PARTICIPATION IN A CULTURALLY GROUNDED PROGRAM STRENGTHENS CULTURAL IDENTITY, SELF-ESTEEM, AND RESILIENCE IN URBAN INDIGENOUS ADOLESCENTS

Culturally grounded after-school programs (ASPs) aim to promote health and well-being among Indigenous youth. Native Spirit is a 10-session ASP that focuses on local cultural values and activitiesfacilitated by local cultural practitioners. This pilot study used a singlegroup, pretest-posttest design (N = 18) with Indigenous adolescents ingrades 7-12 and conducted participant interviews (N = 11) to assess theimpact of the program on cultural identity, self-esteem, and resilience.There were immediate post-program increases in mean strength in culturalidentity (p = 0.002), resilience (p = 0.161), and self-esteem (p = 0.268).Themes related to benefits of program participation included curiosity andcommitment to cultural identity, increases in self-esteem, and ability tobuild resilience. This study provides new insights on the relationshipbetween cultural engagement and adolescent health.