Aboriginal Shield Program

Overview

The Aboriginal Shield Program (ASP), one of RCMP’s Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness Service’s (DOCAS) main initiatives, is a youth-driven program that provides substance abuse prevention and healthy lifestyles coaching to Aboriginal communities.

The ASP enables Aboriginal youth to gain a sense of cultural connection and pride, while learning to make informed healthy lifestyle choices about drug use and related activities.

The program offers culturally relevant teachings that can easily be adapted and expanded to fit individual community needs and complement existing local initiatives.

Community involvement

The ASP has been designed as a community-led, police-assisted program, which ensures the sustainability and consistency of the program in the Aboriginal communities in which it is implemented.

Curriculum

The ASP aims to reflect the diversity of Aboriginal cultures and to incorporate the latest facts about Canadian drug issues, including emerging social challenges such as Aboriginal gangs.

It offers interactive activities to engage the participants with age-appropriate and culturally stimulating content, presented in a dynamic, youth-friendly layout.

The ASP consists of two 12-lesson manuals for grades 5/6 and 7/8. It also includes manuals to equip ASP community facilitators with the tools and background information needed to deliver high-quality prevention activities.

To learn more about how your community can get involved, contact:

Cst. Maureen Greyeyes-Brant
National Coordinator of the Aboriginal Shield Program