Ontario Investing in Indigenous Youth and Communities

Province Helping Address Urgent Needs in First Nations Communities

April 30, 2018

Ontario is helping address urgent, unmet needs in First Nations communities across Ontario by investing in Indigenous youth and community-led solutions.

Nearly a year after it’s creation, Ontario’s first-ever Indigenous Youth and Community Wellness Secretariat is working closely with Indigenous partners to address crises, such as youth suicides, and improve opportunities for youth and community wellness.

Funding supports on-the-ground initiatives to:

Promote Youth Leadership

• Support Indigenous youth to plan and establish a youth leadership forum
• Support Indigenous youth engagement in community projects that promote environmental, social, spiritual, and physical well-being through the Ontario Indigenous Youth Partnership Project

Build Pathways to Wellness

• Support the work of five remote communities in Nishnawbe Aski Nation and Grand Council Treaty 3 to develop and implement community wellness plans

Support Youth and Families on Their Healing Journey

• Revitalize the Stormer Lake Family Wellness Centre in Pikangikum First Nation, so those affected by trauma and their families can heal together, and invest in a community-owned database to identify mental health service needs and priorities

Connect Youth to Their Land and Culture

• Expand Right To Play’s Hockey for Development Clinic in Fort Severn
• Provide funding to extend the Promoting Life-skills in Aboriginal Youth (PLAY) program to more than 60 First Nation communities
• Fund Jays Care Foundation’s  investments in youth champions in James Bay Coast and Grand Council Treaty 3 communities to lead activities and events in their communities
• Fund Outside Looking In, which is creating opportunities and safe spaces for Indigenous youth through dance at Dennis Franklin Cromarty high school and surrounding communities

Moving forward, Ontario is developing and implementing an action plan with the Indigenous Partners’ Engagement Circle (IPEC). IPEC creates a forum for Indigenous partners, communities, youth, service providers, and governments to build partnerships, develop solutions, and implement initiatives that will support safety, recovery, wellness, and improved coordination across governments and in communities. It will also help to address the root causes of barriers that have kept many Indigenous youth in Ontario from reaching their full potential.

Supporting Indigenous youth and communities is one of the many steps on Ontario’s journey of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. It reflects the government’s commitment to work with Indigenous partners, creating a better future for everyone in the province.

Quick Facts

• Ontario has invested $500,000 through the Indigenous Youth and Community Wellness Secretariat to support Indigenous youth.

Additional Resources

• Learn more about the Indigenous Youth and Community Wellness Secretariat
• Ontario Providing More Support for Indigenous Youth
• Ontario Ministers Outline Actions to Address First Nations Youth Health and Safety Crisis

Quotes

“It’s very important that Indigenous services are informed by Indigenous perspectives, and developed in collaboration with Indigenous partners. The investments by the Indigenous Youth and Community Wellness Secretariat will help drive co-developed initiatives that fit the unique priorities of an Indigenous community and the needs of their youth, and to better support them on their journey to healing and wellness.”

David Zimmer
Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

Media Contacts

Antoine Tedesco
Minister’s Office
Antoine.Tedesco@ontario.ca
416-314-2617

Flavia Mussio
Media Contact
Flavia.Mussio@ontario.ca
416-314-9455

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