Aboriginal Next Steps

Aboriginal Next Steps II (AHSII)

ANSII ran in 10 communities across BC: Courtenay, Bella Bella, Prince Rupert, Hazelton, Nisga’a, Prince George, Lytton, Westbank, Cranbrook, and Skeetchestn (2007-2009). Having learned about the findings from the BC AHS III, Aboriginal youth picked out the health issues most important to them and developed projects to address these issues.

ANSII won the 2009 Solicitor General’s Award for Children and Youth leadership.

Project Highlights:

  • International award winning Claymation films
  • Creating a youth council to work with the school board to reduce the percentage of youth dropping out of school
  • Supporting a youth leadership training that included a future leaders conference
  • Developing a multi-school photojournalism and traditional language project
  • Designing conferences and camps to ‘build bridges’ between youth and local Elders
  • Coordinating a mentorship project that paired senior students with junior youth to help ease younger students’ transition to high school.

Some films made by youth as part of the project were shown at the Bangkok International Harm Reduction Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Please see individual communities below for project highlights and to view the youth's films.

For a copy of the full report, please click here.

To download a copy of the evaluation report for this project, please click here.

The ANSII Next Steps was adapted from ANSI, which included youth from Blueberry River, Nass valley, Smithers, Vanderhoof, Williams lake and Pavilion Band in 2001.