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The National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health supports Aboriginal ActNow BC healthy eating and active living projects that can lead to positive change in individuals, and in First Nations, Métis and urban Aboriginal communities across the province. 

• First Nations Health Council project highlights
• Métis Nation BC project highlights
• BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centre project highlights 

• Promote wellness and support chronic disease prevention;
• Promote physical activity in schools and communities;
• Promote wellness and healthy lifestyles in British Columbia;
• Increase the capacity of the Aboriginal communities to create and sustain health promoting policies, environments, programs and services; and
• Enhance collaboration among local government, non-government and private sector organizations.

First Nations Health Council
Healthy Living in First Nations Communities 

The First Nations Health Council serves as the advocacy voice of BC First Nations on health-related matters.  It is comprised of representatives of the three member organizations of the First Nations Leadership Council – the First Nations Summit, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, and the BC Assembly of First Nations. 

The First Nations ActNow BC initiative, in its role as a community-focused chronic disease prevention program, supports First Nations to increase capacity as well as control over the factors that determine the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities.

Highlights from the First Nation Health Council's current healthy living projects:

• First Nations ActNow Toolkit: community toolkits are being developed in each of the First Nations ActNow target areas (physical activity, nutrition, tobacco, mental wellness, and prenatal and maternal health). These will support educators, practitioners, community health representatives, and community members in healthy living.  The First Nations Health Council has hosted workshops on the Toolkits at the Honour Your Health Challenge  annual provincial training events in Vancouver. They are now ready to pilot in select First Nations communities.
   
  
• First Nations Leadership Challenge: this community-wide health challenge provides a stepping stone to get in shape, create healhty workplaces, and build healthy communities.  Leaders must set and meet three health goals: a personal goal, a workplace goal, and a community goal. Open to elected Chief and council in first Nations communities, the Leadership Challenge is less about losing weight or running every day than it is about living healthy lifestyles and creating strong community environments.
  
  
• Role Models Poster Campaign: The Four Host First Nations, on whose traditional and shared territories the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter games will be held, is partnering with the First Nations Health Council in a campaign that will celebrate people for their healthy choices.  In early 2009, role model nominations were submitted honoring Elers, adults, youth and children who live a healthy, balanced life; have a positive outlook; regularly take part in phyisical actvities; promote healthy lifestyles in their family and community; influence other peoples' behaviours and attitudes twoards healthy living; and have made positive changes in their health and well--being.  The Health Promotion Poster Series will feature five selected role models and will be launched across the province.
  
  
• Supporting Aboriginal youth participation in sports, recreation and physical activity is a key commitment.  Read about a new partnership among leading provincial organizations that is working to make youth dreams a reality in our "What's New" section of the website.

"Our strategy is really driven by the community.  We need to find the solutions ourselves, and build on the extensive knowledge we have.  I am really optmistic we are in an important time of change and transformation."  -- Grand Chief Ed John, First Nations Summit 
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The Métis Nation British Columbia  seeks to develop and enhance opportunities for Métis communities throughout the province by implementing culturally relevant social and economic programs and services.  MNBC’s vision is to build a proud, self-governing, sustainable Nation in recognition of Inherent Rights for Métis citizens. 

MNBC is supporting healthy living projects in each MNBC Chartered Community in BC. BC Initiatives for Aboriginal Health helped implement the Metis Nation BC ActNow BC initiative, and commmunities were encouraged to apply for funding to support health promotion programs. 

Each region was asked to select a health promotion stream based on one of the four pillars of ActNow - nutrition, physical activity, smoking cessation and health choices during preganancy.  

To date, ten communities have developed Aboriginal ActNow BC projects with the total number of projects numbering about thirty-seven. Highlights from the Métis projects include:

• The Jigging and a Healthy Lifestyle project provided two jigging classes a week for Métis in Salmon Arm;

• The Moccasin Program for Métis community members in Abbotsford brought local Métis together to work with materials and gain instruction in making moccasins. The moccasins were, in turn, used to participate in five  weeks of jigging lessons;

• The Journey to Batoche encouraged Burnaby Métis community members to walk the equivalent of the 1,643 km walk to Batoche, Saskatchewan (site of Louis Riel's headquarters during Riel's Rebellion and now an historic setting on the South Saskatchewan River);

• The Tribal Journey program in Duncan prepared two canoe crews to participate in an eight day paddling journey from Campbell River to Cowichan Bay for the 2008 North American Indigenous Games;

• The North Cariboo Métis Society’s Circle of Families camp saw entire families engage in activities such as canoe lessons, fishing, archery, nature hikes and baseball.

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"The Community-driven process empowers Metis people to take ownership of their health...With support, we have increased our Community capacity and seen many "champions" rise to the challenge, positively impacting their own health, that of their families and of their Metis Community." -- President Bruce Dumont, MNBC.
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The BCAAFC consists of 24 member Friendship Centres that provide a base of social services to an average of 1200 Aboriginal people per day. More than 60 per cent of Status Indians in BC and 74 per cent of all Aboriginal people in BC live off-reserve, according to the 2006 Census.  Friendship Centres in BC have been providing services to their clientele for the past 50 years. 

Aboriginal ActNow funding provided to the BCAAFC has led to the creation of four projects in BC including:

• Centre of Excellence: This joint health promotion initiative between the Ookanakane Friendship Centre and the Penticton Indian Band coordinates on and off-reserve programs to better serve the needs of the Aboriginal population in the region.  The program provides information about healthy living and facilitates outreach in the geographic catchment area.  Activities include health workshops and guest presentations on nutrition, physical activity, and healthy living.

• Urban Community Health Plan: this collaborative project wih the KI-LOW-NA Friendship Centre, the Interior Health Authority, and UBC Okanagan will see development of B.C.’s first urban community Aboriginal Health Plan. The goal of the project is to create a model of Aboriginal community health planning in an urban context that will serve as a template for comprehensive community health planning in other urban Aboriginal communities throughout BC. The five-year plan maps existing health facilities, analyzes the Aboriginal population's use of health services in the area, and charts a process to meet the needs of the urban community.

• Aboriginal Sport, recreation and Physical Activity Strategy: Increasing access and participation in sports, recreation and physical activity opportunities for First Nations, Métis, and off-reserve Aboriginal youth is a growing priority.  In response, the BCAAFC spearheaded the development of an Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council. The council includes  participants from MNBC, the BC Aboriginal Network on Disability Society, the Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Association and the North American Indigenous Games. The goal of the project is to increase Aboriginal participation in sports and recreation, improve health outcomes and influence policy change. To date, the project has led to three research reports, the development of the Aboriginal Youth Declaration, and a ‘five pillars’ framework presented to a council of BC Indian Chiefs prior to the opening of the 2008 North American Indigenous Games in Cowichan, B.C.  Support is continuing to grow.
  
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The active involvement of the NCCAH in support of the projects is “helping to realize the health goals of urban Aboriginal populations in BC in a long-term and sustainable way.” -- Paul Lacerte, Executive Director of the BCAAFC
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