Wellness Webinar | Supporting Children & Youth
Life Promotion and Indigenous Mental Wellness: Learning from Story, Community, and Culture
This presentation begins from a place of story, reflecting on the history of suicide in Shanna’s First Nations community and the ways community members have responded to this struggle over time. From this starting point, the discussion broadens to consider the disproportionate rates of suicide experienced by First Nations communities across Canada and the national conversations and frameworks that have emerged over the past two decades. At the centre of the presentation is a shift in perspective: moving from suicide prevention toward life promotion.
Drawing on the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework and Shanna’s research with Indigenous youth, the presentation explores how Indigenous perspectives on culture, community, and relational wellbeing can guide approaches to supporting life and mental wellness. The discussion is grounded in the Anishinaabe philosophy of mino-bimaadiziwin, or living a good life.
Webinar details:
Date: June 17, 2026
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 PM EDT
Format: Zoom Webinar
Cost: Free to attend
In this webinar, we will discuss:
Broader patterns of suicide among First Nations communities across Canada, and key national conversations and frameworks over the past two decades
A shift in focus from suicide prevention to life promotion, informed by Indigenous-led approaches
How the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework, Indigenous youth research, and the Anishinaabe philosophy of mino-bimaadiziwin (living a good life) guide culturally grounded approaches to mental wellness