New research on positive youth development in Aboriginal communities

Faculty and students from Nipissing’s Schulich School of Education, School of Physical and Health Education, are working with Aboriginal communities and Motivate Canada to gain an understanding into how youth development programs influence youth and community-level health, development and capacity.Nipissing’s Dr. Mark Bruner and Dr. Brenda Bruner are co-investigators in a three-year evaluation of Active Circle, an initiative that supports and mentors youth leaders in Aboriginal communities.
Dr. Mark Bruner specializes in positive youth development and group dynamics. Dr. Brenda Bruner is a health promotion and physical activity researcher with a background in Aboriginal health.
The project is receiving $1 million over three years in new funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health (IAPH) and Health Canada, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB).
Other project members include nominated principal investigator, Dr. Lucie Lévesque of Queen’s University, a long-term member of the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project; and Dr. Lynn Lavallée from Ryerson University, who specializes in Indigenous health and well-being.  Katharine Hare, program manager of the Active Circle, will act as project liaison to Active Circle communities and help facilitate the evaluation activities. The project will be guided by a Governing Circle comprised of members of various Aboriginal communities from across Canada, staff from Motivate Canada and members of the research team.
Active Circle, an innovative initiative by Motivate Canada in partnership with the Aboriginal Sport Circle, was developed in response to sports and recreational programming challenges Aboriginal youth and communities face. Active Circle offers a streamlined process for Aboriginal communities to access resources for sport, recreation and physical activity.
Through a start-up grant from the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, and with additional funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Health Canada, the Active Circle has engaged approximately 5,000 youth (ages 8-18 years) and expects to engage an additional 6,000 youth from urban, remote and reserve communities.