Saskatchewan Prevention Institute

This site is a wealth of information related to maintaining healthy children through practical education. One of our topics lately has related to parental involvement in holistic education of First Nations children, and this site supports many facets of this education. There are tabs that provide support for parents about how to educate their children on topics such as:

• Sexual health
• Alcohol and other substance
• Prevention of injury
• Reproductive health
• Being a young parent
• Mental health

Interestingly, there is also a tab called ‘First Nations Traditional Teachings’ where an overview is provided of core cultural values; here is an excerpt:

“Traditional knowledge is information that is passed down from generation-to-generation, often by Elders and healers, and often shared through storytelling. Historically, First Nations people had protocols, customary laws and social conventions that were negatively overshadowed or forgotten with European contact and more recently with the experiences people had in residential schools. However, many First Nations people feel that it is time to reclaim the traditional cultural values to help prepare young people to make healthy life choices, including their sexuality and reproductive health.”

At the bottom of the page, there is also an overview provided of a DVD called ‘Traditional Teachings: A Journey from Young Child to Young Adult’, along with a series of helpful clips that support many of the main topics from the site, and that relate to topics that have surfaced lately in some of our discussions. I find this particular resource to be quite interesting because it is a way for Elders and parents to educate their children using a modern medium that embeds storytelling and traditional values.