How is OBI bringing lab to life > Healthcare and community


“When we got to share our stories and experiences, it made me feel less alone and I thought I was all by myself going through all of these things and [then] I heard the other youth talking and it gives me hope to feel less alone and I am looking at these youth attending these conferences and [see] they are great people. It’s like if they can be great, then I can be great and if we are all being great, then there is a future and there is hope for our community and for Indigenous Peoples and we are making a difference”, says Cheyenne Sego, First Nations Community Youth.

Storytelling is an integral part of Indigenous culture that allows for a deeper understanding of one’s community, culture and of themselves. The Stories from Our Roots program (SfOR), which fostered a sense of hope and community amongst First Nation youth, has officially completed all its training workshops.

As a partnership with the Chiefs of Ontario, the Ontario First Nations Young People’s Council, the Western University and OBI, Stories from Our Roots aimed to develop and implement a mental wellness program that increases resiliency and reduces risk factors associated with youth suicide within First Nations in Ontario. Driven by First Nations youth, the initiative used photography and digital storytelling to support young people in sharing messages of hope, belonging, meaning, and purpose with peers across the province.

According to Statistics Canada, suicide rates are five to seven times higher for First Nations youth than for non-Indigenous youth. Understanding that youth are more likely to open up to their peers, who share and understand their background and experiences, SfOR helped young Indigenous people find their voice and build a healthy and sustainable support system for themselves within their own communities.

The program offered workshops to train youth in safeTALK (suicide awareness training) and equipped them to facilitate Photovoice workshops (using photography to tell stories and create dialogues) on their own – turning them into community leaders that can lead positive community development.

A total of eight workshops were held across Ontario (London, Barrie, Oneida Nation of the Thames, Peterborough, Little Current, Sault Sainte Marie, Thunder Bay, and Kenora), and involved 125 First Nations youth from 67 First Nations communities.

“This was my first time attending and it really opened my eyes to the opportunities available to connect with other youth. My experience at Stories from Our Roots has instilled hope and belonging, allowing me to feel a part of something that is having such a huge impact on youth across Ontario”, says Carl Nodin, First Nations Community Youth

“This was my first time attending and it really opened my eyes to the opportunities available to connect with other youth. My experience at Stories from Our Roots has instilled hope and belonging, allowing me to feel a part of something that is having such a huge impact on youth across Ontario.”

Carl Nodin, First Nations Community Youth

Where some youth found hope, others found new friendships and one in particular, a new business idea through this program. It was over a year ago that Savannah Nahwegahbow from the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation took part in a SfOR workshop held in London, Ontario. The workshop was a collaborative effort with TakingITGlobal that not only focused on photography, but videography as well.

“I studied media design and film making in college, and the workshop couldn’t have happened at a more fortunate time,” says Savannah. “I was really lost on my next steps in life. I knew what I wanted to do, but I just didn’t know where to begin.”

Savannah found those next steps with support from the SfOR program, and has since launched her own multimedia company called Sakena Media. The company strives to showcase the talent and culture of First Nations people within communities, businesses and organizations, with a particular focus on youth and teaching them to use their voice.

Savannah’s story is just one example of what the program and its participants have accomplished, with the hope that more young people will achieve the same outcomes.

“It’s one thing to tell youth to be confident and express themselves, but it’s much better to give them the actual tools to dig deep so they can find that strength and resilience within themselves,” says Bernadette deGonzague, Senior Health Policy Analyst, Chiefs of Ontario. “This project allows for real skill development, to provide young people with a platform to tell the stories of themselves, their communities and their culture in their own unique way. Ultimately, it empowers them to find their voice and have it celebrated.”

And it has worked. At the end of the program, participants were asked to reflect on their experience and to respond to the question “What have you taken away from the program?” In relation to hope, belonging, meaning, and purpose - they all spoke to the ultimate uniting factor of all – a sense of community.

“All of the networking we did at the end of the workshop weekend was so uplifting and knowing I can reach out to any of the participants at any time is another sense of belonging. You don’t feel lost after these workshops because you know that you have these people who will be there for you at any time of day if you need them, whether it’s bad or good, you’re crying or you just need a laugh or a friend to talk to”, says Avery Sandy, First Nations Community Youth.

Given the positive results of the program, OBI and its partners are looking to continue its work to reach and empower more First Nations youth and to expand the program Canada-wide.

Learn more about the Stories from our Roots program, read an article by The Globe and Mail and check out a video by Savannah Nahwegahbow from the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation sharing her experience here.

All quotes shared with the permission of First Nations Community Youth.