Purpose
The aim of this project is to increase Aboriginal student enrollment in post-secondary health science education programs using an online mentoring program for Aboriginal youth and evaluate its effectiveness in supporting transitions into post-secondary health science programs.
Background
Education is widely considered the most important social determinant of health because of its power to determine future employment, income and social status. This project considers education, specifically mentoring, a key health intervention for youth, and therefore targets Aboriginal students at a critical stage in their developmental pathway, between the ages of 11-18.
Over three decades of research has shown mentoring to have a positive effect on a wide variety of youth outcomes, but particularly in improving school attitudes. Electronic mentoring or ‘eMentoring’ has emerged as a popular alternative to face-to-face mentoring and deserves to be explored in further detail as a timely alternative to traditional mentoring.
Overview
One hundred mentor-mentee relationships will be established in urban and rural BC, which will be developed and maintained in collaboration with www.icouldbe.org, an established eMentoring platform. Mentors will include post-secondary health science students in institutions across BC, and mentees will include urban and rural youth in grades 7-12. Mentor-mentee relationships will last a minimum of one year, and consist of semi-structured online discussions/activities.
The research component will seek to understand: best practices for implementing an eMentoring model in Aboriginal communities; efficacy of technology-enabled engagement; evaluation of eMentoring as a viable alternative to traditional mentoring; and efficacy of eMentoring in promoting awareness, interest and enrolment in post-secondary health science programs, through objective measures (e.g., grades) and self-reported data (e.g., perceived value of Math/Science/English on career path).
Highlights
- This project was one of only three (from a pool of 28) to be funded through the Aboriginal Health Intervention Program by the Canadian Institute for Health Research
Partners and Collaborators
- First Nations Communities: Ktunaxa Nation, Shuswap Nation, Sto:lo Nation and Inter Tribal Health Authority
- Organizations: First Nations Technology Council, First Nations Schools Association, Vancouver Island Health Authority, Whistler Forum, icouldbe.org
- Institutional Partners: UBC’s Institute for Aboriginal Health Summer Science Program, UBC Indigenous Students in Science and Health Science Students Associations, College of New Caledonia, School District 23, School District 36, UBC Okanagon, UBC First Nations House of Learning, UBC Health Science Student Association
Academic Research Team
- Sandra Jarvis-Selinger, Assistant Professor, UBC Department of Surgery and Associate Director, UBC eHealth Strategy Office
- Kendall Ho, Associate Professor, UBC Department of Emergency Medicine, VCHRI and Director, UBC eHealth Strategy Office
- Helen Novak Lauscher, Assistant Director, UBC eHealth Strategy Office
- Lee Brown, Director, UBC Institute for Aboriginal Health
- Lesley Bainbridge, UBC College of Health Disciplines
- Robert Woollard, UBC Department of Family Practice
- Tim Michel, Aboriginal Coordinator, UBC Faculty of Science
- Michal Fedeles, Director, SFU Continuing Health Education
- James Andrew, Aboriginal Programs Coordinator, UBC Department of Family Practice
Contact
To learn more about this project or how you can get involved, please visit www.ementoringbc.com.
Recent Posts
Vote for eMentoring in the Changemakers Inspiring Approaches to First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learning award contest!
The Aboriginal eMentoring BC team has some VERY exciting news! Our program has been selected as 1 of 16 finalists for the Changemakers Initiative: Inspiring Approaches to First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learning. There are several awards that we qualify for, but most important is the exposure and recognition! With eMentoring having just started its [...]
eMentoring: Trip to the Okanagan – June 15-16
Originally posted on the eMentoring blog. For more information about the eHealth Mentoring project, please visit their website. Another full but successful trip! It’s amazing how much you can accomplish in two days and eight meetings. The goals of this trip were to start a plan on how to recruit mentors from UBC-O and further [...]
Become a mentor for an aboriginal student! Deadline: July 1st, 2011
Want to help Aboriginal youth become excited about learning and school? Want to be a role model and make a positive impact on the lives of youth? Then apply to be an online mentor! We are currently looking for UBC students from all faculties who are over the age of 18 to be mentors.
