One youth-led initiative in Nova Scotia is getting Mikmak youth off drugs and booze, through culture.

Red Road participants: Back row: Charlie DeWilde, Cody Crowe, Storm Christmas, Aaron Prosper. Dakota Francis, Ssvvy Simon, Keigan Sack, EJ Sock, Sutherland Greer Julian, Samson Milliea. Front: Brittany Prosper, Alyssa Abram, Anoogwa Pictou, Natalia Ramirez, Cruzer Meuse, Graham Marshall. Caroline Sylvester, Haley Bernard, Kyle Isaac, Shanika MacEachern, Jody Paul (pink shirt), Darian Bernard, and Maureen Nicholas (very last). Photo courtesy of Red Road Project.

[Editor's note: This is part of a series of reports on successful youth-focused projects resulting from collaboration between Indigenous communities and philanthropic organizations. Leading Together is itself a collaboration of Journalists for Human Rights, Tyee Solutions Society, Wawatay Native Communications Society, and the J. W. McConnell Family Foundation which commissioned this journalism. In the coming weeks look for more Leading Together stories from across Canada running Tuesdays and Wednesdays in The Tyee.]

On a bright midsummer afternoon, Haley Bernard surveyed the Pictou Landing First Nation with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the rural Mi'kmaq community is like a close-knit family. On the other, it's plagued by drug and alcohol abuse.

The need: Helping Indigenous youth in Mi'kmaq communities turn away from drug and alcohol abuse.

The project: The Red Road Project introduces Indigenous youth to a healthy lifestyle through cultural activities, convened by local youth leaders.

What worked: Adapting cultural traditions to activities, such as organizing the cultural camp for youth leaders; working through youth leaders across social media; engaging outside youth-engagement initiatives such as LOT; bringing on charismatic youth leadership for the project in the second year.

Challenges: Building genuine band and community ownership of activities; getting youth to show up to activities in new initiatives.

Lessons learned: Work through credible community contacts; adapt cultural practices to context in authentic ways.

She wants to see change -- a generation of culturally strong, educated youth who are drug and alcohol free. Bernard hopes the Red Road Project will lead the way.

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The Red Road Project: Trading Substances for Substance (in News)