Indigenous Parallel
Tailoring Planet Youth for Indigenous communities.
Acknowledging the history of colonialism in our city and country, and the complexities of reconciliation in the present, Planet Youth Calgary has developed a parallel prevention model grounded in Indigenous teachings for helping Indigenous young people live their best lives.
Honour
The Indigenous Parallel is designed to honour the unique context of Indigenous experience and culture in Treaty 7, integrating Indigenous knowledge, language, culture and ceremony into all stages of the process.
Respect
Rooted in trust and respect for Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, the Indigenous Parallel fosters a space of understanding for Indigenous young people to strengthen connection with their communities.
Support
Helping Indigenous young people feel heard, valued and supported in their communities is crucial to our work and their futures, promoting mental health, connection and agency in their lives.
Supporting Indigenous young people.
Recognizing our responsibility to adapt the Planet Youth model to local needs, the Indigenous Parallel represents our commitment to honouring and supporting Indigenous communities in Calgary and Treaty 7.
What is paralleling?
Paralleling is a cultural process of identifying similarities between Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to foster mutual understanding and communication. It involves translating ideas, approaches and practices between Indigenous and Western frameworks, ensuring both remain valid and respected.
Paralleling creates a respectful environment where both worldviews can coexist without erasure or hierarchy. At Planet Youth Calgary, this approach is symbolized by two canoes gliding side by side—separate yet moving in the same direction—honoring Indigenous and Western perspectives while working together to support young people.
Indigenous
- • Smudge and prayer
- •Making relatives
- •Sanctified Kindness
- •Community Accountability
- •Place (Treaty 6 & 7)
Western
- •Call to order
- •Collaboration/partnership
- •Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- •Ecosystem
- •Place (Calgary and area)
Indigenous engagement
Guided by Indigenous ways of doing.
Partnered with the Miskanawah Community Services Association, the Indigenous Parallel is co-designed by Indigenous communities and guided by Indigenous principles of storytelling, cultural teaching and community engagement.
Ethical space
Instrumental to the Indigenous Parallel is the concept of ethical space. This concept outlines a collaborative strategy for Indigenous and Western initiatives to create space for understanding without erasing differences.
Making relatives
The journey of establishing long term relationships of genuine care and respect is an essential component of building community support networks within the Indigenous Parallel.
Sanctified kindness
Informed by Blackfoot and Cree cultural teachings, the Indigenous Parallel is rooted in kindness toward everything—whether by providing resources or the support young people need to thrive.
Led by Elders & Knowledge Keepers.
Supported by 12 Elders representing different nations across Treaty 7, the Indigenous Parallel seeks continual guidance from Elders and Knowledge Keepers, who provide our initiative with wisdom, direction and focus.
Guided by Blackfoot teachings on the importance of active kinship, the Indigenous Parallel engages Elder Youth, aged 18–29, to perform the role of peer mentors for Indigenous young people. In this role, Youth Elders participate in a ripple effect of leadership development by mentoring young people who in turn demonstrate their learnings and leadership skills for others in the community.
Our spirit names.
We are honoured to share the two-spirit names gifted to the Indigenous Parallel by Blackfoot and Cree Elders. These names embody the deep connections between young people, community and the land, reflecting our purpose and identity. They make us visible to those we serve and create a doorway to meaningful relationships with urban Indigenous communities.
A’ssitapisska’ahkóm
Blackfoot Name — Gifted by Elder
Johnathon Red Gun, Siksika First Nation
A’ssitápi = Youth;
Ksa’ahkóm = Earth Being
Kawinew Askiy Oskipmatsahk
Cree Name — Gifted by Elders Patrick & Patsy Daigneault, Ïle-à-la-Crosse
Kawinew Askiy = Land;
Oskipmatsahk = Youth / The Process of Becoming an Adult
In the spirit of reconciliation.
From time immemorial, Treaty 7 territory has been the home of the Blackfoot Confederacy (including the Kainai, Siksika, and Piikani First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, the Stoney Nakoda (including the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations), as well as the Métis and Inuit who have made their home here in Mohk’insstisis, also known as Calgary. As part of the ongoing efforts to promote healing and repair amid the effects of colonialism, we acknowledge the historical and contemporary complexities of being situated in Treaty 7, as well as our responsibility to truth and reconciliation.
