Strengthening Our Connections to Promote Life:

A Life Promotion Toolkit by Indigenous Youth

I am pleased to welcome you to our Indigenous youth life promotion toolkit. It has been my privilege and honour to participate with and support our Indigenous team of youth from across Turtle Island who have developed this exciting and inspiring toolkit. It is our hope that this toolkit supports our youth across our lands to aspire to live long and good lives. The knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors from before colonization created healthy lifestyles that frequently lead to our relatives living much longer and healthier lives than many of us experience today. Our youth have also told us for many years that they are more interested in learning how to promote life as opposed to how to prevent death.

Through the ideas shared within this life promotion toolkit, our youth team is inviting you to explore and reform the wisdom from our ancestors to once again lead you to live healthier and longer lives. We hope that you discover, as we have, the excitement about cherishing and honouring our Creator’s gift of life. In doing so, it is our hope that you also discover from this journey how to promote your life to be a long and good one.

In peace and love,

(Elder Ed) Waubinabenasi kwekwetchgun
Eastern Thunderbird Sounding

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Before you begin.

During the creation of this toolkit, the Youth Action Group acknowledged that much of this information can be new to certain individuals. Keeping in mind that if we do not address something, we cannot begin to fix it, the Youth Action Group included topics of discussion that can push the boundaries of what you know. This being said, we have included tips, tricks, and resources to help address your feelings towards the information such as “Creating Safe and Brave Spaces,” “The Importance of Having Gentle Teachers,” and “Knowing my Response-Ability.” We encourage you to use this information to empower yourself within your Indigeneity.

”Being an urban youth or adult can be hard due to the odds stacked against you in the education system, justice system, child welfare system, and poverty. The systems are filled with Indigenous Peoples and the stigmatization of being Indigenous is hard in and of itself to navigate. Just know there is land everywhere you are. The water, grass, trees, wind, and rocks are there to support you on your journey while living in an urban setting. Learn to explore the land when you do not think you have that connection to land yet. Be open. Just remember even though you lost your identity and connection to the land, your ancestors are still looking over you and are connected to land.
Gabrielle Jubinville

Four questions to help guide us when we are unsure of our way:

Who Am I?

This first question helps us explore the many intersections that make up each of our unique stories, helping us find our sense of Belonging. Other areas of life to explore with this question include sexual orientation, gender, and linguistic identities.

Where Do I Come From?

As we reflect on what communities we come from, we can start to find Meaning for life through our respective cultural worldviews. Another way to approach this reflection could be: who am I accountable to?

Why Am I Here?

This third question aims to help us narrow down our self-identified Purpose. What work fuels and energizes you? What or who inspires you to do the work that you do? Who is this work for?

Where Am I Going?

This fourth question helps us begin to visualize the future we desire for ourselves. When we can picture and feel excited about our future, we can then have Hope for what is to come.