The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) has unveiled a new holistic health-care initiative rooted in Anishinaabe and Dakota teachings to promote wellness across 32 First Nations in southern Manitoba.
The Healthy Living campaign will emphasize physical activity, traditional food knowledge, and cultural revitalization. With $1.5 million in funding, two-thirds will support Indigenous youth basketball, including the return of the Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games in Sagkeeng from August 17-23, welcoming 4,000 participants. Additional funds will support summer basketball camps, a youth drum group, and language classes in SCO communities.
SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels highlighted the urgent need for Indigenous health initiatives, noting an 11-year life expectancy gap that continues to widen. The campaign’s seven wellness themes—food, water, movement, community, land, knowledge, and culture—aim to address health disparities, particularly diabetes, which affects 85% of Indigenous children diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in Manitoba.
Chief E.J. Fontaine of Sagkeeng First Nation emphasized the role of sports and culture in providing youth with a positive alternative to drugs and alcohol, sharing his own experience of transformation through elder teachings.
The initiative will also encourage healthy eating through school gardening programs, aiming to reconnect Indigenous youth with traditional food sources.
Source: Swifteradio.com
