Indigenous-Specific Track

 

The Best Practices Network in Canadian Higher Education (BP-Net) member’s portal features a library of Canadian post-secondary students’ mental health and well-being practices. Applicants may submit their practice to one or both best practice tracks for evaluation by trained reviewers: the best practice continuum track and optional health equity icon and/or the track for Indigenous-specific practices. For more information about the tracks and the icon, see the Best Practices Submission Guide.

BP-Net adopted the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Canadian Best Practices Portal Aboriginal Ways Tried and True (WTT) Framework¹ (2016) to identify Canadian post-secondary student mental health and well-being practices that have been developed with or by Indigenous communities and have demonstrated a positive effect on target groups.  Based on their assessment approach and methodology in the WTT Guidebook, a companion submission form and a reviewer tool were created to operationalize the application process.  Minor adaptions were made to reflect the post-secondary student mental health context (e.g., adding examples).  See the WTT Guidebook to learn about the development of their framework. Please contact info@bp-net.ca if you have any questions during the review process.

¹ BP-Net adopted the Aboriginal Ways Tried and True Framework (2016) by PHAC with permission from Freda Burkholder, Manager, Public Health Capacity and Knowledge Management Unit, PHAC, Ontario Region.  Minor adaptations were made for the post-secondary mental health context and application process.  See Appendix A in the Submission Guide for information about permission and use of materials.

 

How to get started on your submission

See the WTT Guidebook for descriptions of the criteria and ratings. Practices that meet all PHAC WTT screening criteria and are rated a total score of 16 or higher out of 24 on the assessment criteria will be designated the ‘Ways Tried and True’ best practice category.

See the Submission Guide for submission tips including how to select a primary source document to submit with your application.

Please reach out to the BP-Net at info@bp-net.ca if you have any questions about the application process.

Indigenous-Specific Practices Track Submission Form

 

Definitions

Below is a list of definitions of key terms that are used throughout the submission form. Appendix B in the Best Practices Submission Guide provides a comprehensive list of definitions and their sources.

Indigenous: The terms “Indigenous” and “Aboriginal” are used interchangeably to refer to the original inhabitants of Canada and their descendants including First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples as defined in Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982. The term “Indigenous” is used in this application process.

Practice: In this application, practice refers to, but is not limited to, a program, service, strategy, or framework that supports post-secondary student mental health. Other types of materials or resources will be considered (e.g., toolkits, curriculum, etc.).

Ways Tried and True: Refers to successful practices implemented in First Nations, Inuit and Métis contexts to address local challenges. Success is measured not only by effectiveness, but also by how the intervention was designed and carried out.