Funding outcome

In Canada, Indigenous youth are more affected by poor health due to social injustice. As such, they are less likely to complete high school than non-Indigenous youth. The Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program (IYMP) aims to bridge this gap. IYMP is an after-school communal mentorship program that promotes healthy eating, physical activity, and relationship-building. Offered in 50 communities, Indigenous high school students (youth mentors) lead activities for younger students once per week after school. On top of positive health outcomes that IYMP has previously shown, youth want more options that can support their educational attainment. As such, it needs to be understood how this can be achieved. Consequently, my research will support the development of new high school credit-earning opportunities and evaluate previous programming that supports educational attainment, while also supporting funding opportunities going forward due to IYMP being a nonprofit. My research includes 3 objectives, and takes a research approach that ensures community partners, especially youth, are engaged throughout all stages of the research. First, I plan to co-develop an IYMP-specific high school credit course that can support culturally relevant credit-earning opportunities. Second, I plan to evaluate IYMP's leadership training currently provided through a two-day leadership 'mentor camp', by assessing its impact on supporting the educational attainment of Indigenous youth who attend. Third, I plan to evaluate the broader social value impacts of IYMP to identify needed resources, inform future decision-making, and support funding opportunities going forward.