Health Promotion Through Youth Engagement
*References for this content can be accessed in the full report Health Promotion Through Youth Engagement: An Environmental Scan.
Health Promotion Through Youth Engagement Across Canada – Interactive Map
This interactive map features youth programming from across Canada that engages hard-to-reach and marginalized youth. This map can be used as a tool to explore youth-focused programs or activities that connect with youth through voluntary, community-based engagement in wellness-related and harm reduction activities. Each highlighted service is an example of innovative programming promoting mental health, harm reduction, sobriety, sexual health, or wellness.
Highlighted programs were selected, in collaboration with a Youth Research Assistant, from an extensive Environmental Scan completed in 2021. Programs included on this map offer distinct, accessible, or innovative approaches to health promotion and youth engagement that may be applied or adapted to a Saskatchewan context. These programs illustrate how adaptive health promotion-focused youth engagement can be, as well as how responsive it can be to the needs and resources of a community and the youth within it. For each highlighted program, the organization and program name, program type, location, description, and website link are provided.
By reviewing the provided descriptions of the included programs, youth leaders, adult allies, and organizations who work with youth can:
Youth-led Program Design
Having a youth-led program design can ensure the program is relevant, meets youth where they are (developmentally, geographically, online), and can contribute to greater buy-in from youth. In a youth-led approach, youth can progress from co-learners to role models and peer mentors. When planning programming, consider the following best practices for positive youth engagement.
Health Promotion Through Youth Engagement
When it comes to addressing youth health, and specifically the prevention of alcohol-related harms and the promotion of sexual health and wellness, youth engagement supported by adult allies is a highly effective strategy. In Health Promotion Through Youth Engagement: An Environmental Scan, a variety of youth engagement strategies and programming in Canada are represented. Each programming type can be applied in diverse communities with varying budgets. Each program highlighted on the map has a tag for a programming type to allow users to identify programs that interest them. What follows is an outline of primary programming types identified within the scan and examples of how each strategy is employed.
Highlighted programs were selected, in collaboration with a Youth Research Assistant, from an extensive Environmental Scan completed in 2021. Programs included on this map offer distinct, accessible, or innovative approaches to health promotion and youth engagement that may be applied or adapted to a Saskatchewan context. These programs illustrate how adaptive health promotion-focused youth engagement can be, as well as how responsive it can be to the needs and resources of a community and the youth within it. For each highlighted program, the organization and program name, program type, location, description, and website link are provided.
By reviewing the provided descriptions of the included programs, youth leaders, adult allies, and organizations who work with youth can:
The work of adult allies is an integral part of the youth engagement approach to promoting youth health. The Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement’s definition of an adult ally is as follows:
“An adult ally helps youth have their voice heard through meaningful engagement. With support of an adult ally, young people can be meaningfully involved in every stage of an initiative. Being an ally to young people involves a combination of positive attitude, skill, and awareness, to help in advocating for a youth leadership and empowerment agenda.” (Khanna & McCart, 2007, p. 2)
In addition to the value of the youth-adult relationship described above, adults can play important roles in youth development.
Two areas of focus at the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute that are important to youth are the prevention of alcohol-related harms [including the prevention of FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder)] and promotion of sexual health. The Prevention Institute believes that youth aged 14-24 must be included in primary prevention efforts to reach these goals.
The Prevention Institute is pleased to offer Saskatchewan communities a Youth-led Community Health Grants Program focused on preventing alcohol-related harms and/or promoting sexual health education. To learn more about the Grant Program, visit: www.skprevention.ca/yap/youth-led-community-health-grants-program/.