A Scoping Review of Indigenous Youth Programs Supporting Healthy Relationships

This research project is a scoping review that aims to map and synthesize peer-reviewed literature on relationship-based programs for Indigenous youth in Canada, the United States, Australia, and Aotearoa. Grounded in Indigenous understandings of wellness as relational, wholistic, and community-based, the review responds to concerns that many existing youth mental health and wellness programs are developed within non-Indigenous frameworks and do not adequately reflect Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and relating. The purpose of the review is to identify relationship-focused programs designed, adapted, or delivered for Indigenous youth; to examine how these programs define and foster healthy relationships among youth, families, and communities; and to summarize reported program outcomes related to wellness, connection, and healing. The review will include conceptual, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies published since 2000. This work is part of a broader multi-phase initiative led by the ACCESS Open Minds Indigenous Youth Mental Health and Wellness Network, and builds on a prior environmental scan of grey literature and community-based programs. Indigenous partners, including young adults, are meaningfully engaged throughout the review to ensure cultural relevance and relational accountability. Expected outcomes include a clearer understanding of how relationship-based programming supports Indigenous youth wellness, identification of promising practices and gaps in the literature, and evidence to inform the development of a culturally grounded healthy relationships toolkit for Indigenous youth and communities.