

Our primary goal is to co-create a community-led, culturally-rooted program, including a sexual health curricula and resources that promote sexual health, gender re-awakening, self-confidence, and wholistic wellness among Indigenous youth in Saskatchewan.

We hope to braid Indigenous teachings about sexuality, gender roles, and responsibilities, with Western knowledge of STBBIs.

A Community Guiding Circle made up of community leaders and subject experts will guide the project, which will unfold in 3 phases (see below).

As of February 2024, the ATOHTITAM project is currently in Phase I of the project.

THE PHASES

Phase I: Our Medicine Walk

We will begin by gathering knowledge of gaps in curriculum and stories of those with lived experience of STBBI diagnoses. We see this phase as being similar to a medicine walk. Together with our community partners we will gather and explore knowledge (medicines) needed to inform the creation of our sexual health school-based program. We will do this through sharing circles, one-on-one conversations, and written submissions from youth, Knowledge Keepers, and educators.

Phase II: Preparing our Wellness Medicines

Our team and our community partners will work to develop a culturally-rooted arts- and land-based sexual health and wellness promoting program and corresponding family resources for grades 6 through 9 based on the information gathered in Phase I. We will work with community partners to pilot this program.

Phase III: Sharing our Wellness Medicines

The final phase of the project will involve the delivery of this program in partnering schools across Saskatchewan. This will be followed by an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program in improving youth knowledge around sexual health and wellbeing.