‘Life is Sacred’ is a First Nations and Inuit youth suicide prevention/life promotion learning module.
Our History
Since 2015, the Youth Solvent Abuse Committee (YSAC) has been providing ‘Life is Sacred’, a First Nations and Inuit youth suicide prevention/life promotion learning module for YSAC centre staff, their clientele, and for First Nation and Inuit communities including schools and their community-based service providers.
The ‘Life is Sacred’ prevention program has been provided to communities predominately in Saskatchewan, but also across Canada, as well as at national conferences such as the Dialogue for Life Conference held annually in Montreal, and the last Healing our Spirit Worldwide Conference held in Australia. The ‘Life is Sacred’ suicide prevention program has been well received by those who have attended the program, and highly sought after in bringing the program to communities who have/are experiencing high suicide rates amongst their youth and community members. An independent evaluation was conducted on the program in 2016. Findings of that study concluded that there were statistically significant learning gains amongst participant learners (Musquash & Kruse, 2016). The ‘Life is Sacred’ program was also mentioned as a valuable tool in the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN’s) 2018 Suicide Prevention Strategy.
“This course improves confidence in delivering in delivering anti suicide strategies for my community.”
The Life is Sacred Program Overview
Some of the learning goals of the training program include expelling myths around suicide; historical impact of colonization as a contributing factor to suicide; the role media plays in increasing/glamourizing suicide; warning signs of suicide; ways to engage youth; defining protective factors; and the importance of self-care for those working in the area of suicide prevention. Currently, the community-based prevention portion of the training program itself consists of 12 modules that include:
- Suicide Defined
- Myths and Facts
- Decreasing Stigma
- Colonization
- Risk Factors for Suicide
- Media Guidelines for Reports on Suicide
- Common Warning Signs
- Engaging Youth
- When and Why Youth Seek Help
- Factors that protect Youth from Suicide
- Getting Help for Someone in Your Community
- The Importance of Self Care
