Grant: Chair: Implementation Science Chairs in HDCYH - Indigenous Pool

The ShQUooz Circle Program seeks to empower Indigenous children and youth by connecting them with aunties (ShQUooz), grandmothers, and other female Knowledge Keepers who will pass on cultural teachings through community engagement by focusing on land and water-based activities, the project promotes wholistic health and wellness, rooted in diverse Indigenous knowledge systems, this initiative will bring together families, children, and youth to share traditional values. Guided by the Indigenous Health Implementation Science Chair at the Indigenous Health & Physical Activity Program (UBC), the project will include a series of outings that will be co-created and facilitated by Indigenous Women Rise, Indigenous Physical Activity and Cultural Circle (IPACC), and Indigenous Health & Physical Activity Program. These events will share cultural practices through physical activities, such as canoeing, hiking, harvesting, gathering and other traditional activities. Participants will learn cultural teachings of health and wellness that are interconnected with the land and water, strengthening a sense of belonging. The program is designed to include four annual events, each involving Knowledge Keepers, Elders, and community members, with a special focus on Indigenous youth and children, and their families and/or caregivers. By providing mentorship and opportunities for community based experiential learning, the ShQUooz Circle Program events aim to strengthen cultural identity and promote wholistic health and wellness within Indigenous communities with ties to cultural values. The project will also involve Indigenous undergraduate and graduate trainees that will contribute to research, data collection, and the dissemination of knowledge to the broader community. The partnership with IPACC will ensure that findings are shared at the national conferences, supporting knowledge mobilization and strengthening Indigenous approaches to health research and implementation.