Grant: Operating Grant - HIV/AIDS CBR Program - Indigenous

First Nations and other indigenous people of Canada are over-represented in Canada's human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic. We think HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are physical symptoms of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual abuse experienced through misuse of power in relationships (e.g. residential schools, family violence). This trauma has resulted in loss of traditional knowledge and practice on how to live the good life, a healthy life. The medicine wheel is a symbol of health that reminds us that we are physical, mental, emotional and spiritual beings. Clockwise movement around the wheel shows: 1) flow through the various stages of life from child to elder, 2) flow of relationships, responsibility, and knowledge between people for each stage of life (e.g. adults are opposite children because adults are responsible for children), and 3) the aspect (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) being actively developed at a given stage of life. We believe that past, present, and inter-generational trauma has put the medicine wheel out of order, leading to disease. We will develop a community-led HIV intervention to restore the medicine wheel. We will test this intervention with a small group of people before bringing it to the whole community. We need this test run so we can make sure the intervention is working properly and so we can fix any problems with its delivery. It is vitally important to figure out how to restore the medicine wheel, and if restoring this balance will prevent HIV transmission, both for the lead community, and for other First Nations communities that share this common cause of disease. Our project will support the creation of new knowledge that will inform the Federal Initiatives to prevent the acquisition and transmission of new infections, reduce the social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS, and contribute to the global effort to reduce the spread of HIV and mitigate the impact of the disease.