$400,000 Supports Goals For Aboriginal Healthy Living
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
2008TSA0024-000394
March 20, 2008
Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts
VICTORIA – Aboriginal youth and urban Aboriginal populations in B.C. will be in a stronger position to meet their health priorities in support of ActNow BC goals for healthier living, Gordon Hogg, Minister of State for ActNow BC, announced last night at the Gathering Our Voices Provincial Aboriginal Youth Conference.“This funding will work towards closing the identified health gap between Aboriginal people and other British Columbians,” said Hogg. “This is a key goal that we set last year in the First Nations Health Plan. We’re pleased to see that the Friendship Centres are making a great effort in meeting the needs of the Aboriginal communities through healthy living strategies.”
The National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health (NCCAH), through its BC Initiatives for Aboriginal Health division, will provide $400,000 in provincial funding to help the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) address the health goals of urban Aboriginal populations in B.C. The funding comes from a $6-million ActNow BC program announced in 2007 to encourage Aboriginal British Columbians to lead healthier lives and close the gap in health between Aboriginal peoples and other British Columbians.
The $400,000 will support four projects that will strengthen links between on- and off-reserve health programming, facilitate community control of Aboriginal health plans and support Aboriginal youth in healthy living through the promotion of sports and recreation and the development of targeted drug and alcohol strategies.
“These funds will support projects that can lead to transformative, sustainable change in Aboriginal health,” said Paul Lacerte, executive director of the BCAAFC.
“We see this initiative as crucial to strengthening the health of Aboriginal people, particularly youth, as they move between rural communities and urban centres,” said Margo Greenwood, NCCAH scientific director. “We are excited about our partnership with the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, and are pleased to support the collaborations they are making with numerous stakeholders in a wide variety of communities.”
The Gathering Our Voices 2008 Provincial Aboriginal Youth Conference in Victoria received an additional $200,000 in funding support from the Province. The theme of this year’s conference is Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Wellness and is an opportunity for Aboriginal youth to learn about how sport and recreation programs can provide job skills, increase their participation in sports and physical activity and encourage healthy lifestyle habits.
As part of their participation in the conference, each of the approximately 1,000 participating youths received an ActNow BC pedometer and registered for the Activity Challenge, an online tool to engage participants in tracking their physical activity.
The NCCAH is based at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George and is one of six centres across Canada established by the Public Health Agency of Canada to serve First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
ActNow BC works together with government ministries, the health sector and health promotion partners to deliver programs designed to encourage healthy choices for all British Columbians.
For more information on ActNow BC, visit www.actnowbc.ca.
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1 backgrounder attached.
Media contact:
Trish Fougner
Public Affairs Bureau
250 356-9814
Holly Nathan
Communications Officer
National Collaborating Centre For Aboriginal Health
250 960-5249
