Our aim is to ground Indigenous girls in their community and culture, enhance wellness, and reduce violence against girls and women by helping foster healthy, safe relationships, strengthening community connections and promoting healthful living.

The Ask Auntie program builds on the importance of teaching and supporting girls in their journey to explore their Indigenous identity and providing the conventional and traditional information to support their development into strong young women. 
 
At its core, Ask Auntie encourages Indigenous girls to develop healthy relationships with themselves, one another, and with their communities, especially with adult women – their aunties.
Ask Auntie is a girl-centered, Indigenous youth wellness program designed to promote wellness and healthy relationships among 10 – 14 year old Aboriginal girls. We engage youth through online material as well as community-facilitated girl's only groups.
 
Adult female, community-based leaders act as mentors for girls aged 10-14, and use activities, a dedicated online resource, and peer group discussions to support girls to learn about health, ceremony, wellness, relationships, safety as well as their own traditional teachings.

Ask Auntie is in the program development and pilot phase, supported by the generosity of the Population and Public Health Program of PHSA, Coast Capital Savings, and the BC Women's Auxiliary, PHSA Indigenous Health program, and the Ministry of Justice. 
 
Three communities - Kwakiutl, Old Massett/Masset and T'it'q'et - are working with a small team from BC Women's to develop and pilot the program. Community facilitators in each community are currently running a girls group model and testing the online program component. 
 
Preliminary evaluations indicate that there is 1) a strong desire for the Ask Auntie program, and 2) that communities are very receptive to an initiative that brings communities together to support their girls and women.