The Impact of Indigenous Support for Children and Families Programs

This report examines the support provided to Indigenous children and families in Canada, with a specific focus on the programs and initiatives of Save the Children Canada. The report begins by highlighting the growing Indigenous population and the various challenges they face, including lifestyle issues impacting children and youth. It then delves into the work of Save the Children, an international non-profit organization, and its Canadian branch, emphasizing their efforts to improve educational opportunities, healthcare access, and living conditions for Indigenous children. The report analyzes the organization's programs, such as the youth peer helping training program, birthing experience program, emergency preparedness initiatives, adolescent skills programs, and programs for preventing sexual exploitation. Furthermore, the report explores the concept of community capacity building and its correlation with Save the Children's initiatives, illustrating how these programs aim to empower Indigenous communities and strengthen their ability to address their own issues. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of community development, strengthening, and mobilization in improving the overall welfare of Indigenous children and families, highlighting the impact of the organization's programs in these areas.

Running head: INDIGENOUS SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN/FAMILIES
Indigenous support for children/families
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1INDIGENOUS SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN/FAMILIES
Table of Contents
Question 1: 2
Question 2: 2
Question 3: 3
Question 4: 4
Question 5: 5
References: 6

2INDIGENOUS SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN/FAMILIES
Question 1:
One of the greatest rising concerns for the Canadian government has to be the growing rate
of the indigenous population growing and the various issues that these populations are facing.
According o the recent statistics, the indigenous children and youth can be pegged as the fastest
growing population in Canada, and they represent a glaring figure of 50% of the 1.4 million
indigenous individuals residing in Canada. However, there are various life style issues pertaining
for the indigenous children and youth that continues to impact the lifestyle and opportunities
given to these children (Brown & Nicholas, 2012). Although, it has to be mentioned as well that
there have been many initiatives that has been taken both from government sectors and not for
profit agencies to improve the living conditions of the Canadian indigenous children and support
them. This assignment will focus on the program ‘savethechildren’ and explore the impact this
program has had on the children and how it relates with community capacity building.
Question 2:
It has to be mentioned in here that the Save the children initiative is an international child
support program that has been operating as an independent not for profit, non government
privatized organization; this organizations operates in a varied range of different nations with the
motto or promoting the children’s rights and providing all kinds of relief and support services to
the underprivileged or backward children all around the globe. This organization started its
journey back in 1919, and ever since has been working both independently and in collaboration
with different national authorities to provide better educational opportunities, improved access to
healthcare, and better living conditions to the children in need (Savethechildren.ca., 2018).

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Save the children Canada is the member of this world leading organization for children and is
run on funds raised both domestically and internationally. The primary motto of the Canadian
venture of Save the children us to provide a safe and healthy environment for the children along
with safeguarding all the rights and needs that the underprivileged children are entitled.
According to the Elias et al. (2012), the indigenous children represent an underprivileged sector
of the society that trail behind the children of the mainstream society in every aspect of their life
including education, financial background and health outcomes. The main purpose of initiatives
and programs of this organization has been to obliterate this inequality and let the indigenous
communities provide an environment for their children that are equivocal to the rest of the
Canadians in every aspect (Savethechildren.ca., 2018).
Question 3:
Needless to state the major emphasis of the programs and initiatives run by this organization
are focused at the indigenous communities, their living conditions and its direct or indirect
impact on the health and welfare of the indigenous children of Canada. It has to be mentioned in
this context that apart from family income status and educational statistics, the factors like the
rate of homelessness, infant mortality and suicide are also a significant concern for the
indigenous communities of Canada. As pr the mission and vision of this organization, the impact
of all the above mentioned socio-economic determinants have a huge impact on the growth and
development of these children. According to the Kinney (2012), the indigenous children in
Canada are being robbed off of their rights to develop to their full potential as a valued and
respected citizen and hence the organization collaborates with different authorities to support not
only the indigenous children, but the entire community to improve the overall living
environments for them.

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The organization till date has collaborated with National Indigenous Advisory Circle in the
past to develop a relationship framework that has taken into consideration the different
indigenous cultural values and tradition and introduced revitalization of cultural teachings and
languages o support the cultural heritage of these communities and provide a chance to the
children to understand and appreciate their cultural heritage. In the year of 2014, the organization
had also partnered with Kenora Chiefs Advisory (Ontario) in order to support the youth peer help
training program for the indigenous communities. This program has facilitated traditional and
mainstream approaches to create a critical and accessible helpline within the indigenous
community. The organization also acknowledges the deteriorating condition of the maternal and
neonatal health of the indigenous communities, and hence collaborated with National Aboriginal
Council of Midwives, to bring forth the birthing experience program as well
(Savethechildren.ca., 2018).
Question 4:
There are various different programs and initiatives offered to the indigenous communities
by this organization. Apart from the above mentioned two initiatives namely, youth peer helping
training program, and the birthing experience; there are 4 more actively operating programs that
are aiming to improve the health and welfare outcomes of the indigenous communities. First and
foremost, the emergency preparedness and response and recovery programs helps the
communities to protect themselves and the children during any natural calamity or emergency
situation. The next program offered is adolescent skills for successful transition which helps the
indigenous community to build skills and livelihood opportunities to make a smooth transition to
a safe and decent living condition. Journey for hope is the program helps to build resilience
among the younger members of the indigenous communities who have been through any trauma

5INDIGENOUS SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN/FAMILIES
or addiction problem. And lastly the prevention of sexual exploitation program has been a key
facilitator for protecting the indigenous girls and generating safety awareness among them
(Savethechildren.ca., 2018).
Question 5:
According to the Hacker et al. (2012), the concept of community capacity building
encourages and supports any community to build upon the ability and resources to solve their
collective issues. As defined by the Leeuw, Cameron and Greenwood (2012), in the context
community health and welfare, the community capacity building approaches correlates the
factors such as human capital, organizational resources, and social capital to not only solve the
prevalent issues in the community but also helps to continually improve the living and wellbeing
status of the community over time. There are many initiatives taken by the Save the children
organization that has close correlation with the community capacity building concepts. The
primary principle of the community capacity building is to generate a community identity by
building different frameworks that aim at bringing a sustainable change and a sense of
empowerment (aifs.gov.au., 2018). The relationship framework implemented with collaboration
to the national indigenous advisory circle has attempted to revitalize the cultural identity among
the indigenous individuals and help them reinstate their traditional values in every aspect of their
lives including solving different issues. Along with the youth peer training program helps to
unite the indigenous individuals as a community network to help and support those in need
effectively (Savethechildren.ca., 2018).
Along with that, it has to be mentioned that with respect to child and family welfare,
community capacity building to strengthen community as a more protective and nurturing entity

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to support the children and their families. There are several programs initiated by this
organization which has attempted similar initiatives; the birthing experience program had been
an excellent example of the same where the community capacity building methods have been
utilized to reduce the need for forced maternal evacuation and encouraging the recruitment and
retention of health providers that have a indigenous origin and background understanding. In
terms of community development, community strengthening and community mobilization are
two very important aspects. Programs like Adolescent Skills For Successful Transitions and
Prevention Of Sexual Exploitation Of Indigenous Girls have been great contributors to the
overall community enhancement, these programs have helped the young indigenous individuals
make a smooth transition to an secure and dignified life and also help protect and aware the
abused and harassed women of the community taking the approach of uniting and empowering
the community following the principles of community capacity building (Savethechildren.ca.,
2018).

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References:
Brown, D., & Nicholas, G. (2012). Protecting indigenous cultural property in the age of digital
democracy: Institutional and communal responses to Canadian First Nations and Māori
heritage concerns. Journal of Material Culture, 17(3), 307-324.
Education – Save The Children Canada. (2018). Savethechildren.ca. Retrieved 5 March 2018,
from https://www.savethechildren.ca/what-we-do/education/
Elias, B., Mignone, J., Hall, M., Hong, S. P., Hart, L., & Sareen, J. (2012). Trauma and suicide
behaviour histories among a Canadian indigenous population: An empirical exploration
of the potential role of Canada's residential school system. Social science &
medicine, 74(10), 1560-1569.
Hacker, K., Tendulkar, S. A., Rideout, C., Bhuiya, N., Trinh-Shevrin, C., Savage, C. P., ... &
DiGirolamo, A. (2012). Community capacity building and sustainability: outcomes of
community-based participatory research. Progress in community health partnerships:
research, education, and action, 6(3), 349.
Health and Nutrition – Save The Children Canada. (2018). Savethechildren.ca. Retrieved 5
March 2018, from https://www.savethechildren.ca/what-we-do/health-and-nutrition/
Indigenous and Canadian Programs – Save The Children Canada. (2018). Savethechildren.ca.
Retrieved 5 March 2018, from https://www.savethechildren.ca/what-we-do/national-
indigenous-programs/
Kinney, B. (2012). Community Capacity Building. Democracy in motion: Evaluating the
practice and impact of deliberative civic engagement, 163.

8INDIGENOUS SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN/FAMILIES
Leeuw, S. D., Cameron, E. S., & Greenwood, M. L. (2012). Participatory and community‐based
research, Indigenous geographies, and the spaces of friendship: A critical
engagement. The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien, 56(2), 180-194.
Understanding community capacity-building. (2018). Child Family Community Australia.
Retrieved 5 March 2018, from https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/applying-community-
capacity-building-approaches-child-wel/understanding-community
Where We Work – Save The Children Canada. (2018). Savethechildren.ca. Retrieved 5 March
2018, from https://www.savethechildren.ca/where-we-work/#canada