To increase resiliency and well-being and reducing substance use among youth.
Some youth in Sudbury and surrounding areas experience unequal substance-related harms. These include youth facing mental health challenges, limited parental monitoring or school connection, peer substance use, the ongoing impacts of colonialism (Indigenous youth), service barriers (Francophone youth), newcomers and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.
Co-led by Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre (SKHC) and Sudbury District Restorative Justice (SDRJ), this project recognizes that subgroups of youth who face unique challenges require tailored, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed approaches.
Grounded in cultural relevance, equity, and youth leadership, this project will collaborate with partners from multiple sectors to support upstream youth substance use prevention. For example, restorative justice partners will offer community-based solutions that focus on positive youth engagement, while cultural advisory groups and youth representatives will co-design accessible programs that addresses social determinants of health and support protective community environments
Lead organization: Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre and Sudbury District Restorative Justice
Websites: Planet Youth Up North, Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre (SKHC) | Aboriginal Health Access Centre, Sudbury District Restorative Justice
Socials:
SKHC: Facebook, X, Instagram
SDRJ: Facebook, X, Instagram
Contact: Sherri Moroso, Associate Director; Jackie Balleny, Executive Director; Alexandra Bloomfield, Health Promoter
Location: Sudbury and LaCloche, ON
This initiative will engage youth from Sudbury and Espanola – areas located in Northeastern Ontario with varying degrees of rurality. Within these regions, Indigenous and Francophone youth represent a significantly larger share of the population than the Ontario average. There is also a significant population of newcomer youth.
This project is funded as part of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Program (YSUPP). Learn more here.