Anishinabek Nation Youth Wellness Boxes bring smiles

By Sarah Blackwell

This past year has not been easy for many members of the Anishinabek Nation, and the youth population is no exception. It is the youth population that we must take care of equally as important as caring for our Elders, especially during times of uncertainty and stress.

Young children look to the adults in their lives for stability, guidance, and reassurance that their lives are safe and stress-free.  Conversely, young adults are the role models older adults turn to for help to navigate in a technological world as many parents continue to adjust to virtual learning and working remotely from home. All of these factors can take a toll on the mental health and well-being of the youth population.

This year, the Anishinabek Nation Youth Program focussed its initiatives on providing Wellness Boxes to youth ages 0 – 29 years during the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. It started out as a simple announcement on the Anishinabek Nation Youth Facebook page, which garnered over 500 e-mails after the initial announcement in November 2020. As word spread about this wonderful initiative, the number of inquiries added up throughout the year to approximately 700 Wellness Boxes being shipped throughout Ontario to youth from our member First Nations. We currently have a few other members that are awaiting their boxes and a waitlist for non-member youth wishing to receive a box.

Each month, a new box was curated based on what we thought youth would appreciate during a time of lockdown and/or limited social activities with their peers. Some examples of items placed in each box included LED watches, LED toques, lavender body products, student agenda, storybooks, Indigenous crafts, and colouring books. Each monthly box also contained a healthy snack such as coconut oil and popping corn to make your own healthy popcorn snack at home.

This initiative will continue through 2021-2022 and we now have an online registration form where youth can register: https://www.anishinabek.ca/subscription-box-form/

We know these Wellness Boxes brought many smiles to many Anishinabek youth throughout the Nation and we hope to continue to make wellness a priority for youth during these unique times.