Seeds of Encouragement: Initiating an Aboriginal Youth Mentorship Program

Abstract

In this article the authors, a multi-age, cross-cultural team of Aboriginal andnon-Aboriginal co-researchers, present the preliminary findings of a youth mentoringprogram designed to involve Aboriginal high school youth in designing anddelivering an after-school physical activity, nutrition, and education program forchildren in an elementary school in Winnipeg. The mentoring program wasorganized as a qualitative, community-based, participatory action research study.Through weekly after-school mentoring sessions, a group of 12 high schoolAboriginal youth developed and delivered a program of low-organized games, snacks,and educational activities for approximately 25 elementary students. The studydesign incorporated holistic models of youth engagement informed by Brendtro,Brokenleg, and van Bockern's (1998) Circle of Courage and other Aboriginaleducation practices.