This November and December, the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) will pilot two land-based mental health and wellness camps for youth aged 12-18.
The 14-day camps will be facilitated in partnership with Indigenous-owned firm Four Roads Consulting, under the watchful eye of a specialized team. They will be held at the Camp Connections site, about 50 kilometres outside Yellowknife.
Each camp will accommodate up to eight youth, with programming designed for young people experiencing mental health challenges or struggling with substance abuse and other high-risk behaviours. Programming will feature a blend of Indigenous and westernized-approaches, and will include a substantial on-the-land component.
“In many Indigenous cultures, the land is deeply intertwined with spirituality and cultural identity,” said Kristy Jones, NTHSSA’s executive director of child, family and community wellness. “Land-based healing supports individuals’ connection with the land, their culture and spirituality, which promotes healing and overall wellness.
“In this camp, through the land-based components, youth will have the opportunity to work through personal challenges, strengthen their connections with peers, family, land and culture, and be empowered to take steps towards overall wellness and healing,” Jones added. “Being on the land also allows for the opportunity for youth to participate in cultural practices that they may not otherwise have access to in their current lifestyle.”
Each camp session will feature a range of activities, including campfires, storytelling, trust-building exercises, interactions with Elders, nature walks and cultural arts and crafts sessions.
Participants will also attend group and one-one-on therapy sessions that will address substance abuse, family violence and colonization, and help the youths work through feeling like fear, shame, and grief.
“Activities will be reflective of both Indigenous and Western approaches,” Jones said. “There is great cultural diversity in the Northwest Territories, and this will be celebrated throughout the camp with a focus on connecting the youth to their family, community, language and culture.”
Each camp will be followed by a period of holistic aftercare, during which time facilitators will support participants as they continue to heal and begin building support systems outside of camp.
According to Jones, this component of the program is “essential.”
“Providing individualized and community-based aftercare will be a critical component in supporting youth when they go home,” she said.
NTHSSA and Four Roads Consulting are undertaking this pilot project in response to “the growing demand for therapeutic mental health services rooted in culture for youth,” Jones said, which has been exacerbated by the recent closures of two NWT treatment centres that offered services for children and youth.
“With this shift, NTHSSA is taking this opportunity to pilot an on-the-land camp to bridge the gap in youth mental health services within the Northwest Territories,” she said.
It remains to be seen whether NTHSSA facilitates more camps beyond the pilots sessions planned for November and December.
Once the two camps and subsequent aftercare components have concluded, NTHSSA will undertake an evaluation to determine if, when and how the camps should be continued.
“We believe that this is heading in the right direction, but this will be determined through the evaluation and the feedback from the youth, families and other supports and partners,” Jones said.