COVID-19: Resources for Indigenous youth
The COVID-19 pandemic has made many of us feel worried and uncertain about the future. Here are some tips and tools for self-care, keeping in touch, staying safe online, and helping friends.
Use these resources to give you some inspiration to stay connected through daily questions and activities with your family!
- 21 Days of Hope (Also available in Inuktitut)
- 21 Days of Caring ( Also available in Inuktitut)
- Finding Hope Through Caring (Also available in Inuktitut)
If you need help, Kids Help Phone is always there for you. No matter what you want to talk about, they’re there to listen. No judgment, totally private, 24/7.
- Visit KidsHelpPhone.ca.
- Call 1-800-668-6868.
- Text CONNECT to 686868.
Self-care and mental health
It’s very normal to be feeling stressed right now! The news can feel scary, and having to stay physically apart from friends can be very hard. Staying away from friends and family who don’t live with us might mean that some things that make us feel better (like hugging friends) aren’t possible.
There are a lot of tips to help with these feelings, like these tips about how to manage fears about the future from Kids Help Phone, or the Red Cross Safety Plan in English and Inuktitut.
- Just Breathe video
- Yoga for teens
- Colour Therapy apps for Apple or Google devices
- Big Block singsong videos on YouTube
First Nations Health and Wellness Colouring Book
The
First Nations Health and Wellness Colouring Book is an invitation to slow down. 19 Manitoba First Nation artists contributed pieces inspired by their reflections on health and wellness from a First Nation’s perspective.The colouring book was produced in partnership between the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Canadian Red Cross.
If you are struggling with using drugs or alcohol, hurting yourself, or are having trouble with your mental health, or worried about a friend, there is support to help:
- Resources for help with using drugs or alcohol
- Information about self-harm and where to find help
- Kids Help Phone, for phone calls or texting
Staying connected, safely
Social media can help us stay in touch and stay connected to our culture when we need to be apart, like the people drumming over Facebook Live in Nunavut, jingle dress dancing videos and singing for healing during COVID-19. You can join the Quarantine Dance Specials 2020 Facebook group for daily videos to share with your friends.
You can also share kind words and useful information on social media. When you are sharing information online, it’s important to make sure it’s from a source that you can trust, because it's easy to share wrong information during disasters and emergencies. Check out this useful guide from MediaSmarts about how to tell what’s true online.
Sometimes people can be very mean to each other online and it can hurt when people leave negative comments. Learn about cyberbullying, and some ways to push back against hate online.
Looking for how to get started? Check out our tips for supportive communication with your friends and family.
Healthy relationships
When we are very stressed, like during this pandemic, it can be hard on our relationships. It can cause some situations to get worse or may cause unexpected changes in relationships. It doesn’t change the fact that everyone deserves to be safe and happy. Here are some tips if you are experiencing abuse, bullying, harassment online, or violence in a relationship.
Feeling a little unsure if a friendship is healthy or not? This quiz from Kids Help Phone can help.
Tips for parents and caregivers
Parents and caregivers can help youth who are experiencing stress and uncertainty during COVID-19. Here are some resources: