Engaging and Empowering Aboriginal Youth

Not a week goes by without a negative news story reporting the rates of problem behaviors among Canada's aboriginal youth. These statistics don't tell the whole story and the paradigm must shift from focusing on deficits to a more strengths-based approach. <i>Engaging and Empowering Aboriginal Youth</i> presents a wide range of guidelines strategies templates and case studies for those who work with aboriginal youth. Divided into five sections this toolkit • provides a historical context for understanding the challenges facing aboriginal youth and makes a case for the importance of building youth engagement and empowerment;• offers a series of assessment tools to help identify the starting point for change;• identifies four key tenets of effective programming with aboriginal youth: understanding and integrating cultural identity increasing youth engagement fostering youth empowerment and establishing and maintaining effective partnerships;• highlights challenges and opportunities in working with partners in the educational system;• offers a range of considerations for program evaluation and other types of research.A guide for frontline service providers facilitators educators community partners and researchers to adapt or develop programs <i>Engaging and Empowering Aboriginal Youth</i> combines conceptual guidelines and practical strategies.