Program aims to help Indigenous youth of 'in-between ages' to talk mental health, identity

Organizers of a newprogram for Indigenous youth in Halifax want to providedirection and support for an age group that's often missed.

While the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre regularly offers programs for kids and young adults, until now there was littlefor youth in "the in-between ages," said organizerJenna Chisholm.

She's runninga seven-week workshop called "Who Am I?" that will cover everything from setting up participants' first debitcards to knowing where to turn in a mental health crisis.

"When you're 13 to 15, you're very high risk for a lot of different things," said Chisholm.

"So we just wanted to give them a safe and comfortable space ... to just be themselves because a lot of times at school, they don't get that opportunity."

Chisholmsaid reaching youth before they enter high school could helpprevent mental health issues or dependencies on drugs and alcohol.

Feels like home

MaddyWatson is only 12 years old, but she's been coming to the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre for nearly a decade.

She was among the small group that gathered for the first workshop earlierthis month. Shehas trouble making friends she can trust at school and wantedto figure out why.

"I kind of want to work on some of mythings that I have trouble doing," she said. "And maybe this will help me."

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The centre might feel like home to Watson, but for youth who move to Halifax from First Nation communities across the province, that sense of belongingcan be hard to find.

"Some people feel like they can't be themselves or they can't follow their traditions or have their culture in the city," saidShylaRobinson, who's organizing the workshop withChisholm.

"So it's important to show them that you can still have your culture in the city. Youcan still be you."

Support in the city

According to the Urban Aboriginal Peoples report from 2010, Halifax hadone of the smallest per capita populations of Aboriginal people of the 11cities surveyed. But the city wasalso attracting a growing number of mostly young Indigenous people at one of the highest rates.

As more people move off reserve, it's important for organizations like the friendship centre to connect with youth early on, said Chisholm.

She's originally from theMillbrookFirst Nation and started working at the centre when she was 15. She's gone through many of the youth programs she now runs.

"I wouldn't be the same person whatsoever," saidChisholm. "I actually got into powwow dancing, drumming, that kind of thing when I was younger. So I wouldn't have had any of that had I not come here."

The "Who Am I?" workshop is heldon Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons at the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre on Gottingen Street.