CICMH would like to acknowledge a Wellness Resource developed and co-created by members of the IIC, staff at Kenjgewin Teg, Regional Assessment and Resource Centre (RARC), and Finding Our Power Together. Additional support and materials were provided by Thunderbird Partnership Foundation. “Pathways to Wellness: an Online Wellness Resource for Indigenous Students” was designed as an interactive resource for students to manage their mental health and overall wellness. Through relationship building with the IIC, we will be extending and building off the Wellness Resource to include the experiences of college and university students. Please note, throughout the toolkit we have repurposed some of the content and information from the IIC’s Wellness Resource.
Nia:wen, Thank you
CICMH would like to express its gratitude and is very thankful for the support and collaboration efforts made with members of the IIC, Marsha Josephs (Executive Director), and Anna Zecharia (Research Analyst). CICMH would also like to send its appreciation to members of the Indigenous Advisory Circle for their thoughtful contributions:
Bradley Gibson (Toronto Metropolitan University), Cynthia Belfitt (Laurentian University), Greg McGregor (Georgian College), Jacob Hill (Conestoga College), and Natasha Young (University of Guelph).
Background
According to Statistics Canada (2022), five per cent of new entrants to post-secondary were Indigenous students. Specifically, in the province of Ontario, 26 per cent identified as new Indigenous students entering an undergraduate degree (Statistics Canada, 2022). Similarly, 23 per cent of Indigenous students aged 25 to 64 had successfully obtained a college certificate/diploma and 16 per cent obtained a university degree (Melvin, 2023). As more Indigenous students enter post-secondary education, adapting the IIC’s online Wellness Resource will help ensure they are well supported throughout their education journey.
