SHIELD (Sexual Health Information Exchange Labrador District) Project
SHIELD is an HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund project. We share sexual health information primarily through events featuring different art, culture and technology activities. Our activities are designed for and by youth from age 11-24.
5 years of SHIELD (and counting)!
The Labrador Friendship Centre’s SHIELD Project was initially granted CAF funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2017. Our project gained traction in 2018, the Labrador Friendship Centre was granted an extension that allowed SHIELD’s activities in it’s initial funding to continue into March 2022. LFC was later successful in securing CAF funding to continue SHIELD’s work from 2022-2027.
Since 2018, SHIELD’s programming has included hosting the following activities and opportunities for youth
- ACT Weekend Retreat for central Labrador youth.
- 2019 ACT Summit (hosted in HV-GB for youth from central and coastal communities).
- heART Circles with Raven’s Nest Art Therapy.
- Metal art courses with celebrated artist Pete Barrett.
- NCCIE Indigenous Youth video project.
- Make Your Own Video Game weekend with Pinnguaq.
- Healthy relationship and self-defense teachings with Violence Prevention Labrador.
- Wellness kits for youth in central and southern Labrador.
- Lake Melville Pride Week activity partnerships with Safe Alliance, including Pride Coffeehouses supported by WritersNL and Pride Craft and Chats with the Mokami Status of Women Council.
- Caribou tufting courses with expert crafter Jacqueline Dyson.
But there’s been a heck of a lot more than that, and you can see a lot of it documented on our ACT Creations page.
Work that inspires ours
SHIELD came from a rich background of many years work in the HIV/AIDS Labrador Project at the Labrador Friendship Centre. This knowledge was brought together with learning from other northern and Indigenous programs including YouthCo, FOXY, Healing our Nations, and Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada.
SHIELD Project Goals
The SHIELD Project’s objectives include goals
- to engage Indigenous Labradorians ages 11-24 in sexual health activities, increasing their knowledge of effective HIV, Hep C, and related STBBI prevention strategies.
- to develop and deliver events using art, culture, and/or technology (ACT) that incorporate sexual health education, with participants reporting an uptake of STBBI prevention measures.
- to develop and deliver events that include peer to peer outreach, with focus on empowering youth to make healthy decisions regarding sexual health, harm reduction, and intimate relationships.
- to increase access and connections to youth servicing agencies and organizations by establishing partnerships, supporting community-led events, providing intergenerational mentorship, and creating points of service and engagement opportunities between agencies Indigenous youth age 11-24.
- to develop and deliver plain language, youth friendly, culturally sensitive, and community based STBBI and health related information/resources.
