Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

First Nations' health in Canada, linked to a direct impact of colonization, has been pronounced severe by almost every social determinant of health. Understanding the perspective from First Nations on health meaning and issues is a necessary step to effective program planning across the health field. To accentuate community strengths and Indigenous knowledge, this research used a community-based participatory research methodology, where researchers and community participants collaborated through sharing knowledge and relevant lived experiences to promote social change. The research was conducted with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation across their two communities in the Northwest Territories, Canada. We explored the youth's perceptions of health and their idea of agency in health research, contextualized by community members, during a week-long on-the-land workshop. The primary sources of data collection were: 1) a short survey on health research interests; 2) a longer survey on health issues, priorities, and information; 3) research sharing circles with youth discussing health issues, youth involvement in health research, and their role in addressing community health issues; 4) community mural art and PhotoVoice projects where youth depicted health meaning/priorities; and 5) storytelling interviews with Elders/community members to understand their added cultural perspective of youths' perceptions. Capturing a relevant and appropriate understanding of health meaning and current issues is being used to design more effective health programming in these communities. The results of these assessments provide a sound basis for designing programs for youth participation in health messaging, and increase our overall understanding of Indigenous concepts of health and wellbeing.