Grant: Operating Grant

Injuries are a major contributor to premature mortality for Indigenous youth in Canada, occurring at a rate four times that associated with non-Indigenous youth. Turning this situation around will require significant research, capacity-building, and knowledge dissemination as this pertains specifically to First Nation, Métis and Inuit contexts. This study, involving a team of academic researchers, community leaders, Indigenous Elders, school heads, injury prevention specialists, and others, is centered on the efficacy of culturally focused, land-based outdoor education for fostering urban Indigenous youth leadership in the area of unintentional injury prevention. Of particular interest is the manner in which cultural safety, a critical understanding of Indigenous injuries, and peer teaching opportunities influence the ways in which Indigenous youth leaders in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada understand and act in relation to unintentional injury prevention. A related focus is an examination of the impact of cultural learning modalities, such as those associated with hunting and fishing, for inspiring the creative development of an injury prevention resource, to be used by youth leaders to teach safety skills and knowledge to their rural and urban peers. The study employs communitybased participatory research methodology, an approach to research that seeks to put communities in the lead on inquiry and action on urgent Indigenous health issues. Access to the research outcomes, and to the injury prevention resource itself will be promoted through social media technologies. Given a fast growing, young Indigenous population with increasing access to the Internet, the impact of this study has significant potential to extend nationally and beyond. The research will also be disseminated in traditional academic contexts, and to key policy makers e.g. school boards, municipalities, and government departments, providing a strong incentive for changes to policy that reflect Indigenous-focused injury prevention strategies that work.